The 4 bangers are ok as long as the jeep is stock. No where near as good as the 6 or 8 but will suffice. Where the problems are really magnified with the 4 is when the modifications start. No matter what you do, you cannot get close to the larger engine performance.

If you are buying this, make sure you get a deal being it is a 4 cyc.

 

If you are buying this, make sure you get a deal being it is a 4 cyc.

So my plan isn't to turn it into a rock crawler or really anything extreme. Just something to cruise around in with the doors and top off. A guy on my block was selling a 82 Cj7 for $1000. It has the 4 cylinder in it with the manual transmission. I thought it was a decent deal.

 

I had an 83 CJ7 with the 4 banger. I waited until the clutch went; I ripped it out and threw in a 350 V8 from an older Camaro. I had 31" tires on it. It was decent, but like BSA said, no where near as good as the 6 or 8. I got a really good deal on it back then, so I lived with it and the mods didn't start until the V8 went in it.

 

For a $1000. bucks, if it is not a rust bucket and drives okay, I would buy it. Keep it light and drive it. After you drive it for a while you will know if it works as is or if it is time to start looking for more power. I have seen a 4 cylinder Jeep do some impressive things with the right gears, tires and lockers!

 

You're right, there are impressive gains from the 4cy with the proper mods but it still falls short of the 4.0. One might as well buy the 4.0. I don't understand the 4 cy. in the jeep. Yeah, it save money on the initial purchase but that was it. The gas mileage is not that much different......

 

Six cylinder Jeep owners can't hardly seem to get over themselves. The extra cylinders are rarely a factor unless you want to drive over 70 mph with oversize tires.

Turbocharging will also make the 4 compete with the 6...power wise.

Be advised, if you take a 4 cyclinder on a group outing, they will become fixated on your "lack of size". It is mostly what you will hear about.

I have a "small" 18' boat, a "small" 200 ATV, a "small" 500 snowmobile. a "small" 2.5L Jeep. It seems like guys just can't get over the size issue. I like to be quiet and unobtrusive when outdoors...with minimal impact on everything. One of the first things I look for is a quieter than stock muffler. Thats just me though.

A $1000 for a mechanically sound Jeep? I'd probably pounce. Jeeps hold value for one thing.

 

"The extra cylinders are rarely a factor unless you want to drive over 70 mph with oversize tires. "

You're kidding? Right?

The two engines are not even close. You stick over size tires on a 4 cyc and it's a dog, no matter what speed you go. I'm not sure you could even get up to 70.

In these parts, you can't sell a 4cyc jeep.

 

Guess I got a mutant. With the stock tires, I used to easily pull my snowmobile with trailer over Colorado passes and keep up. The 3.73 rear end gears surely help.

I got it though. You have six cylinders and fours are dogs with no resale value where you live.

Wonder why I never felt the need to tell everybody about the 454 and 488 in my trucks.

Jeeps didn't have six cylinders until 1964. Amazing that anybody was able to do anything at all.

 

To answer your question, the 151 cubic inch. 4 cylinder motor is a good engine. It was made by Pontiac and most people know this engine by the nick name of the "Iron Duke". It was put in Jeeps, 80'- 83'. 82 horsepower at 4000. RPM. 125@ 2600 net torque. The engine has 5 main bearings. One nice thing to keep in mind is the bell housing has the same bolt pattern as a small block Chevy. The 4 cylinder you have was know to be a dependable and long lasting motor. Hope this helps.