Important

$125 just to remove the valve cover.

$425 total to remove valve cover and replace the cam wheel. If, that's the problem.

Does not include the cam wheel or any parts.

mac 'hmmmm $400 core' gyvr
GOOD GOD! What is their labor rate? Did they quote you the labor time? No parts involved, I would expect a valve cover to come off in say...mabye .5hrs or so. Our shop labor rate is $98/hr. The Ft. is similar in size, I would expect similar rates. You're gonna tell me it's gonna take 4+ hours to remove a valve cover and change a cam wheel?! GMAFB.

I'm no expert on the year/part changes you're talking about, but I wouldn't be banking on that for a fix...Idk, maybe. But it seems like the whole thing should be re-timed. I have timed DOHC V engines. It's not fun and it's easy to screw up. "Rotate first bank cams, attach chain, time to idler gear, rotate engine to stage one, attach chain between first bank idler gear, crank and second bank idler gear, rotate crank and bank 2 cams to stage two, attach chain to bank 2 cams and idler gear." 3 chains, 4 cams, 9 gears, 6 timing chain marks...it gets a little complicated.

There has to be a better solution than reimbursement or self-diag.
 
I bought a HF grease fitting set for $15. High pressure needle, 90 degree fitting, other crap I might need someday.

It's not super high quality, but it's grease, not brain surgery.
 
This tip will work with any fittings...

picture.php


Just used it to for a hard to reach zerk on my boys truck.

Yup thats what I got, thanks bud!
 
GOOD GOD! What is their labor rate? Did they quote you the labor time? No parts involved, I would expect a valve cover to come off in say...mabye .5hrs or so. Our shop labor rate is $98/hr. The Ft. is similar in size, I would expect similar rates. You're gonna tell me it's gonna take 4+ hours to remove a valve cover and change a cam wheel?! GMAFB.

I'm no expert on the year/part changes you're talking about, but I wouldn't be banking on that for a fix...Idk, maybe. But it seems like the whole thing should be re-timed. I have timed DOHC V engines. It's not fun and it's easy to screw up. "Rotate first bank cams, attach chain, time to idler gear, rotate engine to stage one, attach chain between first bank idler gear, crank and second bank idler gear, rotate crank and bank 2 cams to stage two, attach chain to bank 2 cams and idler gear." 3 chains, 4 cams, 9 gears, 6 timing chain marks...it gets a little complicated.

There has to be a better solution than reimbursement or self-diag.

He claims this happened one other time and that was the issue, the wrong cam pick up. Even wrenches flying it would take me at least an hour to get the valve cover off on the passenger's side. Its buried and not easy to get you. You have to take the a/c compressor of and move some aluminum heater lines. That hoping I don't break something in the process. He claims its building too much compression for the timing to be off.

He also claims that you can change the cam pickup without pulling the entire front off the motor. Whether you can or not, I think the dealer quoted me with taking the front off the motor.

That was all labor.

He also claims that his wife is in the hospital til saturday for a blood disorder. I don't want to get apeshit on him because he's still answering my phone calls. I also have family Thankgiving on Friday and need it out of the garage for dinner, so I can't tear it down and have it sitting there between now and then...and I don't want to touch it.

mac 'nothing is easy' gyvr
 
Did you take a look at the bumpstops?

I had about an inch and a half between the bumpstop and the axle.

Wrong trailer for the right application? Ideally the truck should be moved back about a foot or 2 to center the the load on the axles. Not sure what the ideal tongue weight is on a gooseneck, but I'm pretty sure a 1500 should handle it without squatting.

Ron "I thought the trailer was supposed to carry the load"

We only put it on there to see how it would hold the weight, we in no way were setting it up to haul it anywhere.
 
He claims this happened one other time and that was the issue, the wrong cam pick up. Even wrenches flying it would take me at least an hour to get the valve cover off on the passenger's side. Its buried and not easy to get you. You have to take the a/c compressor of and move some aluminum heater lines. That hoping I don't break something in the process. He claims its building too much compression for the timing to be off.

He also claims that you can change the cam pickup without pulling the entire front off the motor. Whether you can or not, I think the dealer quoted me with taking the front off the motor.

That was all labor.

He also claims that his wife is in the hospital til saturday for a blood disorder. I don't want to get apeshit on him because he's still answering my phone calls. I also have family Thankgiving on Friday and need it out of the garage for dinner, so I can't tear it down and have it sitting there between now and then...and I don't want to touch it.

mac 'nothing is easy' gyvr

Did you get the cam sensor plugged in? just curious its kind of hard to get to and could easily be missed. under side of pass valvecover
 
Yes sir!

We checked and double checked all our connections.

The last one we couldn't find was the ambient temp sensor on the front grill...

mac 'good install...shitty motor' gyvr
 
Yes sir!

We checked and double checked all our connections.

The last one we couldn't find was the ambient temp sensor on the front grill...

mac 'good install...shitty motor' gyvr

Couple hours of reading at this point... This is what see...

The cam ring has holes, not teeth. The crank ring actually has teeth. I'm only saying this from images on the web.

If the cam reluctor is incorrect the crank reluctor ring should be too. Based on location I would think you could count teeth on the crank by removing the crank sensor and turning the crank with a wrench. Just reach in there with something that won't hurt anything.

Not real confident in this...but.... Few guys on the web say that 4.7 will run with one of the two sensors. If you really think its only the cam sensor then try disconnecting it and see if the jeep idles any smoother. Wouldn't do this while it's running.

Looks like a lot of Durango/Dakota owners have been down this same road. The difference in rings is all based on one or two computers to run the Jeep.

Good Luck,
Hank
 
You are correct. We saw the cam ring before we put valve covers on it. We did not count windows in it.

If the crank ring is wrong then the motor has to come back out...and that would be shitty.

I'm moving it out of the garage tomorrow for Tgiving, I'll unplug the cam sensor and see if its starts.

This was the point of telling him exactly which motor we were replacing to avoid this issue...

mac 'dealer started off the conversation telling me that my problem was the crank not the cam...before they knew everything' gyvr
 
It's definitely a -96. What a nutbag, regardless. Hope the memorial didn't get too torn up from his idiocy. Guessing his psych "observation" is going to last a little more than 3 days...

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/22/8961529-man-drives-jeep-up-steps-of-war-memorial
wait, wtf?

I guess that's what I get for trying to identify late vs early body style on my cellphone screen. You're right.

- Ken 'it looked a lot more curvy and contoured when resized down to like 320x240' Stein
 
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