Hey guys, did my occasional Blackstone oil analysis (but first on the ZJ's motor oil). Comments came back as follows:
Blackstone said:
JIM: Well, we have good news and we have bad news. The bad news first: this engine has an antifreeze
problem. That's a very common problem with this engine; you can see it in the sodium and potassium
levels. But now for the good news! It hasn't affected wear much yet - there's a little extra copper, probably
from the bearings, but it's not very high at all. If, perhaps, the last owner knew about the head gasket and
already had it fixed, then maybe the coolant is lingering from before the repairs and copper's dropping. If
you're not sure, run 3000 mi and check back.
So. Super. I know the previous owner did not do anything about the head gasket (or probably even know about it) and this is my second oil change...
I did a head job on my Dodge Ram 5.9V8 about a year ago. Not really looking forward to doing another one... that said, any recommendations here?
Off the top of my head, I'm thinking head gasket, valve cover gasket, clean lifters/pushrods, clean & paint valve cover, new belts... what else? I am NOT looking forward to this, I got other things going on in my life right now. lol
The Ram heads took me three solid weekends and a couple grand due to frozen bolts, snapped bolts, having to order new heads, & etc., & etc. Basically it became a top-end rebuild. Nightmare. Hoping I can knock this out in ONE weekend. Halp!
Sometimes it can pay off to have a shop do the work. Especially if the motor hasn't been touched for a long time. I had the manifold gasket replaced on my 1980 slant six. My trusted and beloved mechanic had the vehicle for weeks. I told him keep it as long as he needs, no worries.
When I finally picked her up, he said it was a real PITA and two studs broke off in the head. One of the rare times I felt good about the decision of choosing the shop.
Yeah, well that's what happened with the truck. Bolts snapped off in the head... tried to pull 'em with stud pullers. Stud pullers broke off in head. Called machine shop, "stud pullers are too hard for us to drill. You need new heads." :/
That said, I neither have a "trusted local mechanic," nor do I really have time to leave it with anyone very long because it's my wife's DD.
The head on a 4.0 isn't that bad to change. Check out the cylinder head link in my siggy. It has to be copied and pasted, it's not a clickable link. I took a lot of pictures and wrote down as many details as I could.
I've never had the head off of my 4.0, but I did rebuild a 318 many years ago. Those 4 cylinder heads (per side) were pretty heavy, and my 40 year-old back (then) didn't like lifting and replacing them. The 4.0's 6 cylinder head is probably a real challenge for one guy, even a young guy. Others, with experience doing the job, should chime in, but I'd have a friend handy to help with the removal and replacement. There's probably something on "that video site" that shows someone doing it. Good luck.
Yah, the heads on the 5.9 were probably about 60lbs each... so the 4.0L head would probably be closer to 80 or 90?
Nick, I like your thread. Making me think about pulling a JY head and rebuilding it slowly. lol I will also now have to read more about the '99 intake because I am a crazy addicted person.
http://www.blackstone-labs.com/
They send you a free test kit, it's $25 for the analysis. I usually do engine oil every-other change and tranny fluid when I change it; plus anytime I acquire a vehicle. So the Jeep's tranny & diffy fluid tested good; this analysis is actually the first time Blackstone has ever turned up a problem in-the-making.
Its not too bad. Its not fun either. You can go as far as you want depending on what you expect. If you just replace the gasket on a high mileage engine that is what you wind up with. All kinds of choices really need to be taken into consideration. If you do the gasket and the chain and gears need replacing you'll just be doing a lot of the same removal again. If money and time are the main concerns I understand doing just the gasket.
Hey neighbor/Jamie, it might be a good plan to replace the PVC/CCV valves (or whatever) if they look old at all, while you have the valve cover off .
They become old and brittle and like to break into pieces when you try to replace them and if they do you have to remove the valve cover to chase little pieces .
Also make sure that the head is straight(not warped) while it is off .
EDIT: Check the exhaust manifold for cracks as they are very pron to that .
Cool. I'll start building a shopping list as this thread goes on. At this point I'm debating pulling a JY head and working it over like gearheadnick did...
I have a 95 ZJ Limited same color as yours that is in very good shape, as in no rust, never wheeled, no dents,very good interior, 3.73 gears, tow package etc. that just sits in my backyard .
If you decide you need a parts car we may need to talk .
The only thing that is wrong with it is that it has a cracked Ex. Manifold . :laugh:
If a head stud breaks off just below the deck surface or even an 1/8" below, I have had success many times welding a nut to it and spinning it out. The weld tends to not fuse to the block material due to it being a massive heat sink. Flux core wire feed is the only type of weld I'd use to perform this.
If a head stud breaks off just below the deck surface or even an 1/8" below, I have had success many times welding a nut to it and spinning it out. The weld tends to not fuse to the block material due to it being a massive heat sink. MIG is the only type of weld I'd use to perform this.
Only thing I see is the motor mounts. It would cost more but I would go with mopar mounts if still available, or if you wish many like the poly mounts. Aftermarket mounts sometimes don't fit well or last long.
For everyone's viewing pleasure I found a video of someone nice enough to film the process. It's on a head, but the process is the same irregardless of where you do it.
OK I don't get what he did there. The washer had a smaller hole than the bolt hole, and he melted some of the washer onto the bolt? How did he bond the washer to the bolt without messing up the top bit of the threads, or welding the washer to the head? (I get that the head is Aluminum, but with an iron head...)
Now exposing my mediocre knowledge of welding... haha
To add to that, one I was taught from a machine shop owner, and I have put to use on exhaust studs that will not come out.(I called BS on it until I tried it) Heat the stud with a propane torch and get it fairly hot. Drip candle was on it. The combination of heat and wax will usually allow it to be backed out.
Going back to the head replacement, I'd recommend a yellow Roloc disc for cleaning up the block deck. I don't have a compressor so I used it in a cordless drill. Made the job so much faster and easier.
Chrysler actually recommends yellow or white Roloc discs for cleaning up the aluminium heads on the PowerTech engines.
It's not required, but you might find it helpful. I certainly did. The problem was the bypass tube, which was a significant obstruction when it came to putting the head back on. It was much easier to pull the entire pump than to try and unscrew the tube (which was pretty much welded into its threads).
If you've got an engine hoist or some other way of supporting the head while dropping it directly onto the block from above, you probably won't need to worry about the pump. In my case, it was just me and a buddy manhandling the head using a length of steel bolted into the rocker arm mounts as a handle, and we had to bring the head in from the left side of the engine (as you're looking into the engine bay), so that damn tube was right in the way. Holy crap, that head is heavy...
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