I found a 2004 in the junkyard with a blown engine and i have a 2000 4.0L with 80,000 miles that works great. Would it be a staight swap or a PITA?

 

Lucky you - what do they want for the '04? You should be able to install the 4.0 in the '04 as the ZF 4HP24 transmission should bolt right up. The problem is you will probably need to replace the ECU. Hell, if you can get the '04 cheap enough it might be fun to try...

 

You could end up with the best of both. The 2000's 4.0 engine is more reliable and better built, in my opinion, while the 2004 has a "complete" CDL and newer style front end.

 

Not sure what they want yet or even what kind of shape it's in. Hope to get in over the next couple days.

 

Your engine and ECU equals done deal.

 

You can run with the 04 ECU but you want to have it reset for the 4.0 to get the most out of the engine.

 

While your engine may bolt up and work fine, to my knowledge, it is illegal to put an older model engine into a newer vehicle. So before you commit to the swap, check your local laws to be sure.

 

Man, thats great! Hopefully its a good one and not all beatup.

 

Why would it be illegal to put in older engines? Your car is YOUR car.... You should be able to put anything you want into your car... If you sell your car, you would just need to disclose that you've put a 2000 4.0 into it... DON'T mess with the odometer though.. That's illegal, for sure. You should write down what mileage you have on the vehicle when you swap the engines.. and then disclose what mileage you had on the vehicle when you did the swap...

 

The reason you are not supposed to put a older engine into a newer car is because the older engine will not be as "clean" as the current model year emissions wise.
So depending on where you live this may cause problems.