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Remanufactured Jeep 4.0L L6 Engine - Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler
4.0L · L6 · Part DA32
Call for availability
4-year no-fault nationwide warranty — includedOn gas engines in non-commercial use, at no extra charge. The builder’s standard cover is 3 years, parts only. Every gas engine we sell includes the 4-year no-fault warranty with labour, at no extra charge.
- “No fault” means we do not investigate why it failed — if a covered engine fails inside the term, it is covered.
- Labour is paid up to CAD $95.00 per hour — a cap on the rate, not a flat payout — and only for the remove-and-replace hours in the Mitchell labour guide. Diagnostic time is covered up to 2 hours, and fluids up to CAD $200.00. Towing and a rental car are not covered. Anything not listed here needs to be agreed with us before the work starts.
- The 4 years start the day the engine is installed, and a claim needs proof that a professional shop installed it.
- Unlimited kilometres, and no deductible.
- Call us before any warranty work starts, so we can authorise it. Labour paid on a repair we were not asked about first is not covered.
- A claim starts with a call to us. We file it with the manufacturer, and the manufacturer pays it.
Diesel engines, and engines put into commercial service, are not covered by this 4-year warranty — the terms vary by engine, so call us for the terms on the unit you’re pricing.
Add an install kit. Thermostat, water pump, belts, hoses, filters, plugs and leads — the parts that should not go back on a new engine. Ask for one with this engine and we quote it on the same order. What a proper install replaces
Warranty included — terms above
Core deposit refunded on return
Call us to confirm availability before you count on a date.
Shipping is freight-quoted after purchase, or pick up free in Edmonton.
Fits
- Jeep Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, Wrangler 1996–1998 · 4.0L L6
Not sure it fits? Call (780) 473-2424 with your VIN and we'll confirm.
4-year warranty included
Refundable core
Ships Canada-wide
Engine guide
Jeep 4.0L Inline-Six & AMC 2.5L Four (AMC 242 / AMC 150)
Also known as: AMC 242, 4.0 High Output (HO), 4.0 PowerTech, Renix 4.0, AMC 150, 2.5 PowerTech I4
Overview & history
Ask any Jeep tech to name the most dependable engine ever put in a 4x4, and the 4.0-litre inline six usually tops the list. Its story starts at American Motors, which had built rugged straight-sixes since the 232 of 1964. In 1984, AMC launched a clean-sheet 2.5L four (the AMC 150) for the new Cherokee XJ, designed around the same bore spacing as its sixes so existing factory tooling carried over. AMC then folded those lessons back into a new six: the 4.0L (AMC 242) arrived for 1987, developed in just 26 months and weighing 483 lb — one pound more than the 258 it replaced, despite heavier-duty parts throughout. Early 4.0s used Renault-Bendix "Renix" injection; after Chrysler bought AMC in 1987, the 1991 High Output update brought Mopar multi-port injection and 190 hp, with PowerTech branding arriving in 1999. Both engines were built at the Kenosha, Wisconsin engine plant. The 2.5 ran through 2002 in North America, and the 4.0 held on until the last TJ Wrangler in 2006. Treated to basic maintenance, these engines routinely clear 300,000 miles — which is exactly why clean remanufactured examples remain in steady demand.
Specs & engineering
- •Cast-iron block and cast-iron head on both engines; overhead-valve design, two valves per cylinder, hydraulic lifters and pushrods.
- •4.0L (242 cu in) six is internally balanced — the source of its trademark inline-six smoothness and low-rpm torque.
- •2.5L (150 cu in) four: 3.875 in bore x 3.1875 in stroke, built on AMC's existing cylinder-bore spacing so six-cylinder line tooling carried over.
- •The four shares design elements and some internal parts with the six, but it is a purpose-built sibling — not a cut-down 258.
- •15-bolt cast-aluminum valve cover on the 4.0 — the most fasteners in the industry at launch, aimed at curing AMC's old valve-cover leaks.
- •4.0L output: 177 hp / 224 lb-ft (Renix, 1987–90) → 190 hp / 225 lb-ft (HO, 1991–95) → 190 hp / 235 lb-ft (1996–2006).
- •2.5L output: 105 hp carbureted (1984–85), 117 hp with throttle-body injection (1986–90), 120 hp with multi-port injection (1991–2002).
