98xj 5.3 swap (the poverty method).

[blistovmhz]

I like cowls if they go with the factory body lines. wouldn't be hard to do on an xj and it would be a subtle look

Heh. 6" cowl and subtle don't belong in the same sentence.

 

[yossarian19]

Do you really need 6"? Wow
I'd look at accessory bracket kits that bring things lower & wider without having to go to F-body or Vette parts. You might get away with $100 worth of bracket instead of 6" of cowl.

Would this kit do you any good, or is it purely intake manifold clearance?

 

[blistovmhz]

Yea, I very well may, but that's the sorta thing that I'll work on once it's on the road. I've been driving the roomies mustang and pickup for the past few weeks. He's usually got the stang, so I'm left with the pickup, that is currently 1wd (I somehow broke one of his d60 rear axle shafts, in a parking lot). Just want Jeep back on road.

Finished up the exhaust tonight. Could still use a tailpipe hangar, but it's all burned in and installed.

OBD is working now. Replaced EVERYTHING from the plug to the ECU. Tested every few inches of the wire that was in there, couldn't find a problem, but when I plugged the reader into the last 3" of wire sticking out of the ECU, it just came to life. Suspect the wire was oxidised internally real bad. Ran out of solder so it's all just twisted together.

Throttle response has slowed down and it's taking longer to fire. Not sure why yet. Seems to hesitate a bit when I try to move. I'm goona be super pissed if my fuel pump is bad.

 

[Hoooper]

look at the cowl hood that JeremyB made for his swap. He has the same motor mounts and nowhere near a 6" cowl.

 

[John D]

Hey, where's all YOUR videos anyhow? I can really only find 4 or 5 videos of v8 XJ's showing off the power, and they're all really poorly shot videos.
Also, what'd you do for your t-case linkage? The distance from my shifter to the case is just too short to do anything with because of the AA trans/case adapter. I'm almost considering cable shifting it.

I don't have many, but the ones I have on my photobucket main page. Find it through one of my signature links. I had really good luck using the Novak shifter for my t-case. I was able to shape the lever to fit thru the stock console hole and it provided me with accurate and solid shifts.

Would this kit do you any good, or is it purely intake manifold clearance?

This is the best price and easiest conversion I have seen for bracket relocation.

 

[WiscoXJ]

Heh. 6" cowl and subtle don't belong in the same sentence.

lol I didn't mean a 6" is subtle 2 0r 3 looks nice but I know he probably cant clear the mani then

 

[blistovmhz]

Okay, wtf.
So finally got out for a quick drive. FT and STFT are both around 0 at idle, while LTFT is 20-25% at idle.
When I hit the gas, FT and STFT both rise, indicating a lean condition. No exhaust or intake leaks.
Checked fuel pressure at the rail. 38psi. WTF? This is with the Walbro 255lph pump and Wix 33737 filter/regulator.

So looking around at the filter diagrams, they're all different. Half of guys insist the center port is the inlet and side is the return back to tank, while the other half insist the opposite. If you search for Wix 33737 diagram, you'll see what I mean.

Anyone happen to know which side is which? I figured the larger port (side) would be the inlet and the smaller 5/16 (center) would be the return. Now I have no idea.
Verified the FP is still 40psi at the regulator output, and it's consistent regardless of RPM, which leads me to believe it's not a pump issue (FP should drop with higher RPM if it was a crap pump).
Idea's?

Bad regulator? I've never heard of a 33737 failing, though I have heard of guys talking about 33737 and 38.5psi in the same sentence

 

[blistovmhz]

Fuuuu!!! Replaced the reg with a NAPA brand 33737 (apparently made by WIX as well). Same issue. 38.5 psi.

In the tank, I've got (stacked bottom to top):
filter, walbro 255 pump, 3/8 hose, 3/8 brass fitting, 3/8 hose, 3/8 fitting, FP regulator.
From the reg back, just a 5/16 fitting, 3/8 hose, 3/8 brass fitting, 3/8 hose to bottom of tank.

From the reg forward, just a 3/8 fitting, 3/8 nylon line, 3/8 fitting, fuel rail.
What the hell is causing a stable 38.5 psi?

 

[jbsjunk]

What pressure to they run at? I'm wondering if you got a bum regulator.

 

[yossarian19]

You do have returnless rails on the DBW engine, right? You only want to run the C5 filter / regulator if you have returnless rails and no regulator at the tank.

I'd check amperage draw on the pump with an inductive clamp, listen for whine / any loudness & make sure the power & ground wiring is at least up for 10 amps by gauge & length. 14 gauge should be fine.

The single outlet on the regulator goes to the rails.
The larger of the fittings on the side with two of them is from the pump.
The remaining one is back to the tank.


