Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, when you pull the dipstick out theres tiny tiny metal shavings and during acceleration theres a very light knock. My brother has said he thinks its the lower main bearings and says that if i ramrod the motor around it could throw a rod through the block is he correct.

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

This is a joke right?

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

no actually im being quite serious and in total theres 5 other guys saying the same thing my brother is.

JeepZJlover said:

Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, when you pull the dipstick out theres tiny tiny metal shavings and during acceleration theres a very light knock. My brother has said he thinks its the lower main bearings and says that if i ramrod the motor around it could throw a rod through the block is he correct.

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Shavings on the dipstick are a BAD SIGN. The leaks drying up might just mean there's no oil left.

its got plenty of oil its at the safe line. also i may have exaggerated a bit the shavings are actually more like tiny little slivers like youd get in your hand.

JeepZJlover said:

its got plenty of oil its at the safe line. also i may have exaggerated a bit the shavings are actually more like tiny little slivers like youd get in your hand.

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How often do you change oil and filter? It's time now. Whats your oil pressure?

they both get changed every 3,000 miles i bought the jeep used with like a 174,000 on it, its up to around 179,500 something i have no idea what the oil pressure is. there any good websites about 4.0 rebuilds

It sounds to me like they are right. The main bearings are going, and have caused a drop in oil pressure. This has "dried up" your oil leaks.

Stand by for the big bang

Kuasimodem said:

It sounds to me like they are right. The main bearings are going, and have caused a drop in oil pressure. This has "dried up" your oil leaks.

Stand by for the big bang

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Agree. Worn rod/main bearings are the most likely reason for the knocking sound and the oil leaks drying up (likely because the oil pressure is low).
Replace the bearings ASAP, otherwise you could find a piston/rod assembly getting thrown out from the side of the block. DON'T DELAY.

Kuasimodem said:

It sounds to me like they are right. The main bearings are going, and have caused a drop in oil pressure. This has "dried up" your oil leaks.

Stand by for the big bang

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Oil pressure dropping and the little slivers plugging the holes. Kind of like aluminum sealant they sell for radiators that plugs up everything. Don't use that crap. Just a guess, but sounds possible to me.:explosion

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

what does "ramrod" mean?

Ludakris said:

what does "ramrod" mean?

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Drive it hard, put it away wet...

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

Inspect the surface of the crank journals, if your getting rod knock those surfaces can be damaged, either knicked or grooves worn in them. If there is a knick that raises up over the level of the rest of the journal, you have to blend it down using some emery cloth.

Its not uncommon when you get crank bearing knock, that replacing the bearings does not solve it, that the crank is damaged and it has to be turned down or replaced.

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

thanks for the help guys. I have a feeling im gonna be redoing some bearings. Is this a weekend job? Can i do this with the motor still in it.

JeepZJlover said:

thanks for the help guys. I have a feeling im gonna be redoing some bearings. Is this a weekend job? Can i do this with the motor still in it.

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Crank bearings can be done without pulling the motor. Rod bearings you need to pull the head which is a lot of work and I'm not sure if you'll have enough room. If you pull the head and attempt the rod bearings, you might as well go all the way and re-ring and hone. I re-ringed a 2.5l engine in the vehicle and wished I had just pulled it out and put in on an engine stand.

lawsoncl said:

Rod bearings you need to pull the head which is a lot of work....

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Huh? Why can't you just pull the spark plugs, turn the crank so the piston being worked on is BDC, unbolt the rod cap and push the piston up an inch or two? Just swap out the bearing and pull them back together?

If the piston is too stuborn to push yourself, you can turn the crank to 90° position, for the piston being worked on, unbolt the cap and turn the crank to BDC, leaving the piston behind (about mid-stroke) and pulling the crank away from the rod, giving you access to the journals.

If your just swapping the bearings, it can be done in a weekend, if you find the crank is bad, well, thats going to take a lot longer. The bearings are cheap enough, I'd probably put them in anyway and hope for the best, if it doesn't work, then you'll just back where you started.

Look the crank over for any knicks in the surfaces. If a knicked raised the surface of the edges higher than the rest of the crank journal you can rub that down with some emory cloth.

If the crank journals are all worn down and groovey/wavey, theres nothing you can do add metal to the journal, maybe new bearing will reduce the clearance enough that the motor will run with a little higher oil pressure and no knock. But if you want to properly fix it, you have to pull the crank and have it turned down and then get over sized bearings. You might as well pull the engine and do a rebuild if your going to do that.

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

I just replaced all of my connecting rod bearings, 4.0. Pulled the pan, don't remember taking the head off to do it. I pulled a couple of main bearing caps and checked them with plasti gauge and did a visual. The connecting rod bearing sleeves were the only thing out of spec.
A close look at the distributor gears (they wear) and oil pump gears (for clearance), might be revealing. You can also look at the cam from the bottom and check for grooves and spalling. Sometimes the cam sheds metal.
I also pushed the pistons all the way up and looked at the cylinder bores, checked for scratches and bought a "T" micrometer to measure my bore.
There is a lot you can see from the bottom of the 4.0. A good book or an FSM is nice to have handy.
Oil melts plasti gauge, things have to be pretty clean to use it. A few cans of spray brake cleaner are just about a must.
Last time through I probably took off more than I absolutly had to, to remove the pan. But having plenty of room was more important than trying for the minimum. I unhooked the bottom of the shocks, the axle housing end of the steering damper, the drag link end at the pitman, both tranny cooler lines, the starter, the sway bar at the frame and the down pipe. Tied everything up with wire. Plenty of room and good vision. The time before last, I was in the pan, I tried for the minimum and it was a pain. I also made a sketch of where the pan *studs* went (live and learn).

lawsoncl said:

Rod bearings you need to pull the head which is a lot of work....
Huh? Why can't you just pull the spark plugs, turn the crank so the piston being worked on is BDC, unbolt the rod cap and push the piston up an inch or two? Just swap out the bearing and pull them back together?

Rick Anderson said:

Huh? Why can't you just pull the spark plugs, turn the crank so the piston being worked on is BDC, unbolt the rod cap and push the piston up an inch or two? Just swap out the bearing and pull them back together?

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I was talking about redoing the wrist bearings. I was lumping the lower rod bearings in with the crank bearings.

Re: Got some weird problems going on lately all my oil leaks have stopped and dried up, w

Ludakris said:

what does "ramrod" mean?

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you need to watch SuperTroopers...

lawsoncl said:

Crank bearings can be done without pulling the motor. Rod bearings you need to pull the head which is a lot of work and I'm not sure if you'll have enough room. If you pull the head and attempt the rod bearings, you might as well go all the way and re-ring and hone. I re-ringed a 2.5l engine in the vehicle and wished I had just pulled it out and put in on an engine stand.

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Why would you need to pull the head to get the rod bearings out? Just pull the spark plugs rotate the rod down, pop the cap off, rotate up a bit, then rotate the crank minus the rod and piston back down to get at the other bearing. Am I missing something?