well, new to me KJ Liberty

so yesterday, after a couple of close calls with my expiring GMC Jimmy, we bought a 2005 Liberty. the seller drove the Jeep to us. as i really didn't feel safe driving the jimmy anywhere (the brakes were failing). anyway, it has some issues that i know of. and we negotiated a price based on that. well, this morning, i went to start it, and the engine has a knocking sound coming from it. I'm honestly not sure if its top or bottom end. but it does slowly go away after its run for a little while. i would like to start trying to diagnose it this morning, but i HAVE TO take my daughter to a doctors appt this morning. and this is our only working safe vehicle. i know that these have both valve seat and valve lash auto adjuster issues. but i am not certain where the point is that Chrysler fixed (if ever) these problems. any diagnostic help would be appreciated. thanks.

Welcome to the forums .
I'd be tempted to remove serpentine belt to eliminate any other accessory noises, and start it cold for a few seconds, & see how it sounds then.
This may help to closer identify if it may be top or bottom or?
Compression test , leak down , rocker inspections may be needed.

Yes could be as simple as a bad idler pulley or ready to drop her underware
drive gently until you know for sure and ^^^^ what he said

so i am thinking that an oil pressure gauge would not be a bad thing to have. does anyone know where to connect a mechanical adapter (engine block)? old Chrysler v-8's were in the top back of the block. but there is so much back there on this thing, that i don't want to go diving in back there if its someplace else.

XWrench3 said:

so i am thinking that an oil pressure gauge would not be a bad thing to have. does anyone know where to connect a mechanical adapter (engine block)? old Chrysler v-8's were in the top back of the block. but there is so much back there on this thing, that i don't want to go diving in back there if its someplace else.

Click to expand...

Oil sending unit is right above the oil filter
easy place,..........

yep, found it. thanks. now all i have to do is figure out how to unlatch the electrical connector. i think there must be 275,000 different connectors with 325,000 different ways of locking them in place. i'm dating myself here, but when i was learning mechanics from my dad, the oil light sensor connector just pushed over a stud, and was held in place by friction. and there were zero problems with that.

This is for a 2002 but should be similar. For most connections the red tab is the key.

Think you just slide the red lock over than push on the tab and it pops off. Can be tight depending on how the oil switch is oriented.

Edit: beat me to it. Had the tab open for awhile...

boy, is that a pain in the @$$ to get off. i i went and bought a new switch, because i thought i would have to get UGLY to it. but the new switch showed me what to do in order to PRY the connector off after removing the little red tab. which was almost impossible to see.