- •Torque-first cam and port design: peak pull arrives low in the rev range — ideal for off-road crawling and loaded driving.
Generations & variants
- •AMC 150 / 2.5L I4 (1984–2002): carbureted 1984–85, TBI 1986–90, multi-port injection from 1991; PowerTech I4 branding from 1997.
- •4.0L Renix (1987–1990): Renault-Bendix multi-port injection and engine management; casting 2686 head.
- •4.0L High Output (1991–1995): Chrysler multi-port injection, improved 7120 head, 190 hp.
- •4.0L (1996–1999): block and head updates — 0630 head with dowel-pin deck locating holes; torque up to 235 lb-ft.
- •4.0L PowerTech (1999–2006): final evolution with the 0331 head; the 2000–01 castings are the crack-prone ones.
- •Ancestors and relatives: AMC 232 and 258 (4.2L) sixes; the popular 4.6L "stroker" pairs a 4.0 block with the 4.2's crankshaft.
Vehicles it powered
- •Jeep Cherokee XJ (1984–2001)
- •Jeep Wrangler YJ (1987–1995)
- •Jeep Wrangler TJ (1997–2006)
- •Jeep Comanche MJ (1986–1992)
- •Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ (1993–1998)
- •Jeep Grand Cherokee WJ (1999–2004)
- •Jeep Wagoneer Limited XJ (1987–1990)
- •Jeep CJ-7 (1984–1986, 2.5L)
- •AMC Eagle (from 1983, 2.5L)
- •Dodge Dakota (1996–2002, 2.5L)
Casting numbers
| 2686 | 1987–1990 4.0L Renix head — rectangular intake ports with a half-circle injector relief at the top of each port. |
| 7120 | 1991–1995 4.0L HO head — revised ports, rounded-rectangle exhaust ports; widely regarded as the best stock head for performance builds. |
| 0630 | 1996–1999 4.0L head — receiver holes in the deck face for the block's dowel pins; center exhaust ports share a common opening. |
| 0331 | 2000–2006 4.0L head — 2000–01 castings are crack-prone; the later revision (marked TUPY, from the Brazilian foundry) has a thicker deck that fixed it. |
Known issues & fixes
Cracked 0331 cylinder head (2000–2001 4.0L)
What to watch for: Unexplained coolant loss with no visible leak, oil/coolant 'milkshake' on the dipstick, misfires. The crack typically forms between the valve springs of cylinders 3 and 4.
The fix: Replace with the later TUPY-marked 0331 revision or an aftermarket thick-deck head. A remanufactured long block built with the updated casting sidesteps the problem entirely.
Cracked exhaust manifold
What to watch for: Ticking or exhaust smell on cold start that fades as the manifold heats up and expands — most cracks appear around cylinders 3 and 4. Common across all years on both engines.
The fix: Replace with an updated OE-style or header-type manifold and new gasket; check the downstream O2 readings afterward.
Oil leaks blamed on the rear main seal
What to watch for: Drips at the bellhousing or oil filter area. The oil-filter-adapter O-rings and valve-cover gasket harden with age and seep oil that runs down and mimics a rear-main leak.
The fix: Reseal the valve cover and replace the adapter O-rings with Viton versions first — cheap fixes that cure most 'rear main' leaks. Do the actual two-piece rear main seal only if it still drips.
Hot stall / no-restart (crankshaft position sensor)
What to watch for: Engine dies or cranks without firing once fully warmed up, then restarts after cooling down — a classic complaint on 1991+ engines.
The fix: Replace the crankshaft position sensor on the bellhousing; keep its connector clean and seated. Inexpensive part, awkward location.
Did you know?
- ★Chrysler bought AMC in 1987 — then kept building AMC's engine for another 19 years. The 4.0 outlived the company that designed it by nearly two decades.
- ★The family bloodline traces straight back to the 1964 AMC 232 six, giving this design one of the longest runs of any North American engine architecture.
- ★The 4.6L stroker is the classic Jeep hot-rod recipe: the 1987–90 4.2L crankshaft drops into a 4.0 block with a stock 4.0 damper.
- ★The 2.5 four outlasted its own North American retirement — Beijing Jeep kept building it in China until 2008.