ok,

if yours is close to what i have, it is a wire for the over temp sensor
(i think its the ground for it, not 100%, cuz I don have manual in front of me, am at work, drat!)

cpnwrench

 

i checked where that wire connects on the far back bolt....its just a plastic hold-clip.....no grounding that i can see.


its been a long evening and ive considered selling the jeep and buying a stock one (which i probably should have done to begin with) but ive reconsidered.

new plan of attack:

get a mechanical pressure gauge tomorrow to test the sending unit. can i pull the sending unit on before warming the engine up? do i just shove the mechanical one in there while its running and warmed up?


not this weekend, but next weeked....change the oil, and pull off the oil pan to check the clearances and bearings and all that stuff to see if the engine is dying. if the engine is dying.....the selling option is back on the table, if the engine is fine.....i will keep this jeep until it rusts into pieces.


simple math:
current jeep (4500 all in) + reman engine (1500-2000 plus install) = 6500


sell current jeep (3000 if im lucky) + new stock jeep in good condition (4000 if im lucky) = $$$$$ leftover to spend on upgrades.



EDIT: forgot the videos i promised....
three of them....all a minute or less, i promise

http://www.youtube.com/user/irishexp...e?feature=mhum


its really easy....its the only three videos on my channel

 

cold start oil pressure goes up very slowly,new ticking sounds like spark shooting out from boot to block or from coil pack to block ,10 lbs of oil pressure not good ,knocking i think you statyed your xj is clutch push the clutch pedal down see if noise goes away

 

nah my jeep is an auto.....no clutch.


i dunno about that spark plug.....right after that video i was at advance auto and ran a code reader on it just for kicks and got a P0455 (EVAP emissions control system leak detected (no purge flow or large leak)) but nothing about a spark plug specifically.



anyway.....im done for tonight.

 

Dude I just watched 2 videos.. where the heck Is your oil cap for the cover?? That is a serious no no.. check the elbows going to the intake manifold right below the air box tube.. see if those elbows are brittle that maybe the cause for the code.. the ticking sounds rough on that bad boy but it maybe the audio because you are saying it sounds better??

 

I'm not trying to be an *******, and i hope you dont think that i come across as one, but if your concerned about your jeep dying on you, and you dont know whats wrong with it,why wouldnt you take it to a shop? you said that you have no mechanical background, so maybe its time to let someone who is qualified, and who does it for a living take a look. i understand wanting to save money, and to do things yourself, but sometimes you are just in over your head. i work on cars all day long, have no problems pulling a motor or trans out of a car, but i dont have the knowledge to rebuild a transmission. so when i need one rebuilt, i send it out and let someone else do it. im just saying, that before you freak out and sell your xj, it might be worth a $50, or $100 diagnostic fee. the internet is a fantastic tool, but sometimes you just need to bite the bullet and let someone else look at it.

 

the cap is there, the top part probably stopped "clicking" when you tighten it and couldnt get it off, so they ripped the top part of the cap off. the only reason i know this is because i did the same thing on my wifes wj

 

^^ this


i will check those elbows tomorrow....



and you may be right....ill look into some shops and prices and whatnot.

 

the ticking could be the evap valve ticking its right there by ther last plug in the rear of the motor that could have something to do with the code and little rough running you stated, you need to do something with the slow and low oil pressure b4 you kill the motor,oil change and new oil pressure sensor would be a good place to start

 

I wouldn't mess around trying to take the main bearing caps off or anything like that to try and check clearances.There is no way that just by looking at them that you will be able to tell what the clearances are,you have to do this with plastigauge and with the engine out of the vehicle.Best case scenario for pulling the caps and bearings, you will be able to see any pitting,scoring, glazing etc.I don't know the exact figure for this engine but main bearing oil clearances are thousandths of an inch. I don't think any of us could see that with our naked eyes in this application let along laying under the jeep trying to see it.

Get your valve cover buttoned back up,do your regular maintenance
(oil,fuel,air,plugs,wires etc) and fix anything that you can see wrong for sure. Then at the very least get a professional diagnosis. From that point you can decide if you want to try and make the repairs on your own or take other actions. At least with the professional diagnosis you will know what is going on and you can make an informed decision of what to do.I have learned through many experiences of my own that yes trying to save some money is good but with situations like this it ends up costing more down the road after you(I) mess something up and then have to pay for that and the original repair lol.

Most shops don't quote diagnostic work due to the fact that your problems could be one or more of many things and they wont know until they get into it.They will usually just tell you their hourly rate for diagnostic work which is usually higher than their normal rates again due to the un known nature of your problems.It could end up being something simple or it could be something that you don't want to hear but at least you will have an answer. Most of the time it is well worth the fee.

Every body has to start somewhere learning these things but some of the things that you are talking about trying to do are not the place to start from in my opinion.Its pretty much like setting your self up for failure and I would rather sound like a jerk telling you that than to encourage you to try something that you may not be able to do and cause more damage

 

About your video's.It does sound really bad in the one video and that oil pressure defiantly isn't a good sign.I really couldn't about the noise though too much ambient noise.I would defiantly drive it as little as possible until you can have it looked at.
Im defiantly not your parent or anything lol but watch those loose articles around the running engine bro .

 

as of right now....my plan is to call around today to shops and ask about diagnostic hourly rates.


i will probably ask them to check the clearances on the crankshaft and all that.....if those are all fine then ill move forward with all the regular maintenance. I dont see the point in doing another 150 dollars of routine maintenance, then finding out my bearings are shot for another 150, and being out 300 instead of 150.



but the bearings and clearances can be checked with the engine in the vehicle if the oil pan is taken off?

 

Did your engine do this before the valve cover gasket change???

 

yeah, i first noticed the oil pressure issue about 2 weeks ago and i havent really driven it since then....but it was prior to the valve cover gasket.



i just called up an engine shop and described my symptoms....he said that since the oil pressure readings are consistent across different engine conditions, the chances of it being the oil sending unit are low. He said the conditions that im in mean the rod bearings, crank bearings, and main bearings are shot and that i would need a rebuild.....he quoted me 3 grand as a baseline, more if the engine is completely shot before i bring it in.

he asked what kind of oil im running (10w40 that the previous owner put in) and said that having these problems with a higher than normal viscosity oil is more indication of a big problem.

if the previous owner knew about this and sold it to me anyway.....that a crappy thing to do to someone looking to get into wheeling.

 

so it has always ticked this bad or the tick just started??