[SpookyZalost]

so I mentioned before, on my car the timing chain jumped, I've been a bit reluctant because I don't know engines and car mechanical stuff like I do electronics and stuff however a mechanic gave a basic overview so I've got a starting point and right now one thing I do know for sure.

the timing chain.

if it needs adjusting/tightening - $0 (I happen to have the socket wrench bits because my grandfather owns a honda motorcycle and japanese vehicles use a lot of the same sizes... plus my car is also a honda.

if it needs replacement - $65 just the chain
$80/$130 a complete replacement including the gears and such.

on the up side... it's on the outside of the engine

on the down side, I'll likely need to replace a gasket or two which means more $.

possible other damage to the engine.

Burnt Valves. (unknown).

complete Valve set - $80

this would require me to partially tear down the engine and make repairs, replace more gaskets, and potentially have the rotors milled as well.

rotor milling cost $500/$700.

and that's if I do most of the work myself... without a garage or workshop it'll be hard and time consuming but I could maybe do it, if I take this one step at a time.

alternative: Replace engine.

engine cost $1120 - Used, 100K mi on it.

install cost $900/$1500

I deffinetly do not have the training, tools, experience, or knowledge to do this one however it would be easier, albeit way more expensive.

things I'm going to do before I work on the timing chain though based on some advice I got.

drain the oil - check for metal shavings/flakes.

if there are flakes, I have to replace the engine, there's internal damage.

if not... I'm going to go ahead with the timing chain replacement/repair/adjustment and see what else might be wrong.

and that's just the engine btw.

there's also the front right wheel joint, one part of the suspension is damaged due to wear and tear, cost? $25.

the rear suspension pins are also damaged but I can replace those for around $40.

honestly I really want to fix my car, but it's going to be a while... it's currently below freezing, we've got snow and I'm saving for parts and hoping to start working on this by february on a sunny day but until then I'm carless.

anyone have any advice they could give me?
I'm not going to buy another used one, a decent one starts at $2K and around here used cars are kidna scammy lately.

by the way, the mechanic said he wanted $7K to fix/replace the engine... just fyi so that's deffinetly out.

[Guardian]

Dang... that's a tough situation.

If it were me, I would honestly just cut my losses and go for another car, preferably cheaper than what the fix would cost, but I know sometimes that's not reasonable. If anything, can fix it over time and sell the interim car.

[SpookyZalost]

see that's part of the problem.

if I actually take the time to do the work I can do... it's literally cheaper to fix my car than buy a new one.

on the other hand the opposite would be true if I paid a shop to do it.

frustrating that...

[SpookyZalost]

so I've had to hold off on making the repairs again, first because of weather, then because I became sick a few weeks ago and the missing week of work caught up to me financially... but the weathers much better now and I'm finally going to start working on it!

[SpookyZalost]

my jeep was in an accident on monday, it's out of comission and I need to replace the radiator, cooler, and evaporator assemblies along with the bumper and grille.

but I'm confident I can do so, between new parts and pick & pull yards I think I can bring it back from the dead again.
after all the engine is fine, as is the suspension, frame, wheels etc.

*grabs wrench and puts on overalls*
DEUS VULT MECHANICUS!!!!

[Guardian]

Oh, that sounds... terrible.

At least it could be fixable. Good luck!

[SpookyZalost]

thanks, yeah I'm hopeful, the vehicle in general is fine but I need to replace components on the front end, without a proper cooling system the vehicle can't run after all.

[SpookyZalost]

Got the bumper off, found that the part where the bumper attaches is bent, it's bolted to the frame and the bolts are rusted, breaker bar did not work... going to keep at it though... othewise maybe a shop can remove that part for me, but first... I need to get the radiator off and see if the bracket/frame piece is interfering with the serpentine belt.

I'm hopeful though.

edit: that bracket/frame bit is the Front Crossmember... yeah, turns out the OEM crossmembers are notoriously weak/crumple zone-ish.

I'm going to try and straighten the cross member some to take tension off the bolts and try to replace it, otherwise I'm likely to need a shop... or an angle grinder.

the mighty Sleipnir will rise again! lol.

[SpookyZalost]

so good news, I managed to pull the crossmember mostly straight, accidentally straightening the frame at the same time, and get the radiator free.

which leaves me with testing the engine.

unfortunately I start my 3 month stint on night shift tomorrow so I'll have to work around my sleep cycle but progress is progress.

also, I'm going to post images of the accident and damage.

I'll try to post pictures of my current progress.



that's what caused the damage... stupid ice spots  

here's a few weeks ago after I managed to remove the grille, but before I pulled the bumper, and radiator, and straightened the crossmember.



I'm going to be checking out pick and pull's soon, but I want to do a manual crank of the engine first to make sure nothing in there got damaged, order a new radiator, and try starting it up.

if all goes well I'll visit a pick and pull to start gathering the salvage replacements and order the AC condenser and Transmission cooler.

the worst part about all this is that a few months back some idiot backed into me and his insurance company paid to have all that redone!

now I'm doing this solo because my insurance company are idiots who charge too much... you know like every insurance company.

[Guardian]

OUCH! Doesn't look fun. Glad it was only the vehicle that was damaged (and not you).

