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I agree about expenses in California only reason it was affordable for my family was military being stationed in Seal Beach. I would never chose to live there for cost of living reasons and homes are too damn expensive when you don't get any property. I prefer land with my house. The fab shops and getting parts is super easy there though. I don't know how many times I would order something and have it like that same day few hours later
Okay rant over back to your original post. I like what your doing and following to see your end goal with the silver XJ.
So I got a question my Jeep XJ is a 1989 and it has oil adapter leak on it. So I took a look is is normal for those years to have filters inverted as in upwards vice hanging low or to the side like yours? I already have the gaskset it so I will be replacing that but in your experience of the XJ's you owned I was curious. I noticed yours is to the side facing firewall on your engine block not like mine it is upwards facing hood. Also lucky for me I noticed mine does not have the allen nut to remove adapter it has a bolt head on the end so to make things easier I guess when removing.
Yours should have a different adapter then mine. Not sure what the exact year was when they switched over to my style. They all work the same, just in a different way. I believe the Renix used a smaller oil filter too but I know you can also convert that over to a bigger filter. Maybe one of the Renix genius's can step in here to verify. Its been at least 15 years since I have worked on or owned a Renix Jeep haha.
Well guys, had some unexpected discoveries inside the engine. Nothing too bad. First off, the main bearings looked good. Almost like new. But they were .001" oversized. I didnt measure the crank or rod but I assume its not good. So I am just going to turn the crank and know everything will be good. I finally measured the piston bores too. Stock size but out of round with some rust pockets. So that is going .030" over with new pistons. Next up was the timing chain, yep super loose. Add that to the list. So now that the engine is all the way tore down, I can finish ordering parts. Here is my list so far.
- Clevite rod and main bearings
- Speed pro pistons
- Hasting rings
- Elgin lifters
- Timing chain
- Head bolts
- Few gaskets
- Bore block
- Turn crank
- Balance rotating assembly
- New head
- Build it!
Parts are finally showing up for the rebuild! Pistons, rings and bearings are all here. Tomorrow I will drop off the block to get bored and the rotating assembly to get balanced. By the time I get it all back from the machine shop, I should have enough parts to build the short block. Still need a head and unsure on what route I am going to go with it.
Got the Jeep all loaded up last night. Dropped it all off this morning. Man it rides nice with the extra weight in the back! When I pulled the block out, I set it down upside down and a ton of rust dust came out. Good thing the block is getting a deep cleaning. Now time to wait.
For those that don't know unless mine was just built ****ty behind that rear trim on both sides where spare tire goes and that indented area is not properly sealed which allows dirt and mud to get in or under carpet. After fully inspecting mine and removing trim to do my trunk area break down I discovered major gaps in body panels. To my eye it all appeared factory and nothing rotted away. So those who have not checked you should you might be surprised like me.
Remove your torque converter! It's sitting there unsupported, stressing the trans pump and stretching the front seal.
Feel very closely the different positions you progress through when turning the torque converter and pulling it off the pump. There are 2. Then make sure when you put the converter back on, you feel for those 2 different positions. I fought for days on my wife's stroker trying to figure out why the block wouldn't mate up all the way to the trans bellhousing...I hadn't pushed the torque converted in far enough.
Remove your torque converter! It's sitting there unsupported, stressing the trans pump and stretching the front seal.
Feel very closely the different positions you progress through when turning the torque converter and pulling it off the pump. There are 2. Then make sure when you put the converter back on, you feel for those 2 different positions. I fought for days on my wife's stroker trying to figure out why the block wouldn't mate up all the way to the trans bellhousing...I hadn't pushed the torque converted in far enough.
Thanks for the advise. Honestly, I never pull the converter out haha. I have done the same thing on other trans that sat for a year+ and had no issues. And if this one does have any issues, gives me a reason to convert to 4wd! And ya I know what you mean about the 2 position thing. I cant tell you the number of phone calls I get at work with people having an issue of the engine and trans not mating up. And then you get the real bad ones where they crack the trans bell housing cause they try to suck it together with bolts.
Well when mine ends up leaking, you can come back and tell me "I told you so!" haha. I will take my chances on this one but that is solid advice you are giving out and I completely agree.
Just got off the phone with the machine shop. Block is bored, pistons hung on rods and everything is balanced. Head has been verified to be cracked, as expected. He also told me that all the valves and guides were wasted. So I got him building me up another head and there is a good chance I will get it all back tomorrow. If so, I will get started on building it this weekend.
12-20-2017, 09:00 PM
