New eninge, new problems.....

[karter74]

Hey guys, I have rebuilt the engine in my 87 cherokee and let me tell you, new problems have popped up everywhere. Most are minor, just very annoying. First, the fuel injectors leaked where they connected to the fuel rail, I bought new o-rings for them, but fuel injector 2 still seeps a little, i'll just have to figure that out. Then once i got the fuel injectors to stop leaking(other than #2) i found that the FPR leaks where it was attached to the fuel rail. One new o-ring later and that was fixed also. Then the return line to the FPR started leaking, so i bought a new connector for the end of it and that was fixed. Anyway, the newest and biggest problem I have is i am not getting any spark from the coil itself. I am pretty sure its not a ground wire problem because everything else works electrically like the fuel pump, starter, etc. I was wondering if anyone knew what wires are critical to the coil so i know what to look for, as the motor cranks and has oil pressure, just no spark to the distributor.

 

[imma honky]

First off, don't even start the thing while it still leaks gas. Second, if the injectors are the originals, they themselves may be the leaky culprit. As for the coil, it could be the ICM that's not working (went out on my 90). Easy j-yard fix, or about 100$+ new at the store.

 

[Ed in North Ga.]

yep- a yard bomb waiting to happen. youve discovered the evilness of removeing the fuel rails...they leak when you reinstall- you need the "kit" from jeep to solve that(do a search for leaky fuel injectors-it`ll clue you in on it- dont drive it with a leaky injector...its not worth the jeep.

 

[old_man]

Did you disconnect the crankshaft position sensor when you did the fuel rail? If that isn't hooked up and working you will get no spark.

 

[karter74]

As far as I know, the crank position sensor isnt disconnected, but i do have 1 concern. The sensor that is in the bellhousing that i believe tells when the fuel injectors fire, i wonder if i may have damaged it by bumping it during the engine re-installation. I doubt this happened, but i am running out of ideas. Can someone find a wiring diagram or something, maybe a factory service manual that might help me out. I have a haynes and chiltons manuals, but i think a FSM might be handy to have as well.

 

[themud]

Try unplugging the cps sensor thats the one that goes on the bellhousing and plugging it back it and see if it starts... If that still doesnt work try replacing it, cps sensors are the bane of jeep owners everywhere if its intermittent you wont know till youve replaced it then you know that not it :doh: ....
good luck
themud

 

[Hawaiian Style]

Yep I agree. Buy another CPS and install. If it isn't the problem you'll need a new CPS eventually anyway so now you'll have a spare. No spark usually means bad CPS.

 

[89xj]

As far as I know, the crank position sensor isnt disconnected, but i do have 1 concern. The sensor that is in the bellhousing that i believe tells when the fuel injectors fire, i wonder if i may have damaged it by bumping it during the engine re-installation.

that sensor is the cps.

i would also get a new set of ford injectors and throw away those 17 year old leaky injectors. even with new o-rings, they can still leak.

 

[karter74]

Ok guys, but do i have to disconnect the engine from the bellhousing or can it be removed without all the hassle. I dred having to remove the engine from the bellhousing ......

 

[rattler43]

No, you don't have to remove trannie. It sets near the top of your bell housing on the back side. Two bolts hold it on. Easier to remove using long extension with a swivel. Can't remember what size bolt heads. Be careful and not drop bolts thru the hole created after removing. HTH Don

 

[karter74]

Ok i called the dealership and they wont have one until monday or tuesday (so this weekend is gonna be fruitless) but are there any other particular sensors/wires that could give me a problem? I haven't found any loose connections but perhaps we may have damaged something in the process of removing/re-installing the engine? Is the CPS exposed in the bellhousing, where its possible to damage it with the flywheel while re-installing?

 

[Hawaiian Style]

You don't need to buy that at the stealership. Most, if not all, autoparts stores like Napa or Advanced have them in stock.

I was a moron and dropped a bolt into the bellhousing. I DON'T reccomend you do the same. It's fairly easy to get to, just be carefull not to repeat my mistake.

Easy job, I just made it super complex.

 

[karter74]

Alright guys, I fixed all the problems I had listed, got everything hooked up and running. Now I am a little worried.......first off, the rocker arms are pretty noisy (i bought a Crane Cam 753901 with the recommended lifters and springs) and i re-used the older rockers, i am thinking maybe i should replace those as well, since i also got new pushrods. Now after the initial drive of the car......i have driven all of about 4-5 miles and i can't find much if any power!?!?!?!? I am so dissapointed words cannot describe how i feel, I pray to god i did not choose a too radical cam for the otherwise stock engine. Another concern is i haven't changed the new oil yet and originally when i got the engine first cranked, the oil pressure was at like 75, now when i was driving around, it wouldn't get much past 40-45. Do you think changing the oil and filter will solve this? i feel like i'm gonna shoot myself if this engine turns out weaker than the old with 181k miles on it.....

 

[karter74]

any help?

 

[Churchlady]

Someone help this man. I'm chewing my nails.

 

[rattler43]

Could be one or more of any number of things..I woiuld start by running a compression check on all the cylinders and go from there. ????? Don

 

[Hawaiian Style]

As for the oil press. mine starts at around 70psi and as the engine warms it drops down to around 40. That is pretty normal as the oil thins up once the engine gets warm.

 

[bhorn]

Karter74, what did you use for assembly lube? I don't think your oil pressure problem is really a problem. I think it was just really stiff, with thick assembly lube. It finally warmed up, and flushed out the thick stuff, and got the thinner oil in there. This is completely normal. Hawaiin style is right too. I think the lifter tap will go away once everything adjusts itself out. It might even help with the no power problem.

As far as the no power isuue, you are gonna have to figure that one out. A compression check is where I would start. I have only seen one Renix Jeep, so I don't know much about them. But there are quite a few people here that are REALLY good with them.

Best of luck with it.

 

[karter74]

Does anyone know if the cam i purchased with work correctly with factory spec pushrods? i have heard that i may have to get 1/16" shorter pushrods and rockers, god i hope not...

 

[karter74]

ok guys, i attempted driving the car again this morning and guess what, not 1/8th of a mile away from home, it started making this backfiring sound through the intake. I pulled over and cut it off. i ended up having it towed home and i ripped the valve cover off because i knew that the rocker arms were already worn (i re-used them from the 181k engine). guess what? there were about 4-5 that were extremely sloppy, and after taking those off, i now found that only 1 pushrod was bent.....these were brand new pushrods and i guess due to the sloppy tolerances, it may have caused it to bend. another thing i noticed is that 1 of the new crane cam lifters is somewhat spongy, the same one that the bent push rod came out of......i hope that it just hasnt pumped up because if it failed, i have a big job on my hands trying to get it out....what do you think, do you think the lifter is ok for now, as i am buying new rocker arms and a new pushrod, can i get away with using that lifter, or will it cause more problems?