SpruceJedi

So here is the deal. I started up my jeep a couple years ago and it was making an odd chattering noise. I shut it down checked all the fluids, etc... All looked good. Started it back up, still there. Drove it home about 6 miles, shut it down. Started digging into it. I pulled the oil pan after a few hours and found pieces of a piston skirt laying in the bottom. So. Needless to say I had to do something fairly drastic. I bought a junk yard motor to get me back on the road. It was cheap, it ran. However I am losing oil pressure, probably worn bearings somewhere. Anyway I have the old motor and I was considering going through it and getting it all rebuilt. I was just curious if anyone had an overhaul kit that they were real happy with or one that they were unhappy with. Just looking for guidance from experience. Thanks!

t-dog

Had same problem with mine. Check your cylinder wall if it isn't scored you may be able to just change the bad piston. Did mine 2 years ago cost about 85$ for one new piston & rings.

Desertboy

You need to tear down the block first. You need to see how badly the block and parts are worn/damaged. So besides your damaged piston you might want to send he block out to get bored and cleaned up. If your going to spend money rebuilding it do it the right way he first time. I can't tell you how many times I get people in the shop trying to do a minimal fix and bring it back later for something stupid like lost compression in a cyclinder because they didn't put new rings in it when we had it apart. WHATEVER You do DO NOT get a kit off eBay get a name brand kit that has reviews and what not. I would also recommend getting the head checked and adjusted and both the head and block resurfaced.

Oxen__

im into a rebuild of my 4l its only got a 180k on it :/ i'm interested to see what info gets put into this thread as i am not a American car guy. its a whole new ball of wax searching up good parts. ware to get them names to look for. mixtures for raising the cr and all that.

rock auto has master kits, along with all the other sites it seems.

x2 on you get what you pay for, band aids are not a long term solution

Desertboy

When it comes to the actual rebuild kit it all depends on what your looking to do. Are you looking to stroke it? Or just do a basic rebuild? Rock auto does have good oem parts. but from my shop and at home experience do not use autozone gaskets nor cork. Get OEM gaskets. They will last and stand up to whatever you throw at them. I live in the desert where the sand and constant hot cold changes throw havac at everything. I personally can speak for the RPM Machine kits they have never came back to they shop for anything and my jeep has never had any problems sense.

SpruceJedi

I have done several engine rebuilds in the past and I am pretty cautious about how I go about it. I plan on taking the block in to have it cleaned and conditioned and possibly sleeved or bored oversize if necessary. I was just curious about what kits had been used with success.

Desertboy

We have built a few here argue shop in just these past cpl months and the only two companys we have used is the oem and rpm machine. So those are the only two I can speak for but they haven't had any issues. And with past builds ie 2+ years ago they are still running with no issues.

cmartin2112

I went with a master kit from titanengines.com they come with alot of brand name parts and a good price! I have yet to finish my rebuild so I cant give you a full review on how my motor is doing. But I can tell you that they have excellent customer service (ordered wrong size pistons and had to exchange) they helped me out all the way as well as getting the correct parts to me fast.
Just some advice, If you do go with a full rebuild make sure you take the block to the machine shop and let them clean it up and inspect it before you purchase your kit.

kiidsiko

i just developed a knock on my 96 cherokee. pretty sure its a piston rod but im nt trying to put out to much money. with that said is this a good rebuild kit? https://www.rockauto.com/catalog/x,c...h%2Bfor%2BJEEP

SpruceJedi

If it knocks while revving it up its typically a rod bearing. If it knocks after you let off its usually a main bearing. Just a quick trouble shooting tip before you tear into it.

The rpm machine kit I used was flawless. No complaints or issues at all with it. Highly recommended.

cmartin2112

Considering buying from those guys when I stroke my 351W!

kiidsiko

It knoocks constantly, when i rev it it only gets louder. right now i have the head off and too all the lifters out. everything looks good so far witch is making me lean towards the connecting rods. only thing i can do is pull the block and check it out. wish me luck!

t-dog

Mine did the same thing, ended up being a broken piston skirt.I installed a new piston and have put about 30,000 miles on it with no problems

kiidsiko

Yea some people were telling me that too. im gonna be pulling the block later today or tomorrow. so i will let y ou guys know how it works out for me.

Kevin108

+1 on the customer service at Titan Engines. That's where I ordered my replacement 0331 head. When they shipped it, they didn't send the new head bolts with it. I didn't worry about it as the FSM says you can reused the original bolts once. Around 8 months later, I found myself swapping the new head onto a used block because my original engine had lousy oil pressure and the cam had eaten the oil pump driveshaft/cam position synchronizer. I called them up and they overnighted me my bolts.