98 XJ 4.0 not holding oil pressure and ticking when driving!

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The_Outdoor_Powerlifter

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Is the motor about to blow. I went off roading once on light trails, when I started going back up the mountain I started loosing oil pressure on the gauge. Motor seemed fine. Then the gauge was saying i had under 10psi and check guages light stays on. Now their is a ticking going on in the motor. I have asked around they said it could be multiple things. Head Gasket, Oil Pump, or Bearings??? As this is my daily driver also im a little worried can't have the vehicle down for two long. What do you guys think?

98 xj, 4.0, 158xxx miles on motor
 

Overland-Indiana

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The 4.0 is a very tough engine but lack of oil pressure will kill any engine in a hurry. Take it to a reputable shop and have them look at it. Mine has 187k on it, runs great but has what is referred to as "Lifter tick". The noise, if it isn't bad is not a big deal on these, usually. But, the lack of pressure needs attention ASAP.
 

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Also, what brand of oil filter are you running? Believe it or not, I had noise and dry starts when using Fram filters, then switched to WIX or Mobil 1 filters and the noise calmed down significantly.
 

The_Outdoor_Powerlifter

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I did rise at first with rpm now it doesn't.

I have no idea on what oil filter in have just got the jeep .

Thanks guys

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I did rise at first with rpm now it doesn't.

I have no idea on what oil filter in have just got the jeep .

Thanks guys

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Check filter, if it is Fram, trash it and start over!! Fram filters are junk IMO, I gave them 2 chances and both times they failed and caused noise.
 

stoney126

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Not to be an ass, but did you check the oil level?
You may be able to get a pressure Guage from auto zone and see if you really do have loss of pressure. A quality is always recommend but if they clog I believe they will bypass the element.
 

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Not to be an ass, but did you check the oil level?
You may be able to get a pressure Guage from auto zone and see if you really do have loss of pressure. A quality is always recommend but if they clog I believe they will bypass the element.

The fram filters are known to cause issues on the 4.0 engines. Something about them not having a valve in there that helps maintain oil pressure on start ups and the can cause noise
 
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The_Outdoor_Powerlifter

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Not to be an ass, but did you check the oil level?
You may be able to get a pressure Guage from auto zone and see if you really do have loss of pressure. A quality is always recommend but if they clog I believe they will bypass the element.
You get an award. Oil was low doh problem fixed got pressure and ticking stopped. Gonna watch it a few days and see how she reacts and then do a proper oil change

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You get an award. Oil was low doh problem fixed got pressure and ticking stopped. Gonna watch it a few days and see how she reacts and then do a proper oil change

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Is it burning oil or have a leak? And did you check the filter?
 

stoney126

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Chrysler says it's acceptable for those to burn a quart of oil per thousand miles, just keep that in mind.
 

stoney126

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lol... That just is crazy, not you...the fact that it is acceptable
Ya new vehicles or under 500 miles a quart every 1500 miles is acceptable. It's not but they say it is. What really crazy is that they tell the lube guys to put down 10k oil change reminders for the darts. Well the hold 5 to 6 quarts of depending on which engine. They come in often with almost no oil.
 
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Overland-Indiana

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Ya new vehicles or under 500 miles a quart every 1500 miles is acceptable. It's not but they say it is. What really crazy is that they tell the lube guys to put down 10k oil change reminders for the darts. Well the hold 5 to 6 quarts of depending on which engine. They come in often with almost no oil.
That is crazy.. I change mine every 3k-4k depending on how it was driven
 
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WJ - Firefly

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I was changing mine every 3k, but decided to go to 5k with full synthetic. Also usually put in a quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Treatment. :sunglasses:
 

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Just my 2 cents as a owner of multiple of these over the years. Use conventional 10w30, buy a mopar filter should be #5281090ab if memory serves and change every 3k. all 4.0's leak, usually from rear main and seep from the valve cover. Sludge at the oil sender is common as well and can affect oil pressure #'s, some years worse than other. As long as these engines have oil they are damn near bullet proof, ask any tech who had to try and kill one during the "cash for clunkers" ordeal....
Just my opinion.
Piece of side advice, check the cooling system. If it looks like river water have flushed and refilled. I replaced the radiator, water pump and flushed as soon as i bought my last just for GP, from what i have heard it was one of the big killers of the 4.0.
 
