Dying engine... Options?

[adsm08]

What you really want to do before tear down is a wet/dry test.

You test each cylinder and write down the reading. Then put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder and do it again. If the number comes up significantly then you know there is a ring issue. If it stays about the same your issue is mostly in the valves and you know that putting on a new head, or getting a valve job is not wasted effort/money because the bottom end is still sealing.

130 is good, 90 is minimum, any cylinder showing more than a 10% drop from the others is a problem because it will cause a noticeable miss.

 

[Andy D]

Yah, what Adsmo8 said . Stop thinking about engine swaps. If you want cheap, fix what you have. I dont know the particulars about swapping in a 3.0 long block from a Taurus, that would be plan B.

 

[adsm08]

The Taurus has different head gaskets for different water flow through the block. A transverse mounted engine needs a different water flow pattern to keep the engine cool because of the difference in air-flow through the engine bay and around the engine.

The Taurus engine will go in and work, but if you don't put Ranger head gaskets in it first you will over heat the engine.

 

[Chris_North]

What you really want to do before tear down is a wet/dry test.

You test each cylinder and write down the reading. Then put a teaspoon of oil in each cylinder and do it again. If the number comes up significantly then you know there is a ring issue. If it stays about the same your issue is mostly in the valves and you know that putting on a new head, or getting a valve job is not wasted effort/money because the bottom end is still sealing.

130 is good, 90 is minimum, any cylinder showing more than a 10% drop from the others is a problem because it will cause a noticeable miss.

I was planning on doing the teaspoon of oil thing for cylinders with low compression, but now that you pointed it out I will probably do it for all to be thorough.

From googling I get different ways to check, I'm not sure what is best. Should I do it while the engine is hot or it doesn't matter? Is it necessary or just good practice to pull the fuel system fuses?



I'm thinking now especially from all the points brought up that if everything checks out fixing the heads is the right way to go. If I have something else I think I may say the hell with it and try the V8. I just really don't want to be without a vehicle for that long. I don't know if I want to put in the effort necessary for just another 3.0l engine, and for putting in a 4.0 (if I can find one with the necessary parts) I might as well put in the extra work and money for an 8.

Thanks guys.

 

[adsm08]

Hot engine is best, but you can get a good enough idea of what is happening on a cold engine.

It is necessary to disable to fuel system, but don't do it by pulling the fuse. Unplug the injectors or the crank sensor.

Blowing fuel into the cylinder will give you incorrect readings and isn't good for your compression gauge.

 

[Chris_North]

Okay, checked all of them but #3 as I was told it blew 0 when my mech checked it. Probably should have checked it anyway but oh well.

#1 145 dry 165 wet
#2 145 dry 160 wet
#4 90 dry 125 wet
#5 150 dry 160 wet
#6 110 dry 127 wet

So is this good or bad? I see they all went up about 25PSI with the bit of oil added, not sure if that is good or bad? #4 is a little worrying, especially given how far it went up with the shot of oil.

Edit: Forgot to ask, would it make sense to swap heads from a JY engine? I've heard it done before, not sure it is a good idea though.

 

[hank857]

recheck the numbers, 4 & 6 are well below the 10-15% variation allowed. Could be a bad gasket, or.... But now you know there may be issues besides a burned valve! Only way to tell is pull the heads. When you did the test did you hold the throttle full open? That may also make a reading difference.

 

[70roadrunner]

you mentioned that you haul/tow with this truck. and also mentioned fuel economy. that leads me to think the 4.0 swap would best suit your needs. that's my 2 cents

 

[Chris_North]

recheck the numbers, 4 & 6 are well below the 10-15% variation allowed. Could be a bad gasket, or.... But now you know there may be issues besides a burned valve! Only way to tell is pull the heads. When you did the test did you hold the throttle full open? That may also make a reading difference.

I rechecked those two twice, going so far as to pull the gauge out and rethread it in to make sure it was in right. Same thing. Like you said if I'm going to go down this road the only way to know for sure is to bite the bullet and pull the heads to see inside. Only problem with that is if there is a problem, now I have to find out another option quick. Guess that's not too big of an issue overall though.

I thought holding the throttle would just be for carbeurated engines, so the butterfly valves wouldn't limit air being sucked into the cylinder?

you mentioned that you haul/tow with this truck. and also mentioned fuel economy. that leads me to think the 4.0 swap would best suit your needs. that's my 2 cents

I've been thinking for the amount of work/parts swapping involved I might as well just put in a bit more and go with the 5.0.


I also drove the mountaineer yesterday. I didn't get in very much time with it, but it didn't seem to have the ridiculous amount of snot to it I was expecting. Don't get me wrong, definitely a lot better than my 4 1/2 cylinder ranger, but still not the epic experience I was hoping. I'm tempted to just buy it and drive it around, figure out something for my ranger later. But I really like my pickup. Then again maybe I could drive my brother's old deathbox Wrangler around while I do the V8 swap...


I still haven't a clue what I want to do.

 

[Chris_North]

Did a bit more research, made some calls, and thought about it a bit more. I think I'm going to swap the heads with JY ones and (hopefully) be done with it, at least for a while. All things considered, for about $300 and maybe 8-10 hours of work, I could be much better off for a very long time. If something else important gives out like bottom engine parts or the trans then I think I'll try the V8 mod and deal with what I have to for however long it takes.

If anyone has something to point out that maybe I missed speak now or forever shut the freak up, because I'm going to get the parts tomorrow.

 

[adsm08]

speak now or forever shut the freak up

Love it.

 

[PanamaExpat]

JY heads sound like a good idea... Just make sure you give them a serious inspection or have a machine shop guy look them over before you put them on. I would hate to hear you had to rip it down twice.

 

[Mark_88]

Ah, OK...I have to ask...does JY stand for Junkyard or Jeep JY? I've had JY heads rebuilt that worked great...as long as they test them first for cracks...and I've heard of people swapping Volvo heads onto a 2.3...but I just wanted to make sure I understood the thread before allowing this to go on (in my mind)...

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

JY jeep...? It's a YJ, so nope.

 

[hank857]

Ok dont know if you are going to just put them on or have them rebuilt? If just a swap take the time to ensure the valves are seating. Fill the ports with a cleaner of some sort,like gunk and watch to see if it leaks past the seated valve/s. If not should be ok, take a rafting square and check for true. Check either here in tech section or look it up in manual and check to see if in spec for use. We used the cleaner from a parts bin to check the cylinder heads of the UAV we serviced for the army some years back, used to have issues with valve seats and this was one of the periodic inspection steps used. if a straight swap make sure you clean all ports and passages with a good cleaner, same for the block surfaces.