Dying engine... Options?

[Chris_North]

Yes junkyard, not YJ, JK, BJ or any of the other jeeps, haha.

The yard I'm getting them from says they check things out before they sell them, and the parts themselves are guaranteed for 60 or 90 days (forget which). But you guys are right, it wouldn't hurt to check myself and even if parts are replaced for free I'm still stuck replacing them. I'm not going to have them rebuilt. I'm not even sure that when I pull the heads I won't see something wrong with rings or excessive cylinder wear, but unless it's really bad I'm just going to slap the new heads on and hope for the best.

Love it.

Heh, I'm only kidding. People (especially at work) have a habit of telling me vital things after I finish what I was working on. My favorite so far was "I told you about that! Wait, maybe that was the other guy..."


So I'll need head gaskets, bolts, and exhaust bolts. Anything else I forgot?

 

[Mark_88]

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

DoH~

I must have been affected by the heat...

Yes junkyard, not YJ, JK, BJ or any of the other jeeps, haha.

The yard I'm getting them from says they check things out before they sell them, and the parts themselves are guaranteed for 60 or 90 days (forget which). But you guys are right, it wouldn't hurt to check myself and even if parts are replaced for free I'm still stuck replacing them. I'm not going to have them rebuilt. I'm not even sure that when I pull the heads I won't see something wrong with rings or excessive cylinder wear, but unless it's really bad I'm just going to slap the new heads on and hope for the best.



Heh, I'm only kidding. People (especially at work) have a habit of telling me vital things after I finish what I was working on. My favorite so far was "I told you about that! Wait, maybe that was the other guy..."


So I'll need head gaskets, bolts, and exhaust bolts. Anything else I forgot?

VC gaskets might help and a bottle of your favourite brew or two...mosquito repellant, and some BBQ sauce...

 

[PanamaExpat]

So I'll need head gaskets, bolts, and exhaust bolts. Anything else I forgot?

Boatload of patience... Possibly an acetylene torch kit to help free up frozen and rusted bolts... Maybe some easy outs for those bolts you shear off... Take picures of where everything goes so you get it all back on in the same place... The pictures part is very important.

As for the bottle of favorite brew or two... Make that a case or three.

Dictionary of seldom used curse words will be useful and a good torque wrench.

 

[hank857]

I got my gasket kit from autozone, had just about everything you will need not real expensive. They are felpro's. Dont forget you will need new head bolts as these are TT bolts 1 time use only, again autozone for about $20 or so.

its pretty easy if OHV (forget y/m you got). Might want to have the injectors checked while out, dont forget new O rings for them! I had my injectors cleaned and flow checked at about 150000, replaced them at 300000. Put a new water pump, and T-stat in with all the belts hoses while its apart. Makes no sense to tear all apart and then not do the little things while at it. If heads are good all the above can be done in a day to day and a half. Need help just yell either here or PM whoever ya think can help ya. Have fun.

 

[stumpcatcher]

Get a good used head so no more bad valve.
Change oil and put in "Enviro Save" then it will run like new for a very long time.

 

[Chris_North]

Sorry I've been away from my computer, enjoying my days off

As far as tools I think should be very well off, fortunately. I even have access to an ACed garage! It is however cramped and poorly lit, but you can't have everything.

I was going to buy from rock auto, but shipping kills off any savings over the local Advance Auto. Both offer a full head gasket kit for a lot less than all the gaskets that might be needed separately. I am having a hard time finding the exhaust manifold bolts. Are they studs with nuts or actual bolts? Would I be able to just (hopefully) pull one full one out and match it up with a stainless steel hardware store bolt instead?

 

[PanamaExpat]

I just replaced mine with long bolts. I think I bought grade 8 for the job. Can't remember if I used 8 or 10 mm. I did have problems getting the old ones out so I just bored them and nutted them from the back. Seems to work fine as I have no leaks.

 

[Chris_North]

Woo hoo! I did it. About 15 hours total, 3 of them after bed time and probably also 2 or 3 of them for eating and other bodily functions, as well as part runs. This includes replacing valve guide seals and polishing valve seats. Biggest problem I ran into was that I bought head bolts for the pre-99 Vulcan as my ranger was made in '97. However I hadn't considered that the new engine might be from a newer ranger. Small speedbump. I'm not able to return them because they were opened, so I might sell them cheap. Unbelievably all but two bolts came out easy, both on the driver side exhaust manifold. One snapped and one head began to round off, but nothing major. The coolant hose clamps were more of a PITA really.

Best of all everything works! I replaced the AC compressor with a salvage one and now I have AC too! The MIL came on again, but it threw codes that I got before the swap and when I went to clear it my PC said something about the information maybe inaccurate. Hopefully it's just recalling old codes. The engine runs a lot smoother, and I have a lot more power and speed. I hit 70MPH on the highway without effort! I still have some drivetrain issues somewhere, but I'll work on that later. I think this was definitely the way to go. Despite only taking 4 nights after work to complete, it was a major PITA depending on people for rides. I couldn't do that for weeks at a clip.

The rings were in great shape too. The cylinders that blew low had bad valves too. Some coolant from the heads leaked into the cylinder when I pulled the head off, and (luckily) nothing leaked past the rings. I was pleasantly surprised. The throttle body/intake manifold had a lot of carbon buildup and unfortunately I was not able to get all of it off before replacing everything. Two cans of cleaning made a big difference though.

Thanks for your help guys (and girls?)! I feel like I have a new truck, all for a few nights of work and about as much money spent on what is for most people a car payment.

 

[PanamaExpat]

Glad to hear you got it rolling again. I didn't think you were going to have a lower end problem. I don't see many modern engines with the problems of ring and cylinder wear like we had on engines from the 50s through the 70s. Don't hot rod the hell out of it now... Give here a few days to get all settled in.

What engine is that set of head bolts supposed to fit?

 

[modelageek]

I have been researching this issue. I have a misfire on my 3.0.

FYI: Duffyusa will sell 2 new heads, gaskets and bolts delivered for $425.

 

[Mark_88]

Congratulations...but definitely take it easy...treat it like a new motor for the first bit...including changing the oil after a short run...I know this applies more to freshly machined engines but it doesn't hurt to be a bit safe...never know what gets into the oil while working on something...especially having the heads off for a few days...

Job well done...sounds like...

 

[Chris_North]

Thanks guys. Except for the last long haul where I was up until almost 2 am standing on the engine bay mumbling to myself in lunacy it wasn't that bad and actually almost fun. Changed the oil yesterday as well as the coolant. I figured the oil was a good idea. The heads were cleaned up real nice, but of course despite the forecast the day I brought them home it started to rain and so the heads got wet and started to get a little surface rust. I wasn't real keen on power washing the engine beforehand either so despite my carefulness I'm sure some dirt got in. The coolant was because I completely forgot about having to drain the rad and didn't have any anti-freeze so I had to fill it with water. No danger of it freezing for a while (90F+ high every day), but if I didn't do it now I would most likely forget.

An unexpected loss was that at the beginning I dropped my craftsman thin profile 1/4 drive ratchet (Like $30!) and 7mm socket in the front of the engine bay someplace, and I haven't seen it since. Must have been a small portal to the abyss that opened up or something...

What engine is that set of head bolts supposed to fit?

The ones I have? They're supposed to be for engines made before 07/14/98. From the article in the technical section I gather Ford changed the length for more strength after that date. Not sure if the block is different to accommodate (it would have to be I would think) but the heads are definitely the same.

I have been researching this issue. I have a misfire on my 3.0.

FYI: Duffyusa will sell 2 new heads, gaskets and bolts delivered for $425.

It cost me $90 for the gaskets, $170 for the (junkyard) heads, and $42 for the bolts. That's $302 without taxes and driving around to pick them up myself. As long as those are remanufactured heads that sounds like a pretty good deal.

I'm wishing now I had spent the extra dough and got the heads machined and either ported them myself or had them ported. But I was worried about wasting money on problems that would just cost more and more. At the time it seemed right, it still sorta does.

 

[modelageek]

Thanks guys. Except for the last long haul where I was up until almost 2 am standing on the engine bay mumbling to myself in lunacy it wasn't that bad and actually almost fun. Changed the oil yesterday as well as the coolant. I figured the oil was a good idea. The heads were cleaned up real nice, but of course despite the forecast the day I brought them home it started to rain and so the heads got wet and started to get a little surface rust. I wasn't real keen on power washing the engine beforehand either so despite my carefulness I'm sure some dirt got in. The coolant was because I completely forgot about having to drain the rad and didn't have any anti-freeze so I had to fill it with water. No danger of it freezing for a while (90F+ high every day), but if I didn't do it now I would most likely forget.

An unexpected loss was that at the beginning I dropped my craftsman thin profile 1/4 drive ratchet (Like $30!) and 7mm socket in the front of the engine bay someplace, and I haven't seen it since. Must have been a small portal to the abyss that opened up or something...




The ones I have? I forget the exact date, but pre-August or October 1997 and earlier Vulcans. From the article in the technical section I gather Ford changed the length for more strength after that date. Not sure if the block is different to accommodate (it would have to be I would think) but the heads are definitely the same. I'll look it up in a while.

definitely good Job!!!....no easy task!!!...........