How Many Miles?

Agreed on all counts. I think D-C's decision to discontinue the 4.0L inline six was mainly because since they discontinued the Cherokee, it only was produced for one vehicle, the Wrangler, and they perferred to have an engine that was produced for other vehicles as well for economy of production. The '07 Wrangler has a V6 that is also used in Chrysler minivans (although with a different driveline layout). It is not the same engine as found in the Liberty.

Agree 100%. 4.0L is one of the best engines ever made.

Carl

I agree with the guy. My Cherokee had about 300,000 miles on it when a rod bearing started knocking.

Had a top quality rebuilt engine put in and I'm going for at least 500,000.

That little Cherokee is the best car I've ever had, by far.

Jeff DeWitt

sam owens wrote:

From what I understand the decision was based on the production molds and equipment simply getting worn out and that retooling was too expensive. Of course that could be pure bull..

The I6 is a nice engine to be sure, but there are better engines out there now with more power and less of the balance issues the I6 has.

Super motor -- My 91 Wrangler just turned 256,000mi on it's 4.0L. It leaks more oil than it burns.

Tooling isn't the cost of an engine design it was even 20 years ago. You design an engine in 3D CAD and produce patterns and core boxes very cheaply, relatively speaking. Iron castings are produced in sand, or smaller ones by investment casting. Permanent molds are limited to materials such as aluminum. The bottom line is the old pushrod engine is considered a throwback by the engineers.

The inline 6 is the most perfectly balanced engine there is except for the V12. Almost every over the road truck in the US today has a I6 engine.

I would have rather they used a four cylinder version of the Hemi as the base engine (one bank, same head) and either the MBZ diesel V6 or the Magnum V6 as upgrades. What do I know?

On Wed, 13 Sep 2006 22:34:06 -0500, the following appeared in rec.autos.makers.jeep+willys, posted by "DougW" :

What balance issues? An properly designed inline 6 has perfect primary and secondary balance; a V6 needs a counterbalance shaft to correct the inherent secondary imbalance. The only issue I know of with an inline 6 is the possibility of crankshaft twist due to the increased length.

I felt that the guy was truthin' it cause he wasn't selling me anything. Thanks for the replies and knowledge.

I drove my Jeep from Michigan's UP to San Fran and put on >5.5k It was cool. I kept my speed at 60 mph 95% of the time and I almost never let it accelerate from cruise going up a mountain at that speed.

I wondered frequently how fast I'd be going at the chosen power I gave the engine if I hadn't been hauling the trailer and my 700 lb + bike.

I saw many dead cars along the high Nevada desert and I didn't want to be one of them and I wasn't.

Check put my rig here:

Very few V6s have balance shafts. If the engine is at 60 or 120 degrees it runs pretty smoothly. Rotax is making a 4 cycle 120 degree V6 that looks very attractive as a marine engine.

People who live there get oversize radiators. And, trans and PS coolers if they are smart.

A lot of Australians think that of the Holden too, but it is in fact a shitbox. And the Brits adore the DOHC Jag XK engine, which is pretty stout, but demands maintenance lest it die. I like the 4.0 but I can't say it's any better than the late Chevy or 300 Ford inline sixes. Nor the Mopar Slant Six. And really, the mechanically stoutest six I know of is the SOHC Benz used in a lot of cars in the sixties and seventies. It most always makes it to the scrapyard (rust) under its own power!

I agree on the balance - the Jeep I6 may be great for long life and low down torque, but it is about as smooth as a tractor. The smoothest engine I've had was a I6 2.6 litre Rover engine, (designed by Triumph).

Dave Milne, Scotland

The smoothest I6 I've driven was a 2.6 litre Rover engine, designed by Triumph. The Jeep I6 may be great for long life and low down torque, but it is about as smooth as a tractor.

Dave Milne, Scotland

It was smooth because it wasn't running. >BFG<

Carl

A very good interpretation of the old Jag 6 was done by Toyota. Had Jaguar been smart enough to buy the Toyota versions and trash their own, they might be something more than a gussied up Ford today. I also like the older Nissan straight 6, to me smoother than the oft-touted Bmw straights. The Volvo straight 6 wasn't bad either, if too short lived. For service under extreme duress, I gotta vote for the old International straight 6. I helped rebuild one of those, all during the while wondering how that poor baby managed to even spin with all that was wrong with it.

Bret Ludwig proclaimed:

'snot really that bad, just typical 100 degrees or more, relative humidity in the single digits, and a speed limit of 75 that following will get you run over, plus multi-mile long grades that are much steeper than they appear to the casual observer.

Honestly never really had a problem with overheat with nothing more than a trailer tow package and a cooling system kept in tip top shape.