• Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Swapping a 1996 engine into a 2000. questions.

S

supernatural

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Indian Hills
Ok from what i've been told i can swap my dizzy style motor and head into my coil pack style head, by just swapping the coil pack over to the 1996 motor. The coil pack mounts to the head with 5 or 6 bolts. Well the 1996 head doesn't have mounting locations for the coil pack "rail". What have you guys done to get around this? I've thought about swapping the head off my 2000 cherokee, but it has the 0331 casting which is weaker. I want the head from the 96 to stay on the engine if at all possible. I also would like to stay with the coil pack style, cause i dont' want to swap computers either.

Can anyone help with this?
 
ok. cool. for some reason when i wrote this thread i was thinking the bolts were used as some type of ground too. sorry i'm a dumbass. a friend got all worked up about it, and i started to actually believe him.
 
If you search, there are pictures of what people did. Usually they just use 2 little strips with holes in them from Home Depot, and bend them into an "L" shape. These are probably 1/2" to 3/4" wide and 1/8 or so thick and maybe 4-5" long. Then they attach to the valve cover bolts. The spark plugs actually carry the weight of the coil and the strips just keep it from shaking. Yeah, don't need to ground.
 
i swapped a 99 engine into my 2000 and used the some brackets i made that were off the design of the ones above. Once you get the coil pack on you realize how secure it is and that the straps just add some extra protection from coming loose.

Using the coil pack is a great idea, you just have to index the part that goes where the distributor would go. You can do this with a toothpick and the engine at TDC but it took me awhile of searching to come up with it-let me see if i can find it for you. also dont forget the exhaust manifold wont bolt up. The 2000 doesnt match an earlier head, and the manifold from a later year wont bolt to your factory downpipe.

any other questions feel free to shoot me a pm. No expert here but i have been through it.
 
ok. i'm ready to throw the engine back in, and i'm guessing i need to find TDC to be able to put my coil pack on my 1996 block and head.

How do i do this? thanks
 
Remove your spark plug and check piston location and either remove the fuel pump relay and crank slowly to get the engine to turn, or use a breaker bar to turn the engine over til you find it.
 
You need TDC on the compression stroke of the #1 cyl. You can either put your finger over the spark plug hole to see when it is blowing the air out, or you can pull the valve cover off and see when both #1 cyl rocker arms are in the shut position (valves closed). Then you line up the timing mark on the harmonic balancer. Only turn the engine in its normal running direction to eliminate timing chain slack. If you are on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke, you will be 180 degrees off at the cam position sensor. The crank turns around twice for every once the "distributor" turns around.
 
With just the harmonic balancer, you can be one crank rotation off. You need to be on TDC of the compression stroke of the #1 cyl. So you have a 50% chance to be good.

The crankshaft turns around all the way twice for every time that the distributor/cam timing shaft turns around. So at one point in the 4 stroke cycle, the crank and the cam line up at the top of the compression stroke, which is where the spark plug has to fire. The crank turns around one more time, it is on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke, the timing mark on the harmonic balancer lines up again, but the distributor/cam timing is only halfway around so it is 180 degrees off. You turn the crank all the way around again and the distributor/cam timing lines up again. You must be on the compression stoke TDC when you line up the Cam Position Sensor.

Most sure way is to take the valve cover off. Turn the engine with a socket and breaker bar on the crank. Pull all the spark plugs to make it easier. Turn the engine and you will see that you need to turn it twice all the way around to make it come back to where neither of the #1 valves are pushed open by the rocker arms. When both rocker arms are up, you are on the compression stroke. The next time around, the exhaust valve will be down getting ready for the exhaust stroke. Don't turn the motor backwards.
 
winterbeater said:
With just the harmonic balancer, you can be one crank rotation off. You need to be on TDC of the compression stroke of the #1 cyl. So you have a 50% chance to be good.

The crankshaft turns around all the way twice for every time that the distributor/cam timing shaft turns around. So at one point in the 4 stroke cycle, the crank and the cam line up at the top of the compression stroke, which is where the spark plug has to fire. The crank turns around one more time, it is on the exhaust stroke instead of the compression stroke, the timing mark on the harmonic balancer lines up again, but the distributor/cam timing is only halfway around so it is 180 degrees off. You turn the crank all the way around again and the distributor/cam timing lines up again. You must be on the compression stoke TDC when you line up the Cam Position Sensor.

Most sure way is to take the valve cover off. Turn the engine with a socket and breaker bar on the crank. Pull all the spark plugs to make it easier. Turn the engine and you will see that you need to turn it twice all the way around to make it come back to where neither of the #1 valves are pushed open by the rocker arms. When both rocker arms are up, you are on the compression stroke. The next time around, the exhaust valve will be down getting ready for the exhaust stroke. Don't turn the motor backwards.
Click to expand...

:cry: what happens if i do? timing chain slack? what will that cause?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

L
Manual to Auto transmission swap
Replies
9
Views
201
lvcanyoneer1
L
B
engine swap question
2
Replies
20
Views
4K
RCP Phx
R
H
'98 Exhaust in '00
Replies
5
Views
3K
howephillip
H
S
98 XJ manual ignition problem
2
Replies
20
Views
4K
SurplusFan98
S
S
Swap 2000 Dash Into '96?
Replies
7
Views
2K
Goose_XJ88
Goose_XJ88
Back
Top