I ported my head gasket...

[Spliffotticle]

I ported my head gasket for the coolant journals that are usually blocked then did away with a clutch fan because I didn't have room but the electric fan is still there. Using the heat doesn't bring the perfect 210 temp down any but it's been above 60* outside since I started it up for the first time.. Has anyone else ever done this with their head gasket? Do any just come like that so I can just buy it that way in the future?

[92tank]

no they come the way they do so that all cylinders cool evenly. with all holes open the coolant doesnt flow as well around the whole block, so #6 runs hotter than #1

[IH 392]

YEP!, if AMC wanted the water to flow that way they would have made it that way, and the belt driven clutch fan will pull twice to four times as much air as ANY! electric POS fan, when the ambient temps rise you'll likely have over heating issues.

[gradon]

I can't speak for the autos, but 2 stock e-fans(I started w/ 96 8-blades, but now have 97+ 10-blades) work great at keeping my AX15 Jeep at 210* in 90+* stop and go traffic w/ the AC on.

[Spliffotticle]

YEP!, if AMC wanted the water to flow that way they would have made it that way, and the belt driven clutch fan will pull twice to four times as much air as ANY! electric POS fan, when the ambient temps rise you'll likely have over heating issues.

lmao.... another person who thinks the people @ the car plant don't make mistakes. did amc design their engines to foul #6 due to low fuel pressure and poor heat control? Because I'm pretty sure that is a common problem with stock 4.0s. lolso, if the temp rises much more then the trees will catch on fire. re-read my post to know what is going on, thanks

[Spliffotticle]

no they come the way they do so that all cylinders cool evenly. with all holes open the coolant doesnt flow as well around the whole block, so #6 runs hotter than #1

I ported mine with small enough holes that it doesn't drop the flow pressure really. I thought I seen a pic of one like it once but couldn't locate it. That's how I got the idea to look. plus, if I want I can hook up the t-stat to the head on #6 bc I have a 95 head & that's where it was in that year.

[Spliffotticle]

I can't speak for the autos, but 2 stock e-fans(I started w/ 96 8-blades, but now have 97+ 10-blades) work great at keeping my AX15 Jeep at 210* in 90+* stop and go traffic w/ the AC on.

do you still have a clutch fan? I was surprised to find it was not necessary with mine. but the proof will be when it gets 10* snowing and the heater still works.

[SilverXJ]

another person who thinks the people @ the car plant don't make mistakes. did amc design their engines to foul #6 due to low fuel pressure and poor heat control? Because I'm pretty sure that is a common problem with stock 4.0s.

No, its not a common problem.

[amcinstaller]

ugh, i was gonna try and stay out of the iminent pissing match, but here goes: no, i dont think the auto manufactures make NO mistakes but nobodys perfect. i think that while clutch fans and solid fans (for those nineteen never cars that still have those) do move alot of air, sometimes the constant air flow isnt needed or wanted (cold startups in the winter, for those of us that actually have real winters) and if electric fans were so terrible, why doesnt every front wheel drive car on the road break down on hot days? around here anyway, summer gets to about 30*C and i actually see about a 50/50 of front wheel drive sideways engine cars broke down to trucks and suvs with traditional engine mounting. also, ill second silver and say that i havent heard many 4.0s over having problems with just the number 6 hole

[Spliffotticle]

another person who thinks the people @ the car plant don't make mistakes. did amc design their engines to foul #6 due to low fuel pressure and poor heat control? Because I'm pretty sure that is a common problem with stock 4.0s.

No, its not a common problem.

apparently you aren't out servicing vehicles as a mobile mechanic for a living while periodically disassembling 4.0s for various reasons and noting mentally any significant info.... such as puckered #6 pistons more than any other piston. It's like I see a ton of subaru 2.5 cars are in a junkyard for burning down but not the 2.2 & 2.0s. Is the 2.5 prone to fires? The proof is in the pudding. The jeep just suffers from convection more than anything and the coolant is always @ a state of flash boil around the combustion chamber so instead of liquid carrying away heat you make vapor do it. Then you feed a fuel rail in series and think you keep the same injection amount across the board? C'mon you know you wanna drill holes in a "perfectly good" head gasket

[IH 392]

First I've ever heard of the back of the engine fouling out the plug?, my brother worked at a wrecking yard for a while and he said the both ends of the engine seemed to be not as clean as the centers?, we figured it was air/fuel distribution ?

