Gradon's Stroker Project

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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

My XJ is currently disabled(week 6 maybe). A bunch of issues amassed and now that the MJ is stable(well it still needs a cap and/or expansion tank--stupid POS closed cooling system) and I have the M3, I can afford to take it off DD duty. Let's see, I overtightened the pinion nut months ago when I replaced the leaky pinion seal, so a bearing was whining(this was 1/16 turn past original position). The Auburn LSD turned to open after the week or two of blizzards we had this past winter(was out in it every day w/ my 2wd). The cracks in the windshield go all the way across and down(gotta love when they pave one lane and then the person in front of you changes lanes and spits the loose asphalt at you). The nail in the coffin was breaking the Hurst racing a Range Rover and 500sl after the 2nd light we lined up(who's the dumb@$$?). The new Hurst is installed($105 for the new base). I have the new diff--Auburn has a diff exchange program($127). I finally installed the Daystars in the rear springs and in the front axle control arm mounts. I chopped 1.25" off the front bump stops and rewelded them(had less than an inch of clearance before so was always bouncing off them). I'm installing the shorter adjustable control arms and track bar from Ironman4x4fab(or is it Ironmanfab4x4?) and the shorter bilstein 5150s I bought months ago(axle was 3/4" to the passenger side since it's 2+" lower and who knows how much additional castor there was from the axle rotating up). I chopped out two sections of melted main o2 sensor wires and soldered in a longer section from a 96 harness I removed from the last CL XJ I bought and had to part out(frame rusted to shite, but made ~$1000 on the $350 I spent to get it and still have parts left over). I installed MORE motor mounts(DS side definitely overstressed and would've been ripped completely in the near future). Tomorrow I'll get the front end put together. I had the 3.55s from the auto in there(was a huge difference over the 3.07s) and with the 27" tires, it pulled great. Since it's all apart, I want to put 4.10s in there(might as well go balls out), so it's gonna be a week or two before I source them, receive them, and get the rear end put back together. Fun, fun, fun, but at least she won't be jealous anymore from all the money I spent modding the M3, cause she'll be better than she's ever been!
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SilverXJ
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Stroker Displacement: 4.6L
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by SilverXJ »

Was it a Range Rover or Range Rover Sport?
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

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It was a regular <5yo hse boat. I jumped in the race after them two went at it for a light or two. He wasn't happy about being dogged the previous light when I didn't even chirp the tires. I broke it slamming into second(at least it wasn't something in the tranny). I dunno how I'd fare against the supercharged 4.2l 390hp/410lb-ft Sport but apparently it only did 0-60 in 7.1 seconds(mine's more like 6). The 2010 model has a supercharged 5.0l that cranks out 510hp/461-lb-ft!
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by laxplayermjd »

woooo m3! we had a new 08 m3 supercharged in the shop it was ridiculous.

my strokers running, need to fix a few things before its going to pass inspection and tail pipe emissions. its running super rich right now, intake air temp sensor is bad and not available. i have to find a sensor that reads close to that. i orignally rigged up some bmw e46 injectors that were two pintle in there. cant find specs but research showed 50/50 its a 19lb or 24lb. right now the stockers are in but seems reall rich. wish i had a air fuel gauge i could use just to get it close and take it out haha.its been a real slow project. and i have to rewire the burnt up headlight harness. im ready to drive this thing already!

hope urs gets up and going good. there will always be some tinkering to do on your jeep
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SilverXJ
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by SilverXJ »

gradon wrote:It was a regular <5yo hse boat.
Blarrgh boat... i could have taken that in my 4.0L ZJ with piston knock and the 42RE....
I dunno how I'd fare against the supercharged 4.2l 390hp/410lb-ft Sport
You wouldn't have. I like the stroker and all, but Jaguars are the other things I fix.... its a Jaguar R engine... the 4.2L has a bit more than 380 as the 4.0L R has 390. Having driven the 4.0L R, 4.2L R and strokers, you would have had you ass handed to you. Lol. But they just aren't as fun... too "refined"
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

Sorry Chris, but according to what I've been reading, even my old 94 2wd 4.0 would've dogged the supercharged sport:
"With 410 pound-feet of torque at 3,500 rpm, the 5,670-pound Sport Supercharged leaps off the line with a 0-60 time of 7 seconds flat and a quarter-mile time of 15.4 seconds. Despite it weighing 600 pounds less than the Rover, the BMW X5 4.8is we tested earlier this year recorded the same time. The HSE, which shares a 4.4-liter Jaguar engine with the LR3, is nearly 2 seconds slower to 60 mph at 8.9."
The reason is that my XJ weighs 2500#s less, so has a way better hp/lb ratio. Mine is at the 6 sec 0-60 and 13-14 sec line for the 1/4, and after the 4.10s go in the next week or so, it'll be even lower. I know you've had some ish with your strokers but my little 2wd XJ moves with the ax15, lsd, 3.55s, and 27" 255s. I promise when it's all put back together I'll take it to MIR and get times and weight for yall.
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

So I finally got my baby back on the road. She handles much better due to the poly bushings, the ironmanfab control arms, more bombproofs, shorter bilsteins up front, and additional bumpstop clearance. The new auburn lsd and 4.10s work awesome: I let my brother drive around the block and he lost traction accellerating up the hill halfway through 2nd gear. He also did a 540 effortlessly in the cul-de-sac. Something is amiss in the fuel/timing department, so this week I need to track down what's up(it has been sitting for almost 5 months so maybe the gas is bad). Anyhow, it's good to have her back and put the eliminator on the reserve list(its 4.9l block is supposed to be ready to be picked up from the machinist tomorrow).
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by banipal19 »

Hey Gradon, I didn't see anywhere if you tried 89/91 gas (sorry if I missed it)? The reason I am asking is because I am building my stroker at the moment and my DCR is 8.57 and the only gas I get here in CA is 91. Thanks!!
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

I've tried less than 93 octane and it pings in the 2.2-3K range when the pcm keeps it at 14.7:1. I've made the mistake of letting my brother and friend use it and they put 87 in it and I couldn't even 1/4 throttle it. I reinstalled the psc1-002 two days ago(it works!) and I'm gonna pull the cts plug and do a full open loop tune where I'll go from 14.0:1@2K, 13.5:[email protected], 13:1@3K, and 12.5:[email protected] and above. Today I installed the daystar tranny mount and hopefully I'll be getting the straighter, shorter, adjustable trackbar from ironman4x4fab(the first one he sent hit the oilpan). From my build experience, I say shoot for 8.25-8.4:1 DCR and be willing to use 91-93 octane.
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by banipal19 »

Thanks a lot Gradon for the info! It will help in my build .. Thanks again and keep the updates coming :cheers:
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

Had a nice blowout a few days ago after I hit a series of overpass bumps which set off a killer DW. Had to pull to the left shoulder to slow down and ran over a piece of semi tire. Wasn't sure the tire got punctured but then the rear started to feel funny so it took a mile until I knew I had to pull over to the right shoulder. The tire was smoldering, lol. It was to be the last of the DD Yokohamas Avid S/Ts.(they stopped making them in 255/60/15 flavor). I've been running 2 newer(5K miles)Bridgestones on the front so I ordered another two on Saturday from Tirerack and like clockwork, they showed up today. I got them installed as well as the shorter, straight, adj trackbar from Ironman4x4fab. Hopefully no more DW!
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

Jeep stranded me the other night in DC. I drove it there, ran inside to pickup a check and came out to start it and it wouldn't. I had a buddy tow me home w/ his recent 95 the next day right when the snow started. Starter seems to spin a little too freely as if there is no compression--it can move the car in gear, so it is engaging and the pitch is the same(meaning it spins as fast), but there is no lope(like no compression resistance). Verified fuel and spark. I took the coil off and the primaries measured 1.2ohms(under 2 is good) and the primaries-secondary measured 8.8Kohm(FSM/Diagnostic says ~11-15Kohm). Took the cap off and verified the cam was spinning the dizzy(thought I might have a broken chain). Took the valve cover off and verified that all valves are moving(still looks fresh in there). Took spark plugs out and all were identical(not white or black, but reddish tan) and wet. I'll try to get a compression test done, but even if two adjacent cylinders had the gasket go, the other cylinders should be firing. . .
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by SilverXJ »

Did you actually check for spark? I would bet CPS under a sudden circumstance like that. The one in my Zj gave me no warning. Driving to the machine shop and it just died.
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

So I finally took the timing cover off today and found a severely stripped cam gear--this thing must've been wearing down over time and me being hard on and off the gas didn't help. Now to find the best deal on the dual roller. . .
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gradon
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Re: Gradon's Stroker Project

Post by gradon »

Mean Green is back up! Took it around the block and then it died on me. No spark. I don't have a spare cps, but do have my stock coil. Removed the brand new MSD coil, put the old one back on, and she fired up again(figures right--need to strangle that gremlin). Took it to the dyno and in untuned form put down 192whp/236wtq(was hoping for +30 figures for both). In closed loop, where it's supposed to be 14.7:1, afrs were getting up to 18:1, then got down to 13:1 at redline(guess pcm can't keep up or needs more time to learn, since it's been sitting for 3 months). Nick recorded it on video, so he'll/I'll post it and when I get emailed the run on pdf, I'll put that up as well. One shop manager was pushing me to spend $900 on a Haltech standalone ecu, but I'm gonna go ahead and yank the cts and do a full map tune of the psc1 and bypass that 14.7:1. I am tempted to contact Hesco and send them the Unichip. Got a few comments on how nice the Jeep sounds and a some thought it had a v8 in it. Anyhow, glad to have my DD back. They couldn't hook the induction clamp to the cop on my 95 bmw m3 without ripping a harness apart so they could only give me HP numbers :? 221whp with a nice smooth curve(stock @crank is 240hp/225tq, and mine has 132K atm).
edit: I'll change the oil in 500mi to get rid of any metal that was in the pump or galley. When the pan was off, I sprayed down the bottom end with brake cleaner and made sure there the pick-up screen was clean. The cam lobes looked good. No chunks whatsoever, but the oil was silverish and plenty of particles on the magnetic drain plug. Also made sure every lifter was pumping oil before I bolted the cover on--all good
Last edited by gradon on March 12th, 2011, 4:44 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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