help installing my stroker?

[4wdParakeet]

Okay I will give you a tip on putting it in time. If the cam is aftermarket the tabs WILL have to be cut off. So cut the tabs off pop the plug in the top of the cap and stick a long skinny screwdriver down through the top of the cap and the rotor. This will hold the rotor and keep it from moving on you. Look at the bottom of the distributor and try and match the oil pump too it. After I did that in those steps( with the motor at TDC) and mine fired right up.


Parakeet

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

well some not so good news today. first off i had the engine mounted on the engine stand and i went to spin it around to work on the oil pump and the bolts ON the engine stand (not attached to the motor) snapped right off. luckily no damage to the motor. THEN secondly after i got the motor back up right i went to work on the valve cover and mounting that, i was tightening the bolt on the front pass. corner and the valve cover cracked (hairline crack) so im hoping that they will send me a new one.

Yikes... well at least you weren't hurt when it fell and it didn't damage the motor. When I was trying to pull my motor I had a chain bolted into the block, used a grade 8 for one side but didn't have another so I used a random one I found... ended up shearing and dropping the engine back down into the engine bay when I was lifting it. That's all it took for me to get on the grade 8 bandwagon. Surprising that the stand itself failed though, you'd think the manufacturer would use bolts spec'ed for that.

I have a spare valve cover, but it's for a Renix. Dunno if it would be different or not, if you're in a pinch and won't be able to get a new one in time I can bring it out for you. Kinda dirty though and probably not the greatest look for your shiny new motor.

 

[bmyohn]

i have the engine mounted on the engine stand i have the oil pump and oil screen mated together and have a new valve cover on the way (my new one cracked on the install). im planning on taking lots of pictures and start taking parts off my jeep piece by piece and getting as much stuff off the old motor before i go on vacation on saturday. im very excited to start the process

for anyone who wants to help friday you guys are more then welcome to stop by. i will try to do the swap when i get back from vacation. i get back on the 28th

 

[FlexdXJ]

i have the engine mounted on the engine stand i have the oil pump and oil screen mated together and have a new valve cover on the way (my new one cracked on the install). im planning on taking lots of pictures and start taking parts off my jeep piece by piece and getting as much stuff off the old motor before i go on vacation on saturday. im very excited to start the process

for anyone who wants to help friday you guys are more then welcome to stop by. i will try to do the swap when i get back from vacation. i get back on the 28th

I would stop by but I'm probably going to badlands now!

 

[bmyohn]

haha nice aaron.

i actually was just looking at my motor. and i noticed that i cracked the sprocket that looks like is connected to the cam shaft. i guess in broke when it fell off the stand. looks like i gotta call chad in the morning. ill be honest with him and tell him what happened. maybe he'll cut me a deal on a new one

 

[FlexdXJ]

haha nice aaron.

i actually was just looking at my motor. and i noticed that i cracked the sprocket that looks like is connected to the cam shaft. i guess in broke when it fell off the stand. looks like i gotta call chad in the morning. ill be honest with him and tell him what happened. maybe he'll cut me a deal on a new one

Yikes I don't think a Cam gear will set you back too much. I have been wrong before though!

 

[bmyohn]

i hope not. i emailed him, we'll see what he says. there is a warranty on the engine but i doubt it covers my mistake

 

[bmyohn]

how do you remove the intake manifold? i can get to the bolts by the exhaust manifold. but im not sure about the power steering pump and the two bolts that are there. whats the best way to take off the intake manifold?

thanks
-Brendan

 

[bmyohn]

well for tonight, i got off work at seven. i got the top manifold bolts off and the throttle body off as well. i have all the sensors swapped over and i have the fuel rail unbolted and all of the electrical connections disconnected and throughly labeled. i also got the spark plug rail unbolted and i just have to get the electrical connection off.

tomorrow the plan is to get the oil filter adapter taken off and put on the new motor. then im hoping to get the power steering pump removed and the manifolds taken off and reinstalled on the stroker. if all goes well im hoping to have the old engine pulled out of the jeep. maybe a little ambitious though

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

how do you remove the intake manifold? i can get to the bolts by the exhaust manifold. but im not sure about the power steering pump and the two bolts that are there. whats the best way to take off the intake manifold?

thanks
-Brendan

Have to take power steering completely off (well, leave the lines attached but take the bolts out), then there are two bolts that go through the PS bracket into the intake manifold. Then as long as you have all of the manifolds bolts out of the head you should be set. I want to say there are five along the top, four along the bottom, plus a stud with a nut on each end (holding only the exhaust manifold).

 

[bmyohn]

i got the powersteering pump out, the thermostat housing out, the airbox out, all but three electrical connections disconnected and labeled and one of the bellhousing bolts out. i need to get three more bellhousing bolts out and the motor mounts out and its good to come out and start swapping parts out. aaron and i also successfully got the 24# fuel injectors installed correctly. (i found that my 4th cylinder injector had a faulty o-ring and was leaking pretty badly)

i do have one question, what is the best way to take the cooling fan off. aaron and i were having trouble figuring out the best way to get it off.

thanks again for all the help aaron, we made some good progress today.

for all of , aaron and i were trying to setup a weekend to get naxja to have a wrenchfest for a day or two. let me know what you guys think.

 

[nick86]

.

for all of , aaron and i were trying to setup a weekend to get naxja to have a wrenchfest for a day or two. let me know what you guys think.

Not sure If you still really need one, sounds like you kicking a$$ & taking names all by yourself,so far.