Good to hear you're making progress. Good luck getting it done through night shift. Those are never fun.

[SpookyZalost]

so I managed to get the radiator and AC condenser off yesterday, learned how the clutch driven fan is attached on the drivers side (the passenger side was an electric fan), so I'm going to take that off next chance I get, then test the engine with a brief P.O.S.T.
just to make sure the mechanics are working.

after that I'm at the additive stage, provided nothing else goes wrong.

parts list:
Clutch driven drivers side fan.
Electric passenger side fan.
Fan shrouds and mounts.
Radiator and mounts.
AC condenser and mounts.
Transmission cooler and mounts.
grille.
bumper.

I also need to hammer out and straighten the crossmember the rest of the way but that I can do with a sledge.

the hard part is over with hopefully.

[Guardian]

Nice work. Still a lot to go. Still hoping for the best!

[Darth-Apple]

You're starting to sound like me. I got so much slack for ghetto rigging a radiator in place that the vehicle was just about declared un-road-worthy. I literally hammered a radiator and reshaped it into place after a vehicle with frame damage couldn't fit the original one.

Much of what you are doing is far over my head. I'm impressed. Wish you the best of luck on finishing the project!

How has it come along so far?

[SpookyZalost]

@ Darth.
so far the hardest part was removing the damaged sections because they were bent, pressure prevented bolts from turning, etc.

but once I got the bumper off, the crossmember mostly straight, and the rest removed it's just a simple matter of ordering new parts for the stuff that makes sense, and getting the rest from salvage.

I've never done anything like this before, not even remotely and it's proving easier than I expected going into it, everything makes sense, parts only go on one way, things fit together like puzzle pieces.

it's similar to building a computer only scaled up, even the electrical stuff is the same.

which I guess makes sense because all technology shares common designs with each other when you break it down to basics.

still progress is progress, and unfortunately we had another snow but tomorrow morning I'm going to be out there after work pulling off the clutch fan after unbolting it from one of the pulleys on the front of the engine.

this is the last part I need to remove for replacement.

here's an updated parts list with costs.

Clutch driven drivers side fan. (amazon order)
New Fan Blade Radiator Cooling For Jeep Cherokee 1994-2000 FITS CH3112111 52028331 $37.06
Hayden Automotive 2736 Premium Fan Clutch $33.24

Electric passenger side fan.
620-001 Radiator And Condenser Fan $42.99

Fan shrouds and mounts. (salvage yard?)

Radiator and mounts.
Prime Choice Auto Parts RK485 Aluminum Radiator 55.26
Mounts (Salvage)

AC condenser and mounts.
7-4895 Aluminum A/C AC Condenser Replacement For 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Jeep Cherokee 97-01 $49.99

Transmission cooler and mounts.
Hayden Automotive 403 Ultra-Cool Tube and Fin Transmission Cooler $28.80

grille.
Salvage? (I can possibly reuse the old one, it's mostly intact.)

bumper.
Salvage

Tool kit ($30)
Breaker bar ($8)
Socket size adapter ($3)
PB Blaster and WD40 ($17)

that's about where I'm at cost wise.

a total of about 405.34 including $100 in salvage, could be an extra $50.

then finally I need to consider maybe $80 to have the AC topped up.

so figure roughly $550 total to fix it myself.

a mechanic is $150 an hour around here, last time a body shop fixed a ding in my bumper it was going to come out to roughly $8000, just that the other guy's insurance cover it.

I think my plan is way better lol, and besides most would just tell me it's not worth it and to scrap it and buy a new one...

to hell with that!

[SpookyZalost]

Progress!

Got the Clutch fan off this morning.

needed a 13mm cresent wrench due to the space I had to work in, socket wrench wouldn't fit.

After removing the fan I did an engine test.
engine started right up!

gotta love jeeps, durable, repairable, user serviceable.

found a cracked power steering pump pulley and a damaged serpentine belt.
Pulley $10.30 - amazon.
Serpentine belt I suspected and researched before hand at $17.99

I'm finally at the stage where I'm putting in new parts not removing and testing old damaged ones.

current status image

[Guardian]

Cheap parts!

[SpookyZalost]

Those two yeah, still a PITA to do though and I'll need a torque wrench to do it because I have to move the tensioner pulley first to reduce tension on the belt, then of course setting up engine timing and such.

considering I'm rebuilding the front end of my car...

the hard part is doing all this while working nights again, especially since my days off are not consecutive so I have to do it when I can.

I'll have a new radiator on sunday and I'll be doing a test fit, see if I need to straighten/adjust the frame more.

the radiator ended up costing me $77.06 after taxes.

amazon is a wonderful thing.

Edit: Found more damage today.

timing cover is cracked, crankshaft and crankshaft pulley are pushed into the engine slightly.

I'm being quoted $3500+ to fix.

I hate this.

[SpookyZalost]

ok so good news, I just got over being sick for the past week and a half, and it was a nice day out at nearly 50*F.

so I went out and turned the crankshaft to see if anything was actually wrong with it.

low and behold, it turned without issue and wasn't actually pushed in, just that the outside is covered in 20 years worth of grease.

so I'm ordering the pulleys and serpentine belt, once I got them and a torque wrench I'm going to get everything put on correctly and start the engine, I'm confident that the internals are fine!