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maktruk

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You get an award. Oil was low doh problem fixed got pressure and ticking stopped. Gonna watch it a few days and see how she reacts and then do a proper oil change

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That was gonna be my call. Going up the hill pooled all your oil away from the pickup since it was at low levels. When the pickup runs dry, you lose pressure.
 

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I run Mobil 1 or Mopar filters and use Rotella T 10w30 diesel oil. The diesel oils still have the zinc and phosphorus the flat tappet design engine needs, modern oils/gas engine oils do not have the additives. I did a TON of research on what oil to use and after many, many articles it looked like the common choice was Rotella T in 10W30.

Here is an article from Hotrod magazine regarding flat tappet cams:

Around the time of the flat-tappet lifter shortage, motor oil was experiencing its own changes. Engines with flat-tappet cams have extremely high pressure loading at the contact point between the liftercrown and the cam lobe. According to Mark Ferner, team leader for QuakerState Motor Oil Research and Development, "Even stock passenger cars can see pressure in excess of 200,000 psi at the point of flat-tappet/camlobe contact." To prevent excess wear, traditional motor oil included a generous dose of antiwear additives, primarily zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). "The chemistry is such that the additive is a combination of zinc and phosphorous," says Rockett Racing Fuel's TimWusz. "Typically the phosphate amounts are about 75 percent of the zincamounts. For example, if there was 0.100 percent zinc by weight in the motor oil, then the phosphate is about 0.075."

Ferner adds, "The zincreacts with the cam lobe's iron surface. That creates a sacrificial chemical coating strong enough to keep parts separated to reduce the wear." Although great for keeping a flat tappet alive, as an engine ages and develops blow-by, some of the additives flow out the exhaust where they can degrade oxygen sensor and catalytic converter performance.Faced with ever more stringent emissions standards and the governmental mandate for extended emissions-control- system warranties, the OEMs got together with the motor oil makers and decided to reduce the amount of ZDDP in street-legal, gasoline-engine motor oils. After all, they weren't needed with modern roller lifters and overhead-cam followers.The reduction first started in the mid-'80s, and it has been a gradual process, but the latest API SM and GF-4 specs have reduced ZDDP content to such an extent that the new oils may not provide adequate protection for older, flat-tappet-equipped vehicles running non stock, performance cams and valvetrains. And it will only get worse; projected future oil spec revisions will likely reduce ZDDP content even more.


And here is an email from Shell regarding Rotella T being used in flat tappet designs:

The reply from Shell:

Hello Paul,
Yes, diesel engine oils like Rotella T are also rated for gasoline
engines and have additional anti-wear additives at a content level that
is comparable to the level that passenger car motor oils had in 2000
before the current problems with flat tappet engines began. Gasoline
engine oils are currently at a level of about 800 ppm zinc.

See the link below for more information about Rotella.
http://www.shell.com/home/Framework?siteId=rotella-en&FC2=/rotella-en/ht
ml/iwgen/press_release_2006/zzz_lhn.html&FC3=/rotella-en/html/iwgen/pres
s_release_2006/cj-4_triple_1006.html

"Rotella w/ Triple Protection" meets API CJ-4, CI-4 PLUS, CI-4, CH-4,
CG-4, CF-4 for diesel and
API SM, SL, SJ, SH for gasoline engines. A data sheet may be found at
the following link:
http://www.shellusserver.com/products/pdf/RotellaT(CJ-4).pdf

For more information about the API classifications, you may want to take
a look the following link to API:
http://www.api.org/certifications/engineoil/categories/upload/EngineOilGuide2006.pdf
If you have any additional questions, please call us at 800-231-6950.
Thank you for your interest in Shell products.

Thanks for your email!

Regards,

Keith Perry
Technical Information Center

Customer Service: (800) 840-5737
Technical Support: (800) 231-6950
 
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