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Well time rebuild the motor again

blakews2217

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Alton, Illinois
God it’s a sickness when you get this much in a 4.0

Last build was awesome. Was a virgin block and head. Here’s the list of Work

258 crank with 242 rods

Block was punched .060 over

High flow oil pump

Head was worked by a local guy. I forgot all that was done but know it was ported/polished

Cam was a crane cams h-260-2.

Ran stock plugs at .040 gap

60mm TB

Stock engine management.

Was originally in a 1998 xj with 4 inches of lift and 33s. Ran the stock 3.73 gears and took it great

Jeep was wrecked. Hit in our driveway hard and totaled out. We bought it back just for the motor and tires.

Sat for a few years

Bought a 2k xj with a blown motor

Swapped it in and converted to COP

Ran great. Pulled good with the stock 3.55 gears and stock tires. I added the bigger 4 hole injectors. Ran better.

Pulled a full size truck up a hill in the snow ( was a 2500 ram 2wd. )

Here’s where things went south.

I was just cresting the top of the hill when it started to chug and miss. Limped to a buddy’s house. Tired everything. Pulled the cam sensor and the cam gear was destroyed. Got a flat tow a mile home. Pulled valve cover and there was a few calapsed lifters and the cam gear was jumping teeth. Time to rebuild the second time.

Cleaned it all out.

I took the top end and my dad took the bottom end. I got a new cam ( same one) and lifters and cam bearings. Got it together

Dad decided to try to polish the main journals on the crank with some emery cloth. Bad move. Never put a micrometer on it ( we own a machine shop ) and never plasti-gauged it ( didn’t believe in it) and got it all back together with fresh bearings, a stock oil pump, new rings and cleaned pistons.

Ran great but low oil pressure ( 5-10 psi hot)
That was in February.

Daily drive to school every day. Had a buddy living with me while we put a trans in his s10.
I let him borrow it when he needed it and only when he needed it. He gets back one day and it’s clattering. The bottom end has now nicked up a small rattle. So I step up to 20w50 with 50% Lucas oil stabilizer just to thicken it up. Made it quiet for a while. I did a motor mount and spark plugs a few months later and picked up a miss. That was mere days ago. It’s now December.


Not bad for almost no oil pressure. But now I have another calapsed lifter from lack of oil to the top end. I still drive it when I need it because it’s my daily but mostly I get rides where I need to go. So I’m going to document this tear down / rebuild.

The plan is to redo the build with maybe a bigger cam.

Or if I can do it for 1500 I’ll put an LS in it. What’s the input here? Needs to be back on the road ASAP as my project truck is a 94 dakota with a 318 and a v6 driveline. It’s gonna be my DD


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What’s the input here? Needs to be back on the road ASAP as my project truck is a 94 dakota with a 318 and a v6 driveline. It’s gonna be my DD
The quickest and most dependable fix is to install another 4.0 block, stroked or not.
Installing a LS into your XJ means the XJ would become another project car.
Swapping engines is not usually done quickly or without hang ups.

Owned a 97 Dakota 4X4 short bed, with 318, for years. Once set up, it was a blast to drive.
I needed a lighter 4X4 to tow behind our RV, it was replaced by the 01 XJ.
The Dakota's weak spot was a front suspension that wore out quickly.
Both hubs were gone by 60,000 miles, the ball joints were never tight. CV joints were gone at 100,000. Don't lift it too much, the CV joints will not like it.
 
The quickest and most dependable fix is to install another 4.0 block, stroked or not.

Installing a LS into your XJ means the XJ would become another project car.

Swapping engines is not usually done quickly or without hang ups.



Owned a 97 Dakota 4X4 short bed, with 318, for years. Once set up, it was a blast to drive.

I needed a lighter 4X4 to tow behind our RV, it was replaced by the 01 XJ.

The Dakota's weak spot was a front suspension that wore out quickly.

Both hubs were gone by 60,000 miles, the ball joints were never tight. CV joints were gone at 100,000. Don't lift it too much, the CV joints will not like it.



That’s kinda where I was looking. Luckily my dakota is a 2wd single cab long bed. I don’t have a 4.0 layin around and I priced everything out about 1300 said and done so I’m gonna be looking at 1500 installed. I can do almost all the work myself.


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