OE electric fans are better than any aftermarket one, I've over heated to many of my own engines trying to get the last HP out of them by removing the belt driven fans!, no more electric fans for me!, and FWIW the electric fans on my Olds and Focus seem to NEVER! turn off during the summer!?, the radiators on either of those little aluminum headed four bangers are almost as big as the one in my Jeep cooling that hunk of IRON that's twice as big. (2.3 & 2.0 vs the 4.0)

If you think you know more than the manufacturer that produced the engine from 1964 to 2006 go for it!

[gradon]

Yes, I removed the mech fan, pounded out the shaft, used a shorter 2045mm belt that only 1/4 wraps the alternator, and my brother welded on tabs to mount the 2nd efan in that location. There's pics in my project thread. I had a $17 fan controller mounted near the battery, but that bit the dust last year, so when I do my 2awg main upgrade(years in the queue), I'll wire the 2nd fan to turn on from a relay when the 1st fan gets turned on.

[92tank]

well on the fouling issue, it could be a weak intake valve seal causing it OR bad rings. i have a 91 that only fouls #1 all the rest come out looking like new. BTW plugs foul due to too much fuel (or oil (2-stoke)) so low pressure would help.

on the head gasket porting any hole lowers the flow rate

i have a 95 head as well(91-95 are the same 7120 head) and the only thing i can put by #6 is the temp sensor for the gauge (HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH T-STAT. that opens and closes without the compters help) t-stat is in the front of ALL 4.0 heads

i also have two e-fans (only need one for on the road) but no a/c. the only thing the belt runs is the water pump power steering and alt. the only time i need both fans is on the trails or in the dunes

[SilverXJ]

apparently you aren't out servicing vehicles as a mobile mechanic for a living while periodically disassembling 4.0s for various reasons and noting mentally any significant info....:

Apparently you don't know what the hell you are talking about. 1) I am a mechanic, 2) I've taken apart plenty of 4.0Ls and owned several 4.0L Jeeps that have had well over 200,000 miles on the original engine. I have also been on several forums and there is no common problem with the #6 fouling plugs. Besides how does lack of fuel foul plugs?

[Cheromaniac]

I ported my head gasket for the coolant journals that are usually blocked then did away with a clutch fan because I didn't have room but the electric fan is still there. Using the heat doesn't bring the perfect 210 temp down any but it's been above 60* outside since I started it up for the first time.. Has anyone else ever done this with their head gasket? Do any just come like that so I can just buy it that way in the future?

Firstly, if you're only running that single auxiliary factory electric fan you have a problem right there. It won't pull in enough air by itself. Since you've ditched the stock clutch fan, you'll need to substitute it with a second electric fan. I've been running a dual electric fan set up in my Jeep for 11 years and it's stood the test of time, including 120*F summer temps.

http://www.angelfire.com/my/fan/electric.html

Secondly, I don't think that porting the head gasket helps any. The no.6 cylinder may run hotter than the others ???? being at the rear of the engine and furthest away from the water pump (never been an issue AFAIK), but a high-flow water pump can fix that. I have a Flowkooler and the difference it makes compared to the stock pump when the engine's under load (scaling a long incline) is noticeable.
Thirdly, I recommend a 180* t'stat if you live in a warm climate (boiling hot in my case) to keep the cylinder head temp. down and reduce the chance of pinging. My engine only runs higher than 180* when I'm in slow traffic, idling, or when the outside temp. is above 105*F (it's around that temp. right now actually).
Finally, all the above upgrades won't prevent your engine from running hot if the radiator is stuffed up to the eyeballs with rust and limescale. A new 2-row OEM radiator is certainly up to the job of cooling the engine even in extreme heat and I wouldn't use anything else as long as I still have a Jeep inline six.