Well it happened ... Right after getting it working again.
While driving, a heater hose (or clamp) came loose and dumped all the coolant (on a 95 degree day). This was first noticed on the freeway when a "Clank - Clank" sound happened. By that time, the motor was HOT (temp gauge way in the red). By the time it was pulled over to the shoulder of the road, the motor quit.
Making a long story short, the dealer said "The motor is
cooked". Asking for further details, the service guy said "No compression".
This is (was) a 1992 Cherokee Larado 4WD (almost never used in 4 wheel mode) with 118K miles.
So here are the questions:
1) Has anyone fixed (had rebuilt) or replaced a 4.0L recently?
2) What do you think a rebuilt (or remanufactured) motor would cost & how must labor time would be involved (for a shop - not me)?
3) Should I get rid of it and start shopping for a replacement vehicle (which I can't really afford).
The wife really liked the Jeep (being "higher up" then the other cars), and was thinking about getting a paint job to make it last another 5 year/50K miles (which I have heard these car will go). She is BUMBED OUT.
Any experience or opinions welcome.
Take Care,