If all of that looks good, it's a kinked line or a junk pump.

 

[blistovmhz]

Derp. And another derp.

Checked everything and decided to punch the bottom of the fuel tank. Definitely made a different sound so I stuck a jack under it and lifted it an inch. FP came up to 50psi. Bad connection at the fuel pump. Dropped tank and pulled the pump out. Re-tightened all the hose clamps. The one at the pump was definitely loose. Stuck it all back together. FP bounced between 50 and 60psi for a few minutes as the ECM decided what to do about the correct FP. Stabilised at 58psi after about 10 minutes.
LTFT is down to 14.1 on both banks now, running better, feels like it has more power.

Every few minutes though, the RPM's drop for a few seconds and come back up on their own. When this happens, Bank1 goes WAY lean (FT jumps from 0 to 10 or 20 +) and then comes back down and idle figures itself out.

I think the first issue (high LTFT) is probably a vacuum leak or bad MAF. Any other idea's on it?
The second issue, I've got no idea. I thought it was a bad wire at the coilpack connector. Did find an intermittent open on the brown wire (cyl 1?). Fixed it, but didn't fix anything as far as I can tell.
Not throwing any codes anymore other than the one knock sensor (which is intermittent). Still not burning out my 35's though . I feel like I'm still missing a tonne of power. Yea, it's faster than the 4L, but not near where I feel it should be for the new power plant.

 

[blistovmhz]

I don't have many, but the ones I have on my photobucket main page. Find it through one of my signature links. I had really good luck using the Novak shifter for my t-case. I was able to shape the lever to fit thru the stock console hole and it provided me with accurate and solid shifts.



This is the best price and easiest conversion I have seen for bracket relocation.

Yea, I took a look at that kit, but I need MORE! Need a spot for the AC compressor. Also, while that helps bring the scoop down about an inch, I'd still have to worry about the intake. Once I've got this all running proper, I'll probably be looking for an LS6 intake and maybe some Dirty Dingo brackets (sexy as hell).

 

[yossarian19]

Don't take it as gospel or anything but I'd think that when the computer loses knock sensor, it pulls ignition timing to play it safe. Might start with fixing known problems (knock sensor code) and go from there.
Also
I don't think a stock 5.3 is supposed to burn out 35s, is it? I'm running a 4.8 (de-stroked 5.3) in a truck that's 4100 lbs with me + a trip to the dump's worth in the back of the truck. It feels quick but hasn't yet made any tire smoke - and that's on 29s

 

[blistovmhz]

Don't take it as gospel or anything but I'd think that when the computer loses knock sensor, it pulls ignition timing to play it safe. Might start with fixing known problems (knock sensor code) and go from there.
Also
I don't think a stock 5.3 is supposed to burn out 35s, is it? I'm running a 4.8 (de-stroked 5.3) in a truck that's 4100 lbs with me + a trip to the dump's worth in the back of the truck. It feels quick but hasn't yet made any tire smoke - and that's on 29s

Good call on the knock sensor. one of those things that there's just not a heap of documentation on. Will get it checked out next.

Update:

So I drove to the store to pick up that FP tester, and of course my hood is all cut up so I bungee'd it down. Bungee let loose at 60 or 70km/h and center of hood hit the windshield .
Decided I really need to do something, however temporary. The result is horrendously happy AND ANGRY!

This kept the hood down for my next test drive.
As I haven't driven an auto in what seems like a million years, I think I may baby it too much. Thus, punched it. WooOOOOoo! Yea, it's a bit faster than the 4.0L, even when not running correctly. No time to look at dash for speedo, nor to count, but 0-60 is at least under half what it was with the 4.0L. Not sure I'd win any races against the Mustank (yet) but I'll definitely be putting most other trucks to absolute shame.

Issues holding me back:
1. Engine still not running right. LTFT is +14.1% on both banks. This seems suspiciously static. I'm leaning towards yossarian's idea about the knock sensor.
2. Suspension SUCKS for launching. Front end comes up too high to see any average height cars over the hood, assuming they're somewhere on the horizon. I feel like if I had limit straps in the front, my shoes would be off the ground. Rear traction is surprisingly good considering I'm rockin' 4.5" bastard pack leafs that are well over 7 years old, as well as drop shackle relocation. Axle torque biases towards the right because of the leaf travel angle (due to shackle relocation. What a horrible idea. Never drop your shackle mounts without dropping the front as well.). A ladder bar would be a substantial improvement, but I haven't decided yet if I'm going to throw tonnes under it and 4 link. May whip up a quick ladder bar just cause.

Yes, it burns out. No, it's not pretty. With the suspensions bias well toward the trail, burnouts are a bit bouncy.
Evidence:
First attempt:

All that said, this thing is SO goddamn loud. I ... may actually have to do something about it. That Super44 made an interesting sound on the 4.0L, and it'd set off car alarms if I drove too close, but this is setting off alarms from 5-8 car lengths away .

As always, driving an auto, your RPM's are always higher than you want, which for the first several test drives, led me to believe I was lugging and running out of power. Turns out it's just the stock shift points vs my manual trans shifting style.


Here's the fun part though. When I undertook this swap, (and I know most guys don't care), one of my biggest concerns was fuel economy. Heaps of guys say they get 12mpg from the 5.3, though I suspect they're the same guys who got 8mpg from their 4.0L.
Other guys insist 20-26 is a pretty normal number. Well, here we are:

Now, this isn't a good test at all. For reference, this is a round trip from my house, around about 3km with several big hills. My 4.0L (rough) was getting about 15mpg on the same trip last month. My buddies XJ (in good condition) was pulling about 18mpg.
Throughout the trip, whenever I got up to speed, I'd average 22-26mpg cruising. Going up hills is terrible (7-8mpg) but coming back down makes up for it.
I'm pretty sure my torque converter isn't locking up. I've got TCC slip speed on my dash, and it's never 0. Always positive or negative, even at a cruise. May have to look into this.

All said, I'm feelin' pretty good about it all now. Back on the road, not relying on Steve's 1wd pickup to get parts, and Jeepy will probably beat his Stang off the line (cause his beast can't get traction for shit). Hopefully get a chance to drag his stang in the next few days.

 

[Luke95]

I am having issues with my 4.0, so if my crank bearings are shot a 5.3 with a th350 or nv3550 sounds appealing to me. Did you keep your factory crossmember? I have a tnt belly pan and would love to keep it.

 

[blistovmhz]

Keep in mind that it's harder to adapt a manual trans to the 5.3. The 5.3's crankshaft is... I want to say shallower than the 4.3 or 6.0 and there are no stock clutch setups that will work. There are adapter clutches/flywheels/TOB/Pilot to make it work. I may yet go back to a manual. I really hate automatic. But for the sake of getting my Jeep back on the road ASAP, I just stuck with the 4l65e the motor came with.
There is nothing factory on my Jeep at this point, but I'd imagine you could keep a factory or aftermarket CM in the factory location. Will probably require drilling for a new trans mount, but that's about it.

That said, if you're just looking for an upgrade due to a failing/failed 4.0L, have you considered a crate 4.6L stroker? Same base HP/Torque, roughly the same price (though lots of guys spend $10k on a 5.3 swap somehow... 4.6L crate is under $3k), and takes an afternoon to install.
I waffled between the 4.6L and the 5.3L for years. I went with the 5.3L mostly because I dig a project and the knowledge that comes with such an undertaking.

 

[Luke95]

I have another 4.0L
I'm not worried about much with it as far as te swap goes. The biggest thing is the cost.

I wouldn't go that far with a i6 it is a cheap lower hp motor. If I where to light the flame I would boost it using the manifold from boostwerks. But I digress in the end I will see where the cash and my 4.0 go haha.

 

[yossarian19]

The 3550 is rated to take 300 ft-lbs, the 5.3 makes 330. You could use it but I wouldn't expect a long, happy life out of a used 3550.

Also, the 5.3 doesn't require anything aftermarket to put a manual behind it. The crank is no different than a 6.0 crank. I suspect it never had a manual because the 5.3 / 4L60E combination didn't "need it" the way a 4.8 truck did and the fleetwide emissions go down when you force automatics on people. The 6.0 trucks (3/4 ton, 1 ton and a handful of 1/2 ton "HD" units) had manual because you kind of have to sell a manual in the medium duty truck market.

 

[blistovmhz]

The 3550 is rated to take 300 ft-lbs, the 5.3 makes 330. You could use it but I wouldn't expect a long, happy life out of a used 3550.

Also, the 5.3 doesn't require anything aftermarket to put a manual behind it. The crank is no different than a 6.0 crank. I suspect it never had a manual because the 5.3 / 4L60E combination didn't "need it" the way a 4.8 truck did and the fleetwide emissions go down when you force automatics on people. The 6.0 trucks (3/4 ton, 1 ton and a handful of 1/2 ton "HD" units) had manual because you kind of have to sell a manual in the medium duty truck market.

What? Everything I found was talking about the crank output being too short or too long or something, and requiring a special (extra thick) flywheel and/or spacer, as well as a TOB with a really bizarre thickness.
This was the only reason I didn't bother trying to track down a manual. I do hope you're right though. Would make my day much easier

 

[Luke95]

The info I found was a $17 dollar specialty pilot bearing was needed....