My Jeep GC 4.7L......RIP

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: fcjeep
And I've read a lot of mixed reviews about Jasper but my mechanic likes 'em.


Mixed reviews is a red flag. Anything below seventy percent five star - I don't buy the product.

 

[JeepWJ19]

That is sad to hear. Wonder how they thought they could get away with not pinning the valve seats. I've gotten into arguments on JF where they argued it only happens when the Jeep is over heated.

I decided to go with 4.0 because of the dropped valve seats and it was too rare to find a V8 wj that did have the much more desirable 242 Selec-Trac instead of the 247. Yet my 4.0 has had cold start lifter tick almost every day for 40 thousand miles and I can't help but think that my 4.0 is going to grenade at any point. It will not cease ticking until the coolant temperature gauge gets to about 110*F - almost every time.

 

[Nick1994]

Is it so trashed that you can’t just have the head re-manned? I’d at least give it a try.

 

[MParr]

What Nick1994 said. It’s not hard finding updated high performance heads for the 4.7.

 

[Ram02]

I heard the early hemi's have the same problem smh

 

[JC1]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
Is it so trashed that you can’t just have the head re-manned? I’d at least give it a try.


The guy at work had the one piston damaged when his valve seat came apart. I think it was over 5 grand to get his rebuilt (we are up in Canada). I wouldn't have dropped that much into the car.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: MParr
What would it cost for a reputable engine builder to rebuild it and slap some performance heads on it? It may be worth investigating.


Not too many places actually rebuild engines anymore besides performance shops, which are usually very expensive. Unfortunately to find someone good to do it would probably cost a lot more than the 5900 Jasper engine.

 

[MParr]

JC1
You are in a predicament. Whether you rebuild it or put in a crate engine, it’s going to have to come out. You won’t really know if there is any other damage unless you pull the heads. Hey, you may get lucky. Any debris will have to be removed from the intake and exhaust manifolds. Pull the oil pan and look for debris. Have a look at the top of the pistons.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Truly sorry to hear. I'd be upset if that happen to any of my beloved vehicles.

I've heard of 02 3.7s/4.7s dropping valve seats without provocation but thought it was fixed after 02. I guess not entirely.

 

[fcjeep]

You all have given me some more avenues to consider. Thank you.

OneEyeJack: I'll look into a later model year engine. I know the 4.7 was modified around 2009 or so with extra valves and a big HP boost but I don't know of it's a direct bolt in or if the valve seat issue was fixed.

HawkeyeScott: I agree about knowing the history. Also my Jeep is not too difficult to work on and the various components are generally not too hard to get at. Parts are not expensive either. OTOH, the trans is original too and, although maintained, is also a big repair bill that might be on the horizon. Not too concerned about the diffs or transfer case.

$5900 plus tax is a lot of dough to repair a 153K mile vehicle no matter how you look at it.

I don't need a new truck just a reliable one for my mostly local driving (100 mile RT) the last few years. We use my wife's 2016 Jeep GC for longer trips.

I'll have more time to spend on this headache later in the week and see if I can find a solution.

Please keep the ideas coming though if you don't mind.

I will post what I end up doing with this but it may not be for a few weeks.

Thanks again!

 

[exranger06]

What if you bought a junkyard engine, and pulled the heads and pinned the valve seats before installing it?

 

[MarkM66]

Originally Posted By: exranger06
What if you bought a junkyard engine, and pulled the heads and pinned the valve seats before installing it?


BINGO!!!

 

[HoosierJeeper]

FWIW, when the trans in my Liberty went bad at 150k miles, I chose a performance rebuild for $5500. I looked at it as, for $5500, what could I get that I know the full history of, is rust free and has all the features/capabilities I want? Nothing besides my Liberty. Plus I have a ton of sentimental value in it, so getting rid of it was never really an option to start.

 

[fcjeep]

That might be a possibility to look into.

 

[fcjeep]

"...for $5500, what could I get that I know the full history of, is rust free and has all the features/capabilities I want?"

I understand your logic and feel the same way about my situation. Still a $5900 engine repair for a 153K mile vehicle, still with its original tranny, is a lot of $$.

 

[Nick1994]

What’s the cost of having the head re-done? How bad is the piston? Is it just knicked or is it a total goner? Cylinder wall?

It might be salvageable and you can get some reasonable life out of it.

 

[fcjeep]

The cylinder wall was damaged as per the mechanic. I think he said the piston was ok.

Before he went in with the scope, he removed the COP on each cylinder while idling and said it made no difference on 5 of the 8 cylinders. 5 of 8 cylinders were dead. So it seems that I may have valve seat issues in more than 1 cylinder. As soon as he scoped and found the cylinder with the dropped seat he stopped his search.

2 mechanics said the cost to redo the heads is almost the same a the $5900 Jasper installed because of the labor involved.

 

[Merkava_4]

Originally Posted By: fcjeep
2 mechanics said the cost to redo the heads is almost the same a the $5900 Jasper installed because of the labor involved.


Jeez. I could rent a car for two weeks and pull the engine myself for way cheaper than that.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Originally Posted By: fcjeep
"...for $5500, what could I get that I know the full history of, is rust free and has all the features/capabilities I want?"

I understand your logic and feel the same way about my situation. Still a $5900 engine repair for a 153K mile vehicle, still with its original tranny, is a lot of $$.


Mine was the other way around...5 grand for a new trans to bolt to a 160k mile engine. No regrets.

 

[Nick1994]

Is the engine completely buried in there? A machine shop could redo the heads for probably $500, then it's all labor and some gaskets. Even a ridiculous 15 hours of labor to R&R the heads at $100 an hour is $1,500.