i just bought a well built rubicon off a guy and the problem it has it that it has a hydrolocked engine w/ 3 bent rods and a crack in the block. what year engines should i look at for replacements?

I would shoot for a 2000 or newer to get all the right hookups.

This is a ball park

could anyone get a little more specific?

Contact AEV in Montana. They swap out the six bangers for hemi motors. I bet they'd do ya a great deal on a motor out of a Rubi.

If you are re using the head and intake, everything else should bolt up.

Double check but Im sure anything early 90's and up will work fine.

I just swapped a 94 4.0 into a chorekee into a 93 yj. Only difference I saw up front from my 03 was the power steering holes in intake, and the idler pulley bracket.

Double check that you can bolt on the alternater and tensioner from an 03 onto the earlier models and you should be all set.

If you wanna do even better, use something around the 95 years, including the head. They have better exhaust ports and breathe better.

good luck.

Stay away from 2000 4.0's. More specifically stay away from the #0331 head casting that most of the 2000's have. Aparently they are prone to cracking around #3, #4 injectors. I put over 100K on mine in 3 years, no problems yet, but its never been overheated.

If you need a new engine , a guy in Evansviile Indiana did a hemi swap and he has the engine & auto tranny for $2500 pm for #