Cheech

I'm not sure if that stud is threaded into the water jacket, but I know for a fact that the front head bolt on that side of the engine threads into the water jacket. The service manual calls for some pipe dope or something similar to be applied before installation. Any chance that its coming out of this head bolt??

If you hear nothing when you turn the key, then it means the relay or selenoid is not working.

Hey, no problem. Glad you got it tightened up.

I believe to tighten the PS belt on the 2.5 you must first loosen 3 bolts on the bracket. One is on the back side of the pump (towards the driver), the second is between the pulley and the mounting bracket (you will need a box wrench for this one), and the last is the long bolt that goes through the entire mounting bracket. I'm pretty sure the long one is a 15mm head. Once those are loose take a 1/2 inch drive ratchet and snap it into the hole on the back side of the mounting bracket and twist it either up or down to tighten accordingly.

When I removed the top seatbelt bolts I used a set of vice grips. Even then it was pretty tough, I really had to clamp them down tight.

I just did the RMS on my 2.5, super easy once the engine is out/tranny pulled. Just pry out the old one being carfull not to score the crank, and tap in the new one using a socket/piece of pipe/punch. You shouldn't hurt the seal because it taps in real easy.

I'm not exactly sure what this part is called, but what I'm talking about is the flimsy coil-like hose that runs between the air filter box and the throttle body. Mine is in pretty rough shape and I was wondering what people are using for replacments? Can you use someting else or do most people get a new one from the dealer (if available)?

It is the correct gasket, it just seems like the raised rib of the gasket will not fit properly into the groove of the valve cover.

I know this was been discussed recently, but my question differs slightly. The new valve cover fasket that came in my kit doesn't seem to fit properly, its almost like its a little too big. So I will ask: Is there any problem if I use RTV instead of the rubber gasket that came in my kit?

Also, I forgot to ask: do you need to add any sealing compound to the gasket or just install it dry?

So, about to put my head back on but I am a bit confused about the torque spec I should go by. My Haynes manual says that the 84-87 models use a stamped steel gasket and should be torqued to 85 ft/lbs, and the 88 and later use a composition gasket and get torqued to 110ft/lbs. Now, the gasket I removed was a steel gasket but the new one that came in my kit is of the newer composition type. So my question is: do I use the 85 or the 110 ft/lb torque spec, and is there any difference in the engines to accout for these differences in numbers or is it strictly related to the gasket being used?

Last summer I had to replace a front hub assembly on our 2001 Ram 2500, and what a pain that was. Tried beating it with a hammer, then a bigger hammer but still nothing. 8 years of Canadian winters takes its toll. So here's how I got mine off: I wanted to get a cold chisel in to drive it away from the steering knuckle but it was too tight. So I took the sawzall and turned the speed right down and cut very slowly down in between the steering knuckly and the hub assembly about an 1/8 of an inch, just enough to get my chisel started. Took my hammer and chisel and after a couple good hard hits it started to separate. If you take your time and be careful you should only cut the hub assembly and not hurt the steering knuckle.

I'm in the process of replacing all the seals and gaskets in my 2.5 and came across a question. The new gasket set comes with both 8 valve seals and also 8 deflectors. The engine currently has deflectors on them, but the kits says to fit the 1986 engines with the actual seals. Which should I use?

Sorry guys, didn't mean to start a big argument when I made the comment about paying for the tow hooks. Here in Ontario, our farm is on a very busy stretch of provincial highway, and it is not uncommon for a few people every winter to come to the house looking for a tow because they ditched it out on the road. We always use our big 4WD John Deere tractor to do the job, as long as its not too dangerous. Usually people offer 20 bucks or so for a tow. In reality that 20 bucks is a lot cheaper than what the tow company charges.

LOL. If I pull enough people out it might pay for the hooks. :D

I'm pulling the engine by itself. I guess I will have to either roll it back down the ramps or use my floor jacks and lift it off the ramps. I decided to use the ramps for safety sake (I'm doing this job outside because the shed is still full of farm equipment that was stored for the winter, and I figured that the ramps were safer than stands on the soft ground) and because it gives me more room to work side to side under the truck. I will definitely look into the tow hooks. They look like a good idea. If I do have to pull by the axle again, where is the best spot? I wraped the chain on the drivers side of the diff pot where the axle tube slides in. Seemed like the stongest side since its close to the control arms and the axle tube is much shorter (less chance to bend than if pulling in the middle of the axle).

So I was back working on my engine removal yesterday, and I needed to get the truck up in the air. I decided to use my ramps but I'm far enough along that the MJ will not run under its own power now. I had to use the front axle as the pull point to get it up on the ramps because I couldn't find any other spot. I realize that the axle isn't the best spot to pull on, but it was a pretty easