10hayesp

I'm installing a new crate motor in my 98 xj. Wondering what things I should buy to prepare. Such as gaskets or small things I might not think of. Or just advice lol. Thanks for any help

Programbo

Hello. I guess it depends on how complete the motor is you bought. Is the old motor still in your XJ? If so I would make sure to label everything. That`s a lot of plugs, wires, tubes etc. Something that you think might be easy to remember where it goes suddenly gets confusing when you have 12 plugs and wires hanging there. And there are a lot of plugs on an XJ that don't go anywhere you might not even notice. I'd try removing the old motor with as much still attached as possible so you can see it's location and move it to the new one. That's all I could think of at 4:10AM

mdnov

Take lots of pictures and label all wires, hoses, and what ever else you can think of. I use a good quality masking tape to fold over the hoses, lines, and electrical wires and write on the tape with a sharpie marker. Zip lock baggies are also useful so you do not loose smaller items. Where are you getting the crate motor from? I totally agree with Programbo- It depends on how complete the crate motor is.

10hayesp

My plan is to pull the intake off and leave everything that way it doesn't get super confusing. The new motor is a long block so I need to install intake and exhaust manifolds, valve cover, oil pan.

mdnov

You might also want to check your exhaust manifold for cracks while you are at it. They are prone to cracking. It is easier to replace it now if need be. A new oil pump and pick-up may be needed as well. I'm not too sure if all long blocks come with them.

Bustedback

Replace all of the coolant hoses and clamps along with a NEW water pump and t-stat.

mike mike

I tag both ends, the plug/hose and where it came from. Then while both motors are out move all the sensors/fittings to the new motor along with the tags. I also think it's easier to pull the intake and header out before engine removal and install them on the new motor before dropping it in.

10hayesp

I ordered a flowdaddy header from rustys.

zone zero

I did one, last week, this is what I can recomend, get zip lock bags lots of them. anti-seeze breakfree, break cleaner, all new fluids , a new radator, water pump and thermostat, upper and lower hoses, if you have a coil pack , turn the old engine to top dead center before removing the cam posisioning sensor.(mark the location with paint) you will need at least 2 specal tools one for the fuel rail and for the trans coolent lines. and another socket for the bolts on top of the bell housing there almost imposable to get to. I used a 4 ft extention with a swivle head and the socket looks like a torx head.
a new belt and plugs are a good idea. I have pics I can post but dont know how.
also pick up a complete overhall gasket kit. after all the work you will have dont cheap out on the little things they will bight you in the ***.
hit me up any time with questions, Ill be another one this comeing week in a 2001 cherokee.

10hayesp

Yeah the motor I got has a complete gasket kit. My rad and water pump are new on the old motor so ill probly just reuse those. Hopefully I won't have to.much trouble with the bell houseing... Thanks for all the help. Illet you guys know how it goes.

macgyver35

I put one in my '98 last fall. Got it from ATK.

Everyone is correct on ziplock bags and sharpies. ESSENTIAL!
Lots of pictures.
I used sheets of cardboard and pushed the bolts through it for the valve cover gasket, oil pan, and timing chain cover in the same pattern and order that they came out in. Made reassembly MUCH faster and easier. Just pick one of them as your starting point and recreate the positioning that they are in the engine on the cardboard.

A Dremel and some cut-off wheels (or a sawzall) came in handy when I had to cut my exhaust flange bolts. No amount of PB Blaster and torque was making a difference.
The E-12 bolts at the top of the bellhousing are a booger. After two fruitless hours trying to use extensions, wobbles, as well as an impact wrench, I removed my center console and shift lever so that I could remove the trans tunnel plate and get a better angle on them. They came right out once I did that. That was also the easiest way for me to replace my crankshaft position sensor. Other s may say it's not necessary, but I chose to replace mine during the swap. If you choose to do the same, use only original Mopar for the CPS unit.

I'd replace both motor mounts while you're at it.
Be sure to clean out all the passages of the oil filter adapter when you swap it over. They are known to build up sludge in the passages over time that can suddenly break loose with the new engine's pressures, and that sludge can gunk up the adapter passages and opening of your oil pressure sending unit and cause inaccurate readings. I learned this the hard way.
Be very careful when you go to install the oil pump. There is a slight "step" on the machined mating surface where the pump bolts up. Getting one corner of the pump sitting up on this bump will cause HUGE oil pressure problems. Make sure you oil gallery plugs are installed. They've been known to get missed during the rebuild process. There is one at the front of the block behind the camshaft gear, and another at the rear of the block. They're about 7/8" diameter or so and look like freeze plugs.

It's your call, but I found it much easier to do the swap, and it was easier on my back, by removing the front grill and header panel.

Most importantly, document EVERYTHING. That motor will have a warranty. But if you ever have an issue, some rebuilders will give you a hard time if you did this in your garage instead of having a certified shop install it. Take pictures of everything. Keep copies of the receipts for all of the parts you buy, down to the silicone gasket maker. I used my cell phone to video the initial start-up, being sure to show the gauges during the first 60 seconds (especially oil pressure and RPM), mileage, and my watch to help document the time spans. They usually recommend a 20 minute burn-in at around 2000 RPMs. I filmed the first 3 or 4 minutes, showing that I started the motor at 6 PM straight up. Then came back in at around 10 minutes and had video of the engine running, the gauges again showing everything was okay, and my watch. Finally, I had video of the last 3 minutes, again showing everything (especially oil pressure and temp), and including the shutdown at 6:20. If I ever have an issue during the new motor's 3 year unlimited mileage warranty period, I'll have documentation to support that it was done properly, and that there was nothing during the initial burn-in that would have caused issues down the road. If you can shoot the full 20 in one video that's even better. I didn't have enough memory on my phone to do that so I had to offload between shoots.

By the way, I used a foot long black zip tie to hold the engine at 2000 RPM. I just wrapped it around the throttle and its bracket and slowly tightened it a click at a time till I got to 2000. It helps to have a helper for this, and to wait until after the first 3 or 4 minutes to do this, as the engine will pick up speed at the same throttle position after it gets going and starts to warm up.

Every rebuilt engine I've ever seen, if they didn't come with them, recommends a new oil pump and pickup tube. Buy them. Period. And keep the receipts for them. Putting the pickup tube in the freezer for 30 minutes, and warming the pump in a 150 degree oven will make assembling those two items much easier. Make sure that pickup tube is seated all the way. Change you oil and filter after the first 50 miles, and again at the first 500 miles. Use Mopar, Wix, or Napa Gold filters. Keep the receipts and write the mileage on them. Start a maintenance log and continue to use it at least during the warranty period, if nothing else.

Finally, get to know www.rockauto.com if you haven't already. It's a treasure trove of savings. Engine mounts for $6 each, radiators for $85, water pumps for $35. I bought a ton of stuff from them to refresh things while I was doing my swap, and after comparing prices at O'Reilly and Vatozone, I saved about 60% by using Rock Auto.

Hope some of this helps you, and good luck!

sthon

As stated label as much as you can. I used different colored zip ties as tape and sharpie can wear off or get torn off. Was pretty simple, I had a color coded system for the intake, fuel injectors, vacuum hoses, and electrical. I used 2 zip ties on each end and only used the same color pattern once per type of connection (intake, fuel injectors, vacuum hoses, and electrical). Took me all over 5 minutes to sort the zip ties.

I found it was easier to pull the engine with the intake and exhaust manifolds attached, once out I put it on a stand next to the new engine and started swapping parts over.