Jeep Strokers

Cheromaniac wrote:

Rinkrat456 wrote:MC809 is the part number. I just want to know if the 91-95 cam works in the 96-04 engines.

That cam will work in ANY Jeep I6 but it was really designed for the 4.0. Something's wrong either with the distributor indexing or your cam timing.

I'm tearing down the front of the Jeep today and tomorrow. Even though I'm 99.9995% sure we lined up the dots correctly, I'm wondering if the dot alignment changed slightly once we cranked the engine over.

Sure as can be, we were off 1 tooth. Somehow between lining it up for the first time on the engine stand and rotating the crank over it must have made the difference. Ended the night with all front covers and accessories bolted back on, distributor indexed perfectly and radiator buttoned up. Just need to bolt down the valve cover now, hook the throttle cables back up and hear the thing run!

Anyone have a better break in procedure than I list below? I have 6qts of Comp Cams 10w-30 break-in oil and a Wix 1515 filter (big filter) in the engine right now, waiting till tomorrow to fire over. While I had the distributor and valve cover off, I primed the oil pump until oil squirted out the top of the head and I filled the engine full of oil by dumping the 6th quart on top of the rockers.

Engine break-in procedure after the first time starting:
1. 15-20minutes of engine running varying throttle from 2000-4000, followed by immediate oil change with another Wix 1515 filter and 6 more quarts of Comp Cams 10w-30 break in oil
2. Drive easy for 500 miles never letting it idle for very long and at varying throttle, never WOT, change oil with Wix 1515 filter and conventional Napa brand (re-bottled Valvoline) 6qts 10w-30
3. 1500 miles on the engine (1000 mile oil change interval) change oil using Wix 1515 filter and more conventional Napa brand 10w-30
4. 3000 miles on the engine (1500 mile oil change interval) change oil using Wix 1515 filter and more conventional Napa brand 10w-30

Every 5000 miles after that.

Rinkrat456 wrote: Engine break-in procedure after the first time starting:
1. 15-20minutes of engine running varying throttle from 2000-4000, followed by immediate oil change with another Wix 1515 filter and 6 more quarts of Comp Cams 10w-30 break in oil
2. Drive easy for 500 miles never letting it idle for very long and at varying throttle, never WOT, change oil with Wix 1515 filter and conventional Napa brand (re-bottled Valvoline) 6qts 10w-30
3. 1500 miles on the engine (1000 mile oil change interval) change oil using Wix 1515 filter and more conventional Napa brand 10w-30
4. 3000 miles on the engine (1500 mile oil change interval) change oil using Wix 1515 filter and more conventional Napa brand 10w-30

Every 5000 miles after that.

Hopefully your engine will run properly this time. I'd modify your break-in regimen slightly as follows:

1. Cam break-in: 20-25 minutes with the engine at 2000-2500rpm. Change oil and filter.
2. Drive normally for first 1000 miles keeping engine below 3500rpm and varying the throttle as much as possible. A succession of WOT runs (say 30-50mph in 2nd gear) would help to seat the piston rings faster.
3. After 1000 miles. Change oil and filter. You can now use the full operating range of the engine to the redline.
4. Change oil & filter at the 5000 mile mark and every 5000 miles thereafter. If you do a lot of city driving or operate the Jeep in harsh, dusty conditions, change the oil/filter every 3000 miles instead.

x2 on Chero's modifications. I was going to recommend the same.

We ended up needing a break on this engine. It's really giving my wife and I a run for our patience and commitment to seeing the engine run. Here I thought after lining up the correct set of dots on the cam and crank gear that the engine would fire right over. Instead the thing sounded even worse. First, I put a compression tester on #1, 0psi. #2, 0psi. #3, 4, 5 and 6...0psi. Just to verify that my tester was working, I tested the compression on my LS1, 185psi. Chevy 4.3 in a different vehicle, 180psi. The real shocker came when a buddy and I spun the engine over slowly, watching the valve events.

Riddle me this:

Start at top dead center of any cylinder, the piston travels down the bore as the exhaust valve opens. As the crank turns and the piston rises up the bore, the intake valve opens.

It sounds like the timing is 180* out, but its its dot to dot it shouldn't be. Do you have a pic of the chain installed? Something amiss with the camshaft?

Rinkrat456 wrote:Riddle me this:

Start at top dead center of any cylinder, the piston travels down the bore as the exhaust valve opens. As the crank turns and the piston rises up the bore, the intake valve opens.

Either you're turning the engine backwards or you have one seriously screwed up cam??

I'm turning the engine in the same direction as it runs...looking at the crank pulley I'm turning clockwise (as if tightening the crank bolt).

IH 392 wrote: Either you're turning the engine backwards or you have one seriously screwed up cam??

What are the chances the replacement timing set I got from Autozone was keyed differently/wrongly? Doesn't it seem like the cam is just 180* off?

The crank sprocket could be off by 360 degrees. Remember that the crank does two revolutions for each cam revolution so you may need to remove the chain, rotate the crank 360 degrees, and reinstall the chain again with the dots lined up.

Cheromaniac wrote: rotate the crank 360 degrees, and reinstall the chain again with the dots lined up.

Wat???

The timing set only goes on one way if its dot to dot.

Rinkrat456 wrote:

IH 392 wrote: Either you're turning the engine backwards or you have one seriously screwed up cam??

What are the chances the replacement timing set I got from Autozone was keyed differently/wrongly? Doesn't it seem like the cam is just 180* off?

Can you provide a pic of the timing set? Either installed or laid on a table as it would be aligned for install, dot to dot.

Here ya go:



[quote=silverXJ]Wat???

The timing set only goes on one way if its dot to dot.[/quote]

Duh! Good point. The only other explanation that I can think of for the zero compression in all six cylinders is the valves hanging open. The question is why. Something has to be wrong with the valve phasing.

Possibly camshaft or timing set... that why I want a pic of HIS timing set.

The no compression could be misaligned marks?, bad set or simply off a tooth?, as for the valve action!??, it's ASSBACKWARDS!, are you sure you're looking at the correct valve for your description?, they are "EIIEIEEIEIIE"