6th Jan 2007, 01:25
I've had a 4 cyl for about 80,000 miles and found that it was great off road, but on road it doesn't even compare to the 6 cyl. the 4 cyl lost power to the point of needing an over haul. I've been driving my 6 cyl for about 50,000 miles now and have had no problems what so ever, and haven't even seen a sign of a prob. Both received routine maint.
2nd Feb 2007, 10:42
I have a 1989 Jeep Cherokee 2 door and 2 wheel drive, no A/C... it is our basic car/truck, nothing fancy. We've own this Jeep since brand new. My wife and I are the only drivers of this vehicle. It has 249,750.4 miles to be exact. This car still has its original engine (2.5L) and manual transmission with nothing done it since 1989. It does not burn oil, and still gives us good gas mileage (17-19MPG)... not bad for a relatively big vehicle with 4 cylinders.
The only thing that we've replaced was the clutch and minor little things like fan belt, fuses, light bulbs, etc... Well tires and battery of course were replaced every 3 or 4 years... We have no complaint about this vehicle. It is a real work horse.
24th Feb 2007, 19:27
I have seen several jeeps in and out of the shop I work in, and to tell you the truth they all have straight 6's, all with engine trouble, and mostly leaking oil out of the pan, and I guess maybe you guys just got lucky and got a straight 6 that held up well against all the miles. And for the comment about the 4 clyinder being great off road and not on road, buy a car! Then you can have something meant for the road and not for off road.
5th Oct 2008, 00:51
That's strange. I've had two Cherokees. One with the 4.0 and one with the 2.5. The 4.0 leaked no oil or used any at all. The 2.5 leaked out of the rear main and valve cover. Something must have been wrong with the 4.0.
23rd Oct 2008, 08:52
The 4.0 liter in-line six is a bullet-proof engine.
Change the oil regularly and they're good for 200,000 - 300,000 miles.
Best engine built, in my opinion.
8th May 2012, 16:06
I have a 1997 Jeep Cherokee with now a little over 202,000. It has never leaked a drop, and never any oil at all. I would hop in it and go anywhere. You can't stop it, on or off road!!! Great vehicle. I would strongly recommend a Jeep with the 4.0 to anyone. It's all around just a good engine!
9th May 2012, 11:50
The 4.0 is a great engine (even among inline sixes, a superb class of engines), and as I understand it, it is an evolution of the classic AMC straight six - originally 232, and later 258 cubic inches. These engines also routinely lasted hundreds of thousands of trouble-free miles.
20th Dec 2006, 21:33
Agree with first comment. My Jeep 4.0 too has 173K with very minimal above normal maintenence. Great engine/tranny combination. Writer must have expected too much or gotten one of the very few slightly troublesome ones.