89Trooper: No compression in 2 cylinders

[rugosa668]

With 2 teenage sons driving our '89Trooper, it's had its share of abuse. Cold starts, high revs and not enough warm-up time before driving, negligence in maintaining proper oil level, etc. On a drive back from the country it sounded and performed worse and worse, very noisy, like the muffler had a hole in it. It died in the driveway as we arrived home. AAA towed it to a trusted mechanic friend who says it's not worth the trouble to fix. No compression in 2 of the 4 cylinders might mean a cracked cylinder head or block, and the labour to find out will cost close to the $2800. we paid for it 2 years ago.
It's been a fun vehicle ... any suggestions before we have the scrap guys haul it away?
Tom

[dougand3]

Drag it in the backyard and part it out...your neighbors won't mind. Well, mine wouldn't, as everybody has a car in the backyard. Seriously, if feasable, your sons could learn alot about cars with a Haynes and disassemble the Trooper. Also, they could make a little $ selling the parts on ebay. When they ask for $50 for that gotta have Xbox game, point at the Trooper and say "Go pull the MAF sensor...it should get $50."

[soundrew]

If your "trusted friend" didn't pull the head before giving you an estimate of $2800, then you may want to consider revoking your trust. Id it's a blown head gasket, it should be much less (and perhaps something your sons or a mechanically inclined friend at school could accomplish). If the head is cracked or valves are burned, your cost should exceed $1500 but $2800 still seems like a lot for installing a rebuilt head on a 4 banger. Maybe I'm just out of touch.

I recently came to a similar crossroads with my 88 (2.6L) when the clutch went. It was almost $1000 for the clutch and another $600 for an exhaust system (which came apart when they removed it to do the clutch-- something I could've done myself had it been in my garage). Since I need something with 4wd, I looked at the possibilty of picking up another used truck (pathfinder, cherokee, etc) but would've been in the same boat. I opted to shake the money tree and have my truck back on the road waiting for snow. Good luck in your endeavor and tell the kids to ride a bike while its getting fixed or your shopping for a new vehicle-- a lesson in taking care of something that you (they actually) depend on.

[PENSYLVANIO]

Well, I just have expended $2.600, here in Miami, Fl. Rebuild engine and head.
My problem now is the overdrive does not working, because the engine not reach the temperature requiered and so, the transmition only is making first, second and third gear. What can I do for be solve this problem ?
Tanks,
[email protected]

[soundrew]

For starters, start a new thread. You have just hijacked rugosa668's request for help.

When you do that, you should get some replys.

[ND Guy]

I bought a $400 91 Trooper off of ebay...rust bucket from the Madison, Wisc. area. I drove it too and from work until it basically rusted in half...pathetic. But the engine was sound. So when I bought this 89 Trooper in mint condition except for a bad engine (one cyl. shot), I swapped engines out. You may want to keep your eye out for something like a 90-91 auto trans., as they had their share of problems..engine will be solid, but most folks won't spend the bucks to rebuild the tranny. Pick it up cheap and swap it out.