What problems come w/ strokers?

I think I've read a lot of complaints about stroker reliability though I can't seem to recall what most of the issues were. What goes wrong when you add stroke & bore 30 over?
I know the camshafts are picky about how they are broken in (lots of zddp, 2k idle for 20 minutes, oil change w/ more zddp, etc) , so , aside from cam break-in issues: what goes wrong?

Trying to decide what the long term plan is. I want more power than the 4.0 gives but forced induction, engine swap or stroker is a tough call.

I say give yourself a $2k budget with parts and machining and it is every bit as reliable as a stock 4.0, but with >+40hp/60lb-ft. Do the 4.7l with +.060" pistons and use the stock 4.0 rods and IC944 pistons and have .020-.030" taken off the block(you or your machinist mock beforehand of course). I'll build another one in the future and use the 6.150" Eagles that've been sitting on my shelf for years and some custom +.080 or +.090" forged pistons(Ross or Diamond). I used the Mopar 30ab cam and haven't seen any Mopar cam failures in strokers(many Cranes though). I have destroyed a Federal Mogul timing set, an Auburn LSD(thanks to hooning the whole 2wks of the Snowcopalypse), and 2 coils(not stroker related imo) in the 5 years and 50+K I've put on her.

And the factory cooling system doesn't seem to object to the extra power? Or do most guys also upgrade pump, radiator etc?

I would definitely get an aftermarket radiator and an aftermarket trans cooler.

I have 17k on my home built stroker, in two different jeeps, and 12k on a Golen stroker in two other jeeps. A stock cooling system in good condition is fine, but marginal. Other than that, I have had zero issues with the engines.

gradon said:

I say give yourself a $2k budget with parts and machining and it is every bit as reliable as a stock 4.0, but with >+40hp/60lb-ft.

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so for less money you can drop in a LS motor and have double the power.

XJLI said:

so for less money you can drop in a LS motor and have double the power.

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Now start pricing out all the adapters, headers, and wiring to make it possible.
Not to mention all of the consumables that will go into a project like that. Not saying an LS isn't a better engine, but definitely not cheaper when everything is said and done.

Yeah, you aren't going to finish the LS swap for 2K or even 3K. If you started with an SBC, sure - but not in a Jeep.

bigdaddyjlove said:

I have 17k on my home built stroker, in two different jeeps, and 12k on a Golen stroker in two other jeeps. A stock cooling system in good condition is fine, but marginal. Other than that, I have had zero issues with the engines.

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How does your homebuilt compare to the Golens powerwise?

cruiser54 said:

How does your homebuilt compare to the Golens powerwise?

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The homebuilt has more torque right off idle. The golen revs out better. The Golen makes a lot more power, but it seems to mostly be above 3K.

The homebuilt runs fine on mid-grade in GA in July (renix) The Golen seems to need Hi-test (93 octane here) but it is currently in an '01 which seems a little more sensetive.

The homebuilt was about $1100.00 5 years ago. The Golen was about $4200.00 5 years ago.

I like them both

bigdaddyjlove said:

The homebuilt has more torque right off idle. The golen revs out better. The Golen makes a lot more power, but it seems to mostly be above 3K.

The homebuilt runs fine on mid-grade in GA in July (renix) The Golen seems to need Hi-test (93 octane here) but it is currently in an '01 which seems a little more sensetive.

The homebuilt was about $1100.00 5 years ago. The Golen was about $4200.00 5 years ago.

I like them both

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I've got a Golen that I rebuilt as it lost cam bearings and a rod bearing. Have it all together but not in yet. Going into a 90 Renix with a 60mm throttle body and late model exhaust manifold.

cruiser54 said:

I've got a Golen that I rebuilt as it lost cam bearings and a rod bearing. Have it all together but not in yet. Going into a 90 Renix with a 60mm throttle body and late model exhaust manifold.

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Any idea why the bearings went out? Mostly just curious, as the build quality on the Golen seems good.

bigdaddyjlove said:

Any idea why the bearings went out? Mostly just curious, as the build quality on the Golen seems good.

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I think the guy before ran a Fram filter....

And yes, the build quality seems great.

As someone that has actually done both the stroker and Vortec.......

I'll never do another stroker. I've posted about about mine many times so I'm not going to re-hash it here.

Can a 5.3L be done for the same amount of money as a stroker (not a cheap, half-azzed budget stroker)? HELL YES!

XJLI said:

so for less money you can drop in a LS motor and have double the power.

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LOL Double the power huh?

I have yet to see a LS with 650-700HP that I can bolt in for less...

:bs:

Double the power a stroker adds... So 100 extra horses.

So frank, what could the 5.3 be done for? Including radiator, gauges etc?

Frank Z said:

Can a 5.3L be done for the same amount of money as a stroker (not a cheap, half-azzed budget stroker)? HELL YES!

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I've perused your 5.3L Vortec V8 Conversion build thread (which is awesome) but I guess I'm a little surprised by your comment. To me the wiring alone looked like a nightmare - I know you said it wasn't THAT bad... But either someone has to run that gauntlet themselves or swap gauges or buy a harness (not sure if they make them?) Aside from that though you've been plagued with overheating issues (resolved with a $600 radiator, I think) and are on, I believe, your second transmission rebuild (or replacement?) I guess whenever I read about LS swaps they always seem plagued with problems like yours and appear to cost several thousand more than a stroker...

Sorry, I've never seen your posts on the stroker... and I've never done one. But there would be no wiring to do, no tranny work, you could use stock headers, no motor/tranny mounts to deal with and people say you can get by with stock cooling if it's working correctly. It seems like these alone make a stroker a few thousand cheaper.

Could you elaborate on why you feel the 5.3L is actually cheaper?

(This may seem like an argument, but I have sincere interest: I'm planing to do a stroker in a year or two. If I can do an LS swap for the same money or even LESS... Let's just say I have no allegiance to an engine; power and price are king in my heep! )

I'll try to keep this brief.

My 5.3 thread was started for one basic reason, there simply weren't any threads like it. I searched high and low for the info I needed and it simply wasn't in one place. Every time I did a search I found plenty of threads where the OP asked and was told to "SEARCH....It's been covered." Problem was....it wasn't.

So my thread was an attempt to chronicle my experience and perhaps help others that were contemplating the same swap.

It was never intended to be a low-buck, perfect from the start sort of engine swap. I learned as I went along, made some mistakes along the way and in the end I wound up with a great swap that out performs my previous stroker (v1 thru v4).

The tranny issue is a bit of a sore subject that really has nothing to do with the swap itself. Let's just say I now know enough about the inner workings of a 4L65E to know that not everyone that claims to know how to rebuild a tranny really does. My current bone stock 4L65E is doing great.

The tranny, as it turns out, was part of my cooling issues. It was generating a tremendous amount of heat and the radiators I tried simply couldn't handle the engine and tranny heat combined. I'm currently running a Novak radiator (actually a re-badged Griffin) and it's doing a great job.

So what can it be done for? It really depends on the builder himself. If you can fabricate, understand basic electrical wiring, are willing to shop around for a really great price on drivetrain components....then $2800-$3200 is very do-able.

The bill for my first stoker parts and machining only was a little over $2400.

The bill for my first stroker was $1100.

And it bolted in. On a Saturday afternoon. And the late model doesn't throw any check engine lights.

Not saying that the 5.3 isn't great, my wife drives a Yukon XL, but the Stroker makes plenty of power for most needs, certainly for mine, and the simplicity is appealing.

Also, not a concern for everyone, but when I sold my daughter's wrangler, I pulled the stroker out, dropped a fresh, stock motor in and sold the jeep, keeping the stroker for my off road XJ. Once you drop a chevy motor into an XJ, you probably don't have the flexability to go backwards.