Hey all! I haven't been on here for some time, but it's good to be back. Anyway, my original motor has grown very tired and I happen to come across another one, out of a '95 XJ, with just under 90k on the odometer. Anyway, could you recommend anything that I should definitely replace before putting it in to my jeep? I have trust in this motor because it belongs to the mechanic that owns the shop that a friend works at. The owner has a very good reputation in this area.

 

Any leaking gaskets/seals?

 

No, but we are thinking about replacing things like valve seals... Needs a distributor, thermostat, water pump... Maybe replace the oil pump. My buddy wants to pnp the head; I also have a 99+ manifold and bored throttle body to throw on it.

To add: I am taking this opportunity to remove the old motor , tear it down and either stroke it or boost it.

 

Tore the motor down last night; the one that will be going in. Talk about massive carbon build up. Anyway, the block looked really good, the cylinder walls were like glass. We tore down the head completely, with the intensions of replacing most parts to freshen it up, and will make the head more breathable while it's out. Hopefully the teardown, build up, remove and replace will go as smooth as planned.

 

If you replace the distributor, choose a quality brand. Put in a reman because it had lifetime warranty and the gear got trashed, but cam gear is still perfect. Had to pull the pan and clean out shavings. Advance auto brand, took it back and now have carquest brand and no problems

 

I am growing very tired of this rebuild. I have acquired all the parts, that were recommended for the rebuild. Last night when we were going to build up the lower end, he decided to tell me that we needed to replace the cam gear since we had it all apart. I ordered one from a local shop this morning and they reserved the parts for me. I just went to pick it up and they didn't have any record of my order, so I showed them the email. And also, didn't have to parts in stock... More crap I have to order and wait for. At the same time, I really don't see the need to replace a cam timing gear that has less than 90k on it. But I dont dare question someone that has more knowledge in something than I do.

 

Tonight, we did the timing, buffed out the cylinder heads and block surface, painted the block and started porting the intake manifold.

 

Smeared drive gear usually means distributor was not seated properly.

 

I will be reusing the distributor that is running on my current motor. It is doing well for me.

 

This is a very slow going process. Last night we stripped down the cylinder head. Now I need to find something to soak it in, to remove all the carbon build up and clean it really good. Over the weekend, I spent some time in the junkyard, removing any/every bolt I could imagine to make building this motor up easier without tearing down the old motor. I threw in the towel when it came to the oil pan. I guess that's easier to remove when it's out of the vehicle. That said, I couldn't get to the oil pump. I have a new one to install, does anyone happen to know the bolt size(s?), for the oil pump?

 

Remember all the seals are 20 years old.

 

That's nice.

It's also not very important. You can have cracks that are invisible to the eye.

Rebuilding an engine without having it stripped, hot-tanked, and magnafluxed is a good way to waste a lot of time and money.

 

I'm on the hunt for a motor for my 99. Ever seen this? Haha

 

I'm replacing all the gaskets and seals

 

Cylinder head has been removed from the clean tank , after almost a week. It was stuffed full of carbon, now it's all carbon free. Ready for a gasket match.








Valves are going through the paces of the ultrasonic cleaner.