This is something I have never considered before. My jeep has 93k miles on it, frame and body are in mint condition and I do not off road with it. I put a lot of money into it as fat as a sound system and new bumpers, lights, etc. The check engine light goes on all the time and just recently replaced the Cadillac converter, and before that the radiator. But it keeps going on cuz of the evap they said which could be a pin hole but regardless. I’ll need to replace the time chain soon anyway. So is it worth it just to get a new engine? And if so how would I even go about looking for one and what kind of engine goes in it? I’d appreciate as many opinions and answers as possible! Thank you all!!
Is it worth replacing engine in 06 TJ?
- Thread starter Kmatta84
- Start date
Unless there is something specifically wrong with the engine, you should not have to replace it with only 93K miles on it. I've had several with more than 200K miles on them. Most of what you're dealing with sounds like fairly routine issues after 15 years of use.
From my stand point and I am from Australia so may be irrelevant? but a new donk in my 06 would cost me around $10,000 AU. I went into the TJ market knowing this. So its getting old? timing chains need replacing? this is to be expected unless you buy a 1970,s vehicle that only ever needs plugs points and an oil change and will happily blow smoke for years before it shits itself.
New bumpers fat sound system fancy lights big tires new wheels and the like are fun factors of enthusiasm, reality is modern vehicles have a shortish use by date and an 06 is a modern vehicle!
If I was in USA I would keep it and pay a jeep professional to get it back up to speed. you don't realize how Lucky you are! cost me over $100US for a Mopar air filter and over $80 for OEM tow hooks lol
New bumpers fat sound system fancy lights big tires new wheels and the like are fun factors of enthusiasm, reality is modern vehicles have a shortish use by date and an 06 is a modern vehicle!
If I was in USA I would keep it and pay a jeep professional to get it back up to speed. you don't realize how Lucky you are! cost me over $100US for a Mopar air filter and over $80 for OEM tow hooks lol
Using evap leak as a justification for considering a new motor is.......a wee bit silly. I have CEL from the evap system, and I just reset the code every now and then. Not even worth the hassle to track down the issue.
93k on a 4L inline 6 is literally nothing. The motor has been around for decades. Simple, reliable, tough. Easy to fix. Easy to find parts. CHEEP. Maintain it and drive it.
93k on a 4L inline 6 is literally nothing. The motor has been around for decades. Simple, reliable, tough. Easy to fix. Easy to find parts. CHEEP. Maintain it and drive it.
Low mile engines are years of stop start nightmares if you ask me! High mileage are problematic too but I would never by a 16 year old vehicles that has never had the time to run at its factory optimal performance.
Once Bitten Twice Shy lol
Also, changing an engine won't fix a problem with the evap system. The evap system is a completely separate system, and it's not vital to vehicle performance. It's sole purpose is to take the fuel that evaporates from the fuel tank, store it, and at an appropriate time, vent it into the intake manifold so that it can be burned, rather than put back into the atmosphere. All it takes is a small leak, and a code is eventually triggered. I have an older Ford Expedition that has a leak that I located with a smoke injector, and it's in a plastic elbow on the fuel tank that is not available. Rather than replace the entire fuel tank, I simply reset the code when the CEL comes on. No harm to the vehicle. A barely measurable leak of gasoline vapors to the atmosphere - it's all good.
Both can be a problem, if they not maintained properly. That said, the last several I've bought had close to, or over, 200K miles. FWIW, the low miles doesn't have to be stop/starts. Sometimes these things just sit and get infrequent use. I have one of those, but it get's maintained properly!
Replacing the engine for those reasons is the equivalent of amputating your foot because of an ingrown toenail.
Those issues are not severe and relatively common. That engine has a lot of life left in it and none of those issues are motor related. Any TJ owner is dealing with an older vehicle and they typically have some miles on them. Fortunately they are fairly easy to work on in the driveway and are a great vehicle that will allow you to enhance mechanical skills and knowledge.
This is one of the primary reasons I can't let go of this platform. It really is very easy to work on.
It’s not worth putting an engine in. Just sell it immediately and move on.
93K is nothing. My son's 2003 has 269,000 miles on it and it's still running strong. I still can't believe he has that much milage on it and uses it as his daily driver.
I had a small EVAP leak on mine a few years back. I couldn't locate it for the life of me. Someone said to look at all the rubber hoses. Sure enough, the short rubber hose that connects on the metal line for the return line that is on top of the fuel tank had hairline cracks in it. I replaced that and my EVAP codes went away.
What makes you think you need to replace the timing chain? That’s not a wear / maintenance item on these mills - and certainly not at 93k. It’s not a Honda.
The small leak evap code is a pain, but as noted above a few times is not a big deal. Reset it when it throws a code. Tracking it down and correcting it is certainly possible, but usually requires smoke testing unless you are lucky enough to be able to see it - such as a cracked hose or fitting.
I fought that code for years on mine, and finally replaced the engine…
(wait - maybe I should not have menioned that…
)
If you are getting the 441 code, take a look at the header pipes to exhaust manifold bolts.
Over time, mine (06 TJX) kept backing out and I'd get the code. Tightened them up and the code would not come back until they worked loose again. Last week I finally replaced all 4 bolts with new, plus new retainers, and the code has not returned.
It can be a pain to reach those bolts, but a variety of extensions and sockets, combo 3/8 and 1/4 drive, everything went fine. I used "Freeze Off" to soak the bolts and retainers before removing.
Ray
I fought that code for years on mine, and finally replaced the engine…
(wait - maybe I should not have menioned that…
I am getting an evap code also. I decided I am gonna replace my 194k motor with this :
https://www.customcrateengines.com/...-chevy-turn-key-crate-engine-with-550-hp.html
I have had that from a bad gas cap gasket or the cap on crooked. Check that too
When the majority of posts are in agreement, we have Forum Consensus- request to replace engine denied. See us in 100,000 miles.
It’s in the Forum Handbook, read the fine print.
It’s in the Forum Handbook, read the fine print.
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kenosha whiz six
TJ Enthusiast
Yes th motor is famously indestructible but?anything attached to it may fail!like th mfg defect oil pump goin out around 100thou etc. do a compression test first of all,if that’s good,don’t worry bout th motor so much.things like starters alternators oil pumps etc can be expected to need replacing on any vehicle.cats,o2s,sensors may need replacing along th way but th motor itself incl th valve train bottom end etc are good to go if you have good compression.meaning you don’t have bad rings or valve seals etc.this is all based on th hopes tht th owner has taken care to maintain th engine particularly thru changing th oil!
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