I have a 1978 Jeep CJ-7 with an '86 AMC 5.4L V8 engine from a Wagoneer under the hood. It was starting to get a little bit of an oil leak (I know, it's a miracle it didn't leak before). I took it to a local shop to get the oil changed and asked them to add Lucas Oil Stabilizer. I used to use it in my Chrysler I6 4.0L in my '95 XJ and it worked great.
The guys at the shop forgot to let the engine idle for 5 minutes per the instructions, but I assumed they had and proceeded to drive home. I live at the top of a hill where they highway has a gentle grade up, a distance of about 1 mile.
By the time I made it to the top of the hill, the engine was sputtering and shaking. I nursed it the rest of the way home, about 1/2 mile, and parked it in my garage. Oil leaked out of it from where the pressure had forced it through the existing leak.
Now when I start the engine up, it idles roughly and won't stay running unless I gas it. It also backfires frequently. A friend of mine that has worked on a few cars said he thought it sounded like a stuck valve. I don't want to have to tear into the block if I don't have to, and I don't have tools to compress the valve springs when I put it back together.
1) Does this sound like the issue or does anyone else have any suggestions?
2) I had the idea that I'm going to dump the oil and flush it with transmission fluid (I've tested it by washing my hands with it after working on my XJ all day and it gets the grease and oil right off, better than commercial grit soaps), run the CJ for a few minutes to let the fluid break up the gunky Lucas Oil Stabilizer deposits, and then drain it out again and put oil back in. Any comments on if this would work or not?
Thanks in advance! :)
Is it possible my valve is stuck on my '86 AMC 5.4L V8?
The engine sputtering and shaking could be an indication of a bad fuel, get it replaced now.
