Sand/Mud Vs Oil

**projblacknblue** · Subject: Sand/Mud Vs Oil Wed Oct 15, 2008 10:03 pm

Posted here so I can keep this board up to date too...

in a holding pattern for engine parts... so I just started detailing the engine compartment a little cleaner...

The breathers (2 rubber stoppers) on the valve cover had cracks...

So I cleaned them and popped them to peek inside.

Gritty oil inside the valve cover... looks like some of the sand somehow got into it...

So... if that is the root cause... it would explain the oil pressure (clogging), the bearing failure and squeals (like a rock in the caliper/rotor) and a slew of other things...

At this point I am back to thinking engine stand, tear it down to thoroughly clean and flush everything out...

Compression is good (once I did the test correctly)... so I still think it has hope of living once again.

**Rockn93YJ** · Number of posts: 199 Age: 42 Registration date: 2007-09-18

good news then. Too early in the engine life to call it fun though. I did the same thing when I had 85k miles on the jeep. Ran fast through the mud and it shut off on me. wouldn't start for awhile and eventually I did force it to start. ran rough as hell and a week later when I pulled out into the highway I had traffic come up behind me fast so I stepped on the gas and immediately blew up the motor. the first rod broke in half, ripped the oil pan in half, punched a hole in the block and also broke the camshaft. Nothing was salvageable so I bought the stroker motor. Looking back I should have just threw in a 350 and been done with it. I didn't know enough back then though. good luck with this rebuild, wish I lived closer cause I love tearin chit apart.

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Makitupthehardway · Number of posts: 43 Age: 27 Registration date: 2007-09-18

Yeah I wish I was closer to. That or just had more time on my hands. You might also want to talk to Rob about his V8. He loves the power but hates the weight. Nothing sounds better than a Jeep with a small block (or big block if your Bill). Most of what I have read on the boards is that the best motor to swap in to a Jeep is the stock 4.0 with simple bolt ons and invest your money in to gears and a good transfercase gears. It might not be worth the head ache.

**projblacknblue** · Subject: Re: Sand/Mud Vs Oil Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:31 pm

Makitupthehardway wrote:

Yeah I wish I was closer to. That or just had more time on my hands. You might also want to talk to Rob about his V8. He loves the power but hates the weight. Nothing sounds better than a Jeep with a small block (or big block if your Bill). Most of what I have read on the boards is that the best motor to swap in to a Jeep is the stock 4.0 with simple bolt ons and invest your money in to gears and a good transfercase gears. It might not be worth the head ache.

Thanks to this being my DD, MD emissions... and my heavy skinny pedal foot... no V8 in my future... unless it was a 4.7L Dodge hemi (out of Grand Cherokee).

In order to stay street "emissions" legal I need to keep it a stock Jeep motor.

The stroker option would be best bet because no one would know from looking at it... same block, head, etc. If you don't brag about it, they would never know.

Dad was in town this week, we took a peak... no grit in the oil... no grit in the old pan, none in the old filter, none in the old pump.

His suggestion is to pull the valve cover and see how much grit there is...

Got a copy of the engine book off eBay (with a Haynes manual... so now have 3 books to reference)... I read most of the engine book this week... I have been that bored...

I like the author... he puts it all matter of fact... tells you what you don't need to waste money on, etc.

As far as further testing... got the motor hot, pulled the radiator cap, and saw no bubbles in coolant... so its not pumping air into the cooling veins on compression.

I guess its more good news...

This weekend I am going to pop the valve cover... check to see if the grit was just a fluke (like just a small amount from around the breather)... and check all the rockers, push rods, springs, etc.

Also want to make sure oil is getting to the top end, and then draining back down to the block.

Oh... and the leasing office sent me a letter about the engine crane hoist sitting in front of my house (along with spare door to the saturn on the balcony)... so I guess time for fall cleaning...

**Rockn93YJ** · Number of posts: 199 Age: 42 Registration date: 2007-09-18

status? I found a 98 TJ 4.0 with under 100k miles for $200

http://www.rc4x4.org/rcforum/index.php/topic,3284.0.html

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**projblacknblue** · Subject: Re: Sand/Mud Vs Oil Sat Nov 08, 2008 9:55 pm

PM'd the RC guy... if he still has the motor I will pick it up next week... and try to put it in over the weekend... (I figure 1 day out, 1 day in... especially since motor and exhaust broken loose already...)

at least it will get me rolling again...

From there I will just get a storage unit for the motorcycle... put my motor on a stand in there, and rebuilt it at leisure...

I am confident in my abilities to fix it... time is a major factor for me though... as in I have none... getting home after dark, working mad hours... exhausted all weekend (if I am not working)...

REALLY need to get on the guys with my lift kit too... that is aggravating as well...

**Rockn93YJ** · Number of posts: 199 Age: 42 Registration date: 2007-09-18

Coolant may drip in but usually it would smoke while running if it were that much. As far as boosting compression I don't think it would, and definitely not in all cyllinders.
Going back to the original injury, sorry but I have to. Going into mud usually goes bad when water enters the intake. water doesn't compress when the piston rises and causes damage to internal parts, usually a piston rod. If you put that much strain through a piston rod you could damage the crank bearings. The second part of the damage was the impact to the oil pan. The only thing this can really damage is the oil pump and the seals. You already replaced the pump and pan. I would move on to look at the bearings on the crankshaft before bringing the cyl head into play. Dropping the oil pan is where I'd go from here and check each one of the crank bearings. pay attention to torque specifications on the caps when you reassemble and torque in stepwise fashion(if 120 ft # go to 85 then 110 then 120 for example) good luck.

**projblacknblue** · Subject: Re: Sand/Mud Vs Oil Sun Nov 09, 2008 12:16 pm

At this point I am waiting on a reply from the thread Bill posted...

My plan is to drop that motor in... Blue back on the road and make sure nothing else shakes loose...

His original motor is going to sit on an engine stand in storage with my motorcycle...

Between projects rebuild the motor so when the temporary one heads south I have one to go back in...