Opinion for 92 Jeep Cherokee

[kinch1]

Hi, my local Walmart has a couple oils on sale for $22 for a 5 quart jug and I wanted to get some opinions. In the end considering the vehicle I'm dealing with, it's probably 6 of 1 half dozen of another but I would like to hear some input.

Last summer I bought my 16 year old kid a 92 Jeep Cherokee. It had 274,000 on it and runs like a top, and was pretty cheap. So I changed the oil myself and got what seemed decent and was on sale, which was Pennzoil Platinum 5-30 (used a Wix filter). The jeep had a very minor leak, right under the oil pan. It burned (or leaked) about a pint of oil the first 1000 miles. Passed emissions fine so I don't know if it was burning or just leaking. I poured in a bottle of Liqui Moly motor oil saver. It used around a pint the next 1,000 miles, and now the last 2,000 miles has literally used zero oil and there's no leaking. So, I'm going to change the oil again as the odometer is at 278 and some change. I have been waiting for a high mileage oil to go on sale and now the local Walmart has Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 5-30 and Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage full synthetic 5-30 both on sale for the same price. Any opinions which I should purchase?



Thanks

edit to add it has the 4.0 L motor.

 

[RichardS]

check your oil pan bolts. In the last month, the caliber developed a rather noticeable leak from the oil pan. almost half the bolts had loosened enough that tightening them back down stopped the leak completely.

 

[bullwinkle]

The '98 4.0 XJ in my sig had a minor rear main seal leak when I got it, MaxLife seems to have completely stopped it. That's the way I would go, I still have a bunch of NextGen Maxlife in 10W30 & 10W40, enough to outlast the encroaching Jeep unibody rust...

 

[Nitronoise]

old jeeps are not picky on oil , my sons 94 grand cherokee does fine on any 5w30 or 10w30 conventional 179 K on the clock up in minnesota this winter at school

I am a QS green Bottle fan for his 5.2 . if you have a 4.0 shell Rotella T has been mentioned a lot here in the forums , keep it on a short OCI and you should be fine, Jeep has a good forum also for working on the old ZJ cherokees ,, just remember jeep= just empty every pocket

 

[CT8]

Other than for cold starting a higher visc oil would be better. The motor saver thickened up the oil.

 

[kinch1]

The 10-30 is on sale in both brands as well. I guess with Spring approaching I could use that. We just went through the most brutal winter in my 49 year lifetime in Idaho. Not over yet I guess.

 

[650NutKase]

My dad's 94 Cherokee seems to like 10w30 Certified bulk that the local lube shop uses. Doesn't burn or leak a drop...except from the valve cover gasket....typical XJ

 

[Nick1994]

I had a slight leak in my XJ that MaxLife couldn't stop. Very small leak. Mobil 1 HM 10w30 stopped the leak.

The 4.0L likes to shear 5w30 oils, they're fine to use if you don't go very long on an oil change, say 3,000 miles or so. In your cold climate that's what I'd use in the winter. When it gets a little warmer I'd use a 10w30 and you can go a little further on an oil change.

I bought a couple cases of Napa Conventional 10w30 on sale so that's what my Jeep will run for a few years.

 

[jeepman3071]

Originally Posted By: 2012AccentSE
My dad's 94 Cherokee seems to like 10w30 Certified bulk that the local lube shop uses. Doesn't burn or leak a drop...except from the valve cover gasket....typical XJ


The valve cover gaskets on these things are so easy to do and cost $20 to replace. Might be worth doing it if it is the only real leak. Takes probably 30 minutes.

OP:

I would just run whatever 10w30 conventional you can get cheapest. Mine happens to run quietest on Pennzoil conventional, but any brand will do.

 

[650NutKase]

Originally Posted By: jeepman3071


The valve cover gaskets on these things are so easy to do and cost $20 to replace. Might be worth doing it if it is the only real leak. Takes probably 30 minutes.



I've done it 3 times now lol

 

[Kira]

PROBLEM: Leaks from the top of a 4.0l
EXPERIENCE: Sis' '99 XJ with 150K at the time. Sold with 171K.
TIP: As mentioned, do the VC gasket. Sis' FelPro kit came with 19 plastic washers (one for each bolt hole). Perfect seal.
ALSO: The grommets which seal the PCV elbow and orifice had shrunk so I smashed it all out and replaced those 4 cover mounted parts.
ALSO: The thin pipe which carries the crankcase fumes to the intake manifold was completely clogged so I replaced it too.
It was $8 and replacing it was a smart move because heaven only knows how much solvent I would've used to clean the old one.

The lady who bought it had owned an XJ and when she opened the hood she said, "WOW, how clean!"

 

[Kuato]

Maxlife. The 4.0 does fine on 5w30; 10w30 (Idaho summer) and 5w40 are also good choices.

 

[HoosierJeeper]

Running Pennzoil HM 5W30 in my XJ now, seems to like it and has really slowed consumption down. About time to switch it back to 10W30 for spring/summer/fall.

 

[KCJeep]

Forget the fancy syns for that one, especially at the intervals you are quoting. Regular Pennzoil HM would be perfect for your intervals and that old warrior engine. Run the 10w30 in the warmer months.

 

[BrocLuno]

With that many miles I'd be all over Rotella T6 5W-40

Or any 15W-40 HDEO.

Or Maxlife 10W-40 semi-syn

 

[Dumc87]

Originally Posted By: BrocLuno
With that many miles I'd be all over Rotella T6 5W-40

Or any 15W-40 HDEO.

Or Maxlife 10W-40 semi-syn

LOTS of Jeep guys swear by T6 lol

I just put 4qts of Maxlife 15w40 HDEO in my 5.9 and a quart of Mobil1 10w40 in my Grand Cherokee. The leftover quart of M1 came from the oil change I did on my 300ZX.

Jeeps aren't all that particular with their oils, so long as they're relatively thick. I don't bother trying to go for fuel efficient oils for these Jeeps simply because they aren't hybrids. I'd rather go for protection and reliability. My current 5.9 Grand has over 280k miles

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Best oil for that Jeep is the Rotella T5 10W30

 

[GenaFishbeck]

Hey kinch1 - smart man using Pennzoil since every Jeep that comes off of the assembly line is factory filled with Pennzoil. Since you're experiencing some burn off/leaky seals and almost hitting 300k miles, we recommend using Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage 10W-30. Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage is a full synthetic motor oil born from natural gas, specifically formulated to reduce leaks and oil consumption in older vehicles. Hope this helps! - The Pennzoil Team

 

[arakele]

I have had 3 Jeep 4.0's with over 300k in my life I always used 15w40 conventional. I live in the southeast though where it doesn't get very cold.

 

[kinch1]

Thanks Gena, great minds think alike. I bought a 5 quart jug of PP HM 10-30 at Wally world last weekend. I'll put the new stuff in in March once it warms up a bit. Thanks!