distributer does not rotate

[pun]

when driving home from work my truck just stoped, started trouble shooting things and figured i was not getting spark. Took ignition module and coil to get checked both came out good, just my luck. Guy at auto store said might be pick up coil, started to take it of when a passer by stoped, retired mechanic how sweet that was. stated trouble shooting things for himself, and relized the rotor was not spining, took out dirtributer to check the gear on dist, and it was still there. than checked something else and said that it was an internal problem, and that it was gonna be major work. what should i do re-build, put new engine, or just count my lose and put a bullet in it. And what kind of money am I looking at spending?

 

[Tedybear]

So basically...

With the cap off, and trying to turn over the engine the rotor just sits there and smiles at ya?

If so? (and I hate to say it) Could be several things:

Broken timing chain/gear.
Broken camshaft
Broken camshaft gear

The only way to verify this the easy way? Would be to have a helper crank the engine over...and look down the disty hole with a flash light and see if the matching gear on the end of the cam is rotating. If not? It's time to start tearing into it a bit to find out what's up. One way would be to remove a valve cover and look at the valve action for #6..should be the rear most set of valves...crank it a few times and see if the push rods do their thing. If so?

Could be the gear broke away from the camshaft--now I'm NOT!! sure if these cams use a roll pin or the like to secure the gear to the shaft--however if so--and the rear most valves function? Most likely that'll be the issue...and sense there's no real way to repair it in the truck? It'll take a bit of work to tear into it and replace probably the camshaft.

S-

 

[pun]

i checked it and the gear does not move, is it worth fixing or do i swap it with a new motor. it the orginal engine and it has close to 300k miles on it. what sould i do?

 

[Psychopete]

i checked it and the gear does not move, is it worth fixing or do i swap it with a new motor. it the orginal engine and it has close to 300k miles on it. what sould i do?

Pull the timing cover and see wtf is going on... No distributor movement = no oil pump movement... I don't think you'd be able to get a cam out/in there with out either removing the core support or pulling the motor out. The cam bearings are one of the hardest to install, too... Really, the only hard part about taking the engine out is the rusty exhaust stuff.

What you should do, don't know, don't know what your experience is or how much you have to spend. Cheapest would probably be to try and repair what you have, but how long will to go? Cheap, easy, but maybe not reliable would be to put in a j/y motor. Easy, reliable, but not cheap would be a new long block. The best option would probably be an engine swap and get rid of that 2.9L and replace it with a 4.0L, but probably ending up not being the cheapest.

Pete

 

[AllanD]

It's most likely the timing chain

replacing the timing chain on a 300K mile motor?

That'd be kinda silly.

BTW, removing the cam on a 2.9 in the chassis? prepair yourself for misery,
the cam will not come out with the lifters in place, the lifters will not come
out with the heads on the block...

at what point do you say "enough is enough"?

It's either time for another 2.9 engine or it's time for that 4.0 swap you
wanted to do anyway.... or it's time for a newer truck.

doing a timing chain on your 300k 2.9?

that's kinda like digging up my dead grandmother to
give her a boob job as a mother's day gift.

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[Tedybear]

Sidebar question: Why wouldn't the lifters come out with the heads still on the block? Seems all it would take is removing the rocker shaft and push rods. Granted the intake would have to come off.

S-

 

[cckc135r]

Tedybear,

The lifters won't come out due to the heads sitting too low and not having enough room lift them out without hitting the heads. Deck height is too short for that. Do a google search for a 2.9 block and have a look and you will see why this won't work out. It's a real pain and like AlanD said the cam is also very hard to remove while in the truck.

 

[Ozwynn]

yep, time for a 4.0L swap......... plenty of junk gen 1 explorers on craigslist.

 

[AllanD]

Either that or look for a bronco2 with "road rash" on the roof
as an engine donor for another 2.9.

Frankly since the last vehicle with a 2.9 rolled out of either
Twin Cities or St.Louis at the end of the 1992 model run....

and even so by 1992 60-odd% of the 4x4's
were being built with 4.0's....

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[pun]

what all do i need for a 4.0 swap