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

i got the powersteering pump out, the thermostat housing out, the airbox out, all but three electrical connections disconnected and labeled and one of the bellhousing bolts out. i need to get three more bellhousing bolts out and the motor mounts out and its good to come out and start swapping parts out. aaron and i also successfully got the 24# fuel injectors installed correctly. (i found that my 4th cylinder injector had a faulty o-ring and was leaking pretty badly)

i do have one question, what is the best way to take the cooling fan off. aaron and i were having trouble figuring out the best way to get it off.

thanks again for all the help aaron, we made some good progress today.

for all of , aaron and i were trying to setup a weekend to get naxja to have a wrenchfest for a day or two. let me know what you guys think.

Yea it sounds like you guys made great progress! Wish I could have made it down, I know you're leaving for vacation but maybe after you're back I'll make a trip down.

As far as the cooling fan, I know for my 350 (clutch style fan) I had to go rent some special tools from autozone. Basically one tool held two of the four bolts that hold the pulley to the assembly, and another large wrench that goes over the huge nut that is part of the fan. If it's not that style of setup (my Jeep isn't here so I can't check) then you probably just need to hold the pulley and put some torque on each of the four nuts, and the whole deal will come off. Good luck man!

 

[4wdParakeet]

Take a large screw driver and wedge it between to fan bolts. Have a friend it hold it while you crank. Same thing for flywheel. We had a bear of time getting my off and that's what worked for me. Or you could go get a strap wrench that will fit around the pulley.


Parakeet.

If you want my swap is still fresh in my mind you could always PM questions.

 

[FlexdXJ]

Yea it sounds like you guys made great progress! Wish I could have made it down, I know you're leaving for vacation but maybe after you're back I'll make a trip down.

As far as the cooling fan, I know for my 350 (clutch style fan) I had to go rent some special tools from autozone. Basically one tool held two of the four bolts that hold the pulley to the assembly, and another large wrench that goes over the huge nut that is part of the fan. If it's not that style of setup (my Jeep isn't here so I can't check) then you probably just need to hold the pulley and put some torque on each of the four nuts, and the whole deal will come off. Good luck man!

Yeah Brad its that style! We got a few little things done but Brendan got a lot of it done before I got there!

 

[bmyohn]

well i got back from vacation yesterday. i have monday, tuesday, and wednesday off. im hoping to get the motor done by thursday. if anyone wants to come help you guys are more then welcome lol

 

[FlexdXJ]

well i got back from vacation yesterday. i have monday, tuesday, and wednesday off. im hoping to get the motor done by thursday. if anyone wants to come help you guys are more then welcome lol

Don't think I can get down there this week dude!

 

[bmyohn]

does anyone know how to get the mechanical fan off and how to get to the top three bellhousing bolts.

finally, once everything is disconnected whats the best way pull the motor out. do i need to remove the radiator and fans and stuff to get the motor up and out?

 

[GoSlowGetStuck]

does anyone know how to get the mechanical fan off and how to get to the top three bellhousing bolts.

finally, once everything is disconnected whats the best way pull the motor out. do i need to remove the radiator and fans and stuff to get the motor up and out?

I haven't pulled the clutch on an XJ, but if it's the kind where the fan clutch is attached with a large threaded nut, you can rent a two-tool set at Autozone to remove it, one is a fork-looking thing that will go around the bolt heads to keep it from rotating, and the other is a large wrench to break the clutch nut loose. Basically the bolts are only there to attach the pulley, not to hold the fan onto the water pump. I tried all sorts of stuff with large screwdrivers, channel locks, throwing tools, swearing, etc. but the right tool made it a 30-second job.

For removing the engine... I think once you pull the fan you'll have enough room to pull it straight up and out, but it is a long engine and you'll need a tall hoist to get it up and over the fender or grille. If you don't have A/C, I would say go ahead and pull the header panel and radiator out, I can see that making things go a lot smoother. If you have A/C though then it's a little more tricky since you had the condenser and associated lines to deal with, and unless you have the right equipment to capture the refrigerant then you don't want to disconnect the lines. Having a lifted rig just makes it worse to pull straight up and out.

Oh... make sure you support the transmission with something, since after the motor is disconnected, it's only attached with the rear transmission mount. A jack stand and a block of wood is fine if the Jeep isn't going anywhere, otherwise a ratchet strap under the bellhousing should work.

 

[XJ&CHZ4ME]

Hey Brendan,

Sorry I was not able to get up there and help ya with the install. As far as pulling the motor, you will need to pull the header assembly off as well as remove your radiator and A/C condensor. Now with the condensor you can manage to keep it connected and just move it out of the way so that way you do not have to break the lines open. You can remove the motor intact that way minus the exhaust being hooked up etc. Trust me on this, I have removed and replaced enough motors as of late that you will want those items out of your way. As far as the bell housing bolts, remember that the top 2 bolts are E-12 REVERSE TORX. You can access them by dropping down your tranny x-ember with a jack under it and it will angle the motor back enough for you to get up in there with a wobbler and a shit pot full of extensions. (Dont forget to remove the drive shafts when you do that step) When you pull teh motor remember that you have to pull it forward to get it off the pilot/alignment shaft from the tranny. You do know that you have to remove the torque convertor before you can pull the motor from the tranny right? It can be accessed by removing the shields on the bell housing and each bolt will be accessed by having someone turning the motor over by hand on the harmonic balancer. I am sure that I am forgetting some things, but you get the jest of it...right? If you have any questions, PM me for my # and I can walk ya through about any of it.

-Cheesman