My 1998 Jeep Cherokee L6 4.0L started missing badly the other day, so I
checked the codes and got the following: 300 (random misfire), 301 (miss on #1), 303 (miss on #3), 304 (miss on #4). So I took it to my local shop and rode my bicycle home. This morning I got a call from the mechanic, and he says that the issue is a blown head gasket, and mentioned that "sometimes these have a cracked head too." He also reccomends a valve job as it has 145,000 miles on it. I'm wondering what to do here. I like the vehicle, but I probably should have traded it in for another one 20,000 miles ago. They are quoting me $1400+ for the gasket replacement (and I think that
includes a $350 valve job.)
Questions: What are prices that people have experienced on this job? Is a cracked head really likely on this? I am fairly mechanically inclined, can I fix this myself? How long would it take to fix myself?