2000 Jeep Cherokee XJ 4.0L, Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5w30, 2k miles; 1 yr

[fijicorey]

Very happy with this one. Previous report on this one was to test for coolant in the oil for the common 0331 head problem. Filter was Fram Ultra. 5w30 RGT went in for this change.

 

[Chris142]

Whats with the silicon?

 

[fijicorey]

This year of jeep had a common problem where the head would crack and coolant would get into the oil. I replaced the head 5k miles ago and haven't had a problem since.

 

[Donald]

Next will be a piston skirt cracking on these engines.

 

[dave1251]

Looks good for a 4.0. You have gone another 2 years on the oil.

 

[rubberchicken]

That is reassuring to see that a repair worked perfectly. nice

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Hardly no Magnesium. Look at all that Calcium. This is old Platinum HM stock..... surely not SN Plus. Looks good thou for your ride...... Perfect match for your needs. 0W40 Castrol Euro, or a Rotella T6 in 5W40, may be a better future plan than RGT 5W30, for your engine needs and Florida climate. Just my amateur opinion.....

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted by Donald

Next will be a piston skirt cracking on these engines.

It happens, but rarely.

 

[IndyFan]

I've seen some with problems, mainly leaking rear main seals, but I've also seen them running well with 500k on them. From what I've seen, 97 was a good year for them.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted by jeepman3071

Originally Posted by Donald

Next will be a piston skirt cracking on these engines.

It happens, but rarely.

I guess my engine was the rare one. Would if be reasonable to install new rings or new pistons with different ring spacing in an effort to prevent the piston skirt cracking. I would bet it happens more often than people realize but the chunk of piston skirt falls into the oil pan and no one notices.

 

[fijicorey]

Thanks for the replies everyone! I don't drive this Jeep very often. I've only put a little over 5k miles in 3.5 years of ownership. While it's nice to see that the oil could go longer, I'm sticking with annual changes to keep things easy for me. I've previously ran Rotella T5 and T6 with no issues. The first UOA on this report is an unknown oil that was put in by a repair shop.

 

[benjy]

aunts 99 cherokee sport gets supertech high mileage fake synthetic + a wix filter every 6 mo regardless of miles, usually a thou or so, cheap insurance for a mostly short driven engine. 99 thou on it + runs great but seeps oil as is common.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Does pphm have more moly than pp?

 

[fijicorey]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm

Does pphm have more moly than pp?

Seems like it. I run PP in my Ram 1500 and the moly numbers are lower. I didn't use additives or add any oil during this interval.

 

[littleant]

Originally Posted by jeepman3071

Originally Posted by Donald

Next will be a piston skirt cracking on these engines.

It happens, but rarely.

Agree. My 02 jeep with the 4.0 has had piston slap that goes away when warm for 125,000 miles. It now has 163,000 miles. I always let it warm up before driving. Using same oil as the OP. Winter vehicle. And we have BRUTAL winters.

 

[eyeofthetiger]

Originally Posted by littleant

Originally Posted by jeepman3071

Originally Posted by Donald

Next will be a piston skirt cracking on these engines.

It happens, but rarely.

Agree. My 02 jeep with the 4.0 has had piston slap that goes away when warm for 125,000 miles. It now has 163,000 miles. I always let it warm up before driving. Using same oil as the OP. Winter vehicle. And we have BRUTAL winters.

I have a 2.5 in a Dakota with 269K, and it always has piston slap, even when warmed up. Runs perfectly smooth, and doesn't burn or leak a drop on 15w-40. Gets 26 MPG on the highway. Piston slap 4 life.

 

[fijicorey]

Mine has either piston slap or lifter knock at all temps. Runs fine, plenty of power.