Jeep Strokers

Hey Folks,
Well, my rebuilt stroker is in and when my mechanic went to do the cam break-in, he said the header got REALLY hot after about 10-12 minutes of running at 2000 rpm's! It DID NOT overheat, but he shut it off out of concern. After letting it cool way back down , he ran it again for about 5 mins. and the header got glowing hot again. When I was able to stop by to check out how things were goin', he told me about this and said it sounded rough on start-up too. He started it for about 15 seconds and I agree, it sounds pretty stumbley. He's pretty clear and sure that the dizzy is correct and the timing is on. I didn't have this problem last time I did the break in on the first stroker build up. Does this sound like a timing problem? Too lean? Is this erratic break-in procedure gonna' harm the cam?

Retarded timing will cause headers to glow like that, a lean mixture may also cause it, rich usually just fouls out the plugs, pill a spark plug and see if it's white or sooty black?

T'anks Brudda',
I'm just up the road in Salem. I thought about gettin' down south when it's back together to compare machines. I've seen your ID on here andknew you were only an hour away. I appreciate the input. This guy is a competent mechanic and he's goin' through all the variables. I think he's just a bit stressed because he knows I've got a pile O' cash in this thing and the "honeymoon" is over with this being the second stroker build and the third cam in this engine. Can you send me your phone # so's I can ask ya' questions if we get stumped?

Thanks,
Todd

The header glowing is normal. How hot did the engine get?

Hey Silver,
It never overheated. Normal temps I believe

I don't think there is a problem. My header always glows unless I run some air over it. I've gotten into the habit of pulling the fan relay and jumper it so its always on when I do a cam break in. If you don't have a stock e-fan, you could always use a household one.

Hey Silver,
I PM'd ya' Anyone else know of a good source for injectors?? I appears I have two pretty rich, three REALLY lean, and one about normal. These came from 5.0 motorsports. I really don't wanna' spend $280.. for ANOTHER set of injectors.

OK,
I found a place called Fuel Injector City. The guy recommended Bosch #24 injectors. They're originally for a 3.0 Ford Taurus. The OEM part # is XF1E9F593AB. They have the same style electrical connector and they're a 14mm size. Opinions? $25.00 each from fuel Injector City, but I'm thinkin' I might just find them locally if the price is close and get this turd back on the road. Whoa, just called the dealer! these are a "special order" part @$114.00 each! Reconditioned it is.

On our 49 PSI fuel rail the Jeep 4.7L injectors flow 25.8lbs and they still run a bit rich at the top end. The Taurus injectors flow 26.7lb. The XR3E flow around 27.5lbs. These numbers were gathered from various sources, but with my experience I feel that they are fairly accurate numbers.

The 24# he gave you was probably at 39 or 43.5 PSI, depending on how it is tested. Our fuel pressure will make them flow more.

Hey Silver,
I went ahead and bought the same Ford injectors for replacement. They were $30.00 each with a 12 month/15K warranty. I have the Hesco FPR, which is set at 43 psi, if I remember correctly. The Taurus injectors were a different connector style.

Thanks for the input.

T~

Hey All,
Well, I'm still gettin' the GLOWING RED header. TOO lean. I've installed a bridge plug in the UniChip port, per their instructions, tried the stock injectors, and also a new set of 24# Ford Cobra injectors. Problem persists. Which sensors would send a lean signal to the computer? The O2 sensor shows normal function on the scanner. I'm stumped and ANGRY. Not feelin the stroker love AT ALL!

HELP, please

T~

If the header is glowing red during cam break in that is normal.

Do you have a wideband o2 to verify that the overall condition is lean? With your scanner, what do the long term fuel trims look like? My borla glowed on the initial cam break-in and it wasn't until after at least 1000 miles before I felt that it was broken in properly. Tight tolerances will make it run hotter.

Todd, Has the camshaft been degreed to confirm valve timing? Also, take a timing light and confirm spark advance operation. Shoot it at the damper at idle... it should be in the area of 14-16 degrees btc and full advance should arrive at about 2400 ish rpm. Good luck.

Well, it's still running wrong. Seems to be missing on #3. My mechanic tried a back pressure test today and when he powerbraked it, the engine wouldn't exceed 2500 rpm's. We are both a bit stumped, since other that the bad cam, it had been running pretty normal before the rebuild. The only real changes have been the stock cam, springs, and the lower compression pistons and the shorter rods. I vaguely remember an article about the cam and crank needing to be timed/synced together. Anyone know of that article?