Replacing a Blown Engine - Documenting with Pics / Share Advice

[Talyn]

Yes, enough for regular use, but not for cam breakin.

 

[Tony_SS]

I noticed my cam sort of looked dry, but kinda late now as its in there.

Should I use any lube or grease on the lifters before I drop them in there?

 

[Talyn]

Yes. There is a high moly grease that should go on the cam lobes and lifter foot. Also, the cam should have been cleaned prior to install.

 

[Tony_SS]

Update

I got some Lucas Assembly lube and dropped some down on the cam, and totally coated the lifters and dropped them in.
http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?catid=9&iid=291&loc=show

Next I dropped the head on a Fel Pro SD head gasket... and torqued down to spec.

I'm still a little foggy on dropping in the cam sensor. Even if the engine is at TDC, and I put a pin in sensor to align it up, it can still drop in on any gear... so I'm not sure which way to drop it in...

 

[Shorty]

IIRC, the plug on the cam sensor should be perpendicular to the firewall when at TDC. It will be obvious if it's off either direction.

 

[Talyn]

TDC, put tooth pick through hole in body into hole in reluctor wheel. Drop in w/ plug pointing toward rear. The location of the plug won't tell you anything. It could be pointed in any direction and still be aligned correctly or incorrectly for that matter. The wiring harness is just at the rear.

http://jeep.blackonyx.net/pdfs/jcss.pdf page 5

 

[Tony_SS]

Good news and bad news...mostly good.

I fired it up. It was a rough stumbling start for the first few seconds until I was able to rev it up to 2000 rpm then it smoothed out pretty quick. Is this normal for a new rebuilt engine?

After that it ran great art 2000. I let it run for about 10min and then the trans line cooler at the radiator started leaking pretty good. I shut her down and am waiting to fix that.

Other than that I have a few studs on the oil pan that are dripping some..just from the studs. Kind of weird... I guess I'll tighten those down and hope they seal up.

Also it idled great too. Oil pressure is 55 at 210º at 2000 rpm and drops to about 30psi at idle.. so I'm really happy about that. No other weirdness to report.

This is my first time going anything like this. In past the biggest thing I've done was put an intake manifold on so at this is me patting myself on the back here. I can't wait to get the leaks sealed up and get it road ready for the winter.

 

[CharlesS]

The rough stumbling start was probably caused by the fuel injectors and system clearing out the trapped air.
Congrats on getting the rebuild installed and running....

 

[Jonathan]

What do you all think of "break in oil" ... a racing buddy suggested Valvoline VR1... thoughts?

I had an extended discussion about this topic with two of my uncles, with almost 100 years of experience between them: one is an engineer that designed engines, and the other a mechanic responsible for testing at the factory.

Both agreed that the standard oil ratings failed to account for break-in, and they confirmed seeing multiple failures when a correctly-designed supply chain for new engines was altered. To clarify, this isn't 1 or two engines: these are whole runs from a factory of hundreds or thousands with premature failure etc, because somehow the wrong oil was substituted by a contractor on an order.

They argued a lot over some of the fine details of zinc etc, but the general consensus was that it was highly important for new engines. On the other hand, they also agreed that it offered no benefit to an engine with over 20k miles: the surfaces had already been work-hardened (the zinc was critical to this step) and unless you were swapping in new parts, it did nothing.

I would personally go with an additive over VR1.

 

[Tony_SS]

The rough stumbling start was probably caused by the fuel injectors and system clearing out the trapped air.
Congrats on getting the rebuild installed and running....

That is relieving to hear then... I was thinking it was due to the lack of lube on the internals. Now that you mention it, it was kind of "missing firing" for a few seconds until I was able to rev it up and keep it steady at 2000 rpm.

I would personally go with an additive over VR1.

I ended up using conventional Valvoline 10w-30 with the Lucas zinc break in additive.

 

[Tony_SS]

Head is on... Fel Pro gaskets for the win

I used apple cider vinegar to get the rust off all the intake/exhaust bolts. It's also good for catching and killing flies.

Let them sit overnight, then rinse off with water... you'll be amazed.

Exhaust and intake is on

New Spectra radioator... it seems very nice. I like the center supports.

The air intake box makes a great tool holder, as does the battery tray.

And here is all all complete.