Or some reason I thought JK Moabs were 17" and TJ ones were 16".

Idk.

 

Timing is not adjustable, and if it were would not cause a miss.

 

Well my timing is off. There is a procedure to adjust the timing.

 

Really? Post it up.

 

prevents oil from entering the distributor housing. The seal is not serviceable.

Factory replacement distributors are equipped with a plastic alignment pin already installed. The pin is located in an access hole on the bottom of the distributor housing Plastic Alignment Pin It is used to temporarily lock the rotor to the cylinder number 1 position during installation. The pin must be removed after installing the distributor.

The camshaft position sensor is located in the distributor on all engines Distributor - 2.5L Or 4.0L Engines - Typical For removal/installation procedures, refer to Camshaft Position Sensor. Distributor removal is not necessary for sensor removal.

Refer to Distributor - 2.5L Or 4.0L Engines - Typical for an exploded view of the distributor.

A fork with a slot is supplied on the bottom of the distributor housing where the housing base seats against the engine block Distributor - 2.5L Or 4.0L Engines - Typical The centerline of the slot aligns with the distributor holddown bolt hole in the engine block. Because of the fork, the distributor cannot be rotated. Distributor rotation is not necessary as all ignition timing requirements are handled by the powertrain control module (PCM)

The position of the distributor determines fuel synchronization only. It does not determine ignition timing.

NOTE: Do not attempt to modify this fork to attain ignition timing.

REMOVAL - 2.5L OR 4.0L ENGINE

Disconnect negative battery cable at battery.
Disconnect coil secondary cable at coil.
Remove distributor cap from distributor (2 screws) Do not remove cables from cap. Do not remove rotor.
Disconnect distributor wiring harness from main engine harness.
Remove cylinder number 1 spark plug.
Hold a finger over open spark plug hole. Rotate engine at vibration dampener bolt until compression (pressure) is felt.
Slowly continue to rotate engine. Do this until timing index mark on vibration damper pulley aligns with top dead center (TDC) mark (0 degree) on timing degree scale Align Timing Marks Always rotate engine in direction of normal rotation. Do not rotate engine backward to align timing marks.
On models equipped with A/C, remove electrical cooling fan and shroud assembly from radiator. Refer toCooling System for procedures.
This will provide room to turn engine crankshaft with a socket and ratchet using vibration damper bolt.
Remove distributor holddown bolt and clamp.
Remove distributor from engine by slowly lifting straight up.
Note that rotor will rotate slightly in a counterclockwise direction while lifting up distributor. The oil pump gear will also rotate slightly in a counterclockwise direction while lifting up distributor. This is due to the helical cut gears on distributor and camshaft.
Note removed position of rotor during distributor removal. During installation, this will be referred to as the Pre-position.
2.5L 4-Cylinder Engine: Observe slot in oil pump gear through hole on side of engine. It should be slightly before (counterclockwise of) 10 o'clock position Slot At 10 Oclock Position - 2.5L Engine
4.0L 6-Cylinder Engine: Observe slot in oil pump gear through hole on side of engine. It should be slightly before (counterclockwise of) 11 o'clock position Slot At 11 Oclock Position - 4.0L Engine
Remove and discard the old distributor-to-engine block gasket.
INSTALLATION

If engine crankshaft has been rotated after distributor removal, cylinder number 1 must be returned to its proper firing stroke. Refer to previous REMOVAL Step 5 and Step 6. These steps must be done before installing distributor.
Check position of slot on oil pump gear. On the 2.5L engine, it should be just slightly before (counterclockwise of) 10 o'clock position Slot At 10 Oclock Position - 2.5L Engine On the 4.0L engine, it should be just slightly before (counterclockwise of) 11 o'clock position Slot At 11 Oclock Position - 4.0L Engine If not, place a flat blade screwdriver into oil pump gear and rotate it into proper position.
Factory replacement distributors are equipped with a plastic alignment pin already installed Plastic Alignment Pin This pin is used to temporarily hold rotor to cylinder number 1 firing position during distributor installation. If pin is in place, proceed to Step 8. If not, proceed to next step.
If original distributor is to be reinstalled, such as during engine overhaul, the plastic pin will not be available. A 3/16 inch drift pin punch tool may be substituted for plastic pin.
Remove camshaft position sensor from distributor housing. Lift straight up.
Four different alignment holes are provided on plastic ring Pin Alignment Holes Note that 2.5L and 4.0L engines have different alignment holes Pin Alignment Holes
Rotate distributor shaft and install pin punch tool through proper alignment hole in plastic ring Pin Alignment Holes and into mating access hole in distributor housing. This will prevent distributor shaft and rotor from rotating.
Clean distributor mounting hole area of engine block.
Install new distributor-to-engine block gasket Distributor - 2.5L Or 4.0L Engines - Typical
Install rotor to distributor shaft.
2.5L 4-Cylinder Engine: Pre-position distributor into engine while holding centerline of base slot in 1 o'clock position Distributor Pre-position - All Engines Continue to engage distributor into engine. The rotor and distributor will rotate clockwise during installation. This is due to the helical cut gears on distributor and camshaft. When distributor is fully seated to engine block, the centerline of base slot should be aligned to clamp bolt mounting hole on engine Distributor Engaged Position - 2.5L 4-Cylinder Engine The rotor should also be pointed slightly past (clockwise of) 3 o'clock position
4.0L 6-Cylinder Engine: Pre-position distributor into engine while holding centerline of base slot in 1 o'clock position Distributor Pre-position - All Engines Continue to engage distributor into engine. The rotor and distributor will rotate clockwise during installation. This is due to the helical cut gears on distributor and camshaft. When distributor is fully seated to engine block, the centerline of base slot should be aligned to clamp bolt mounting hole on engine Distributor Engaged Position - 4.0L 6-Cylinder Engine The rotor should also be pointed at 5 o'clock position

It may be necessary to rotate rotor and distributor shaft (very slightly) to engage distributor shaft with slot in oil pump gear. The same may have to be done to engage distributor gear with camshaft gear.

The distributor is correctly installed when:

rotor is pointed at 3 o'clock position (2.5L engine), or at 5 o'clock position (4.0L engine)
plastic alignment pin (or pin punch tool) is still installed to distributor.
number 1 cylinder piston is set at top dead center (TDC) (compression stroke)
centerline of slot at base of distributor is aligned to centerline of distributor holddown bolt hole on engine. In this position, the holddown bolt should easily pass through slot and into engine.
No adjustments are necessary. Proceed to next step.

Install distributor holddown clamp and bolt. Tighten bolt to 23 N·m (17 ft. lbs.) torque.
Remove pin punch tool from distributor. Or, if plastic alignment pin was used, remove it straight down from bottom of distributor. Discard plastic pin.
If removed, install camshaft position sensor to distributor. Align wiring harness grommet to notch in distributor housing.
Install rotor
CAUTION: If the distributor cap is incorrectly positioned on distributor housing, cap or rotor may be damaged when engine is started.

Install distributor cap. Tighten distributor cap holddown screws to 3 N·m (26 in. lbs.) torque.
If removed, install spark plug cables to distributor cap. For proper firing order, refer to Specifications section at the end of this group. See Engine Firing Order.
Connect distributor wiring harness to main engine harness.
Connect battery cable to battery.

 

Did you read this part?


The position of the distributor determines fuel synchronization only. It does not determine ignition timing.

 

My bad its not for timing. Basically my timing is out-of-spec, at 20°. Basically I loosened the bolt for the distributor clamp and twisted it till it was in spec but once you tighten the bolt back up it goes back to 20°

 

Correct. The timing is not adjustable. You're just messing up the injector firing time. You need to get that back where it belongs.

http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/dist_index.html

 

Do I need to remove the valve cover?

 

No. Just make sure you're on #1 compression stroke:


Setting Your 4.0 at #1 TDC

With #1 spark plug removed, turn the engine over clockwise using the 3/4" front crankshaft bolt. You will see the degree marks on your front cover. Mark the 0 with chalk or white-out.You will see the timing mark on the balancer. Mark it with chalk or white-out. While turning the engine over, put your finger/thumb over #1 spark plug hole. As the mark on the balancer approaches the marks on the front cover, if you are coming up on #1 TDC, pressure in the cylinder will push on your finger. If there's no pressure, you're at #6 TDC and need to crank the engine over until you see the marks coming together and you get pressure. Set the mark on the balancer to the 0 mark on the front cover.

 

I just bought a 96 Cherokee 4.0 litre 5 speed, clean mint condition frame and underneath was well taken care of. I recently replaced the clutch. "what a b****". now I am noticing a lower end knock, faint knock, really gotta listen to it. also I have realized that my oil pressure is 40psi at idle and goes up to 80psi between 1500-3000 rpms. the rear main seal as leaking (so I thought) then I found ...the torque specs for the oil pan and torwued them to the correct torques. this stopped my "rear main seal" leak or what I thought it was. im not driving this jeep until I get the oil pressure problem fixed...oil pressure sending unit? oil pump? too much oil?

lower end noise...spun bearing? piston slap? too much oil. yes I drained the oil out for houuuurs, and then adeded 6 quarts.

all the Cherokees I looked at with the 4.0 had this lower end knock I thought it was normal? should I be concerned? the knock doesn't get louder with reving the engine, it actually seems to go away but then again its hard to tell/hear if it really does.

I spent months looking for 4.0 litre Cherokee with the 5 speed ax15. I love it! but im not trying to throw a rod through the block or completely screw myself by bloing the engine....any regards? any comments? im in need of some help, not a lousy shop asking me for 2 grand to fix something that may not be broken! thanks a lot!

ive searched, I know I know the oil pressure sending units go bad a lot, I plan to replace it this weekend, but along side that what else would be a smart fix during this OPSU install?

and yes I know theres tons of these 4.0 litres that make this infamous "lower end knock" sound. but through all the hours and threads and posts ive been through I cant seem to pin point an exact answer to my "knock" question....any help would be great!

 

Mine doesn't make a knocking sound, man... I have a pulley squeak (will fix it when I have a place to), but that's it. Then again, I only have 115K miles on mine. I'd say maybe you have a loose torque converter, but you have a manual.

Anyway, OPSU sounds like a good place to start for your oil problem.

 

Does it get quieter as the engine warms up?

What temp does your Jeep run at when fully warmed?

Oughta invest in one of these anyway:

http://www.harborfreight.com/mechani...ope-69913.html

 

How is the new HF that just opened up there? My wife's boss at HF transferred to be the manager at the new one.

 

i

It's not bad. That's what I have, but I definitely and looking forward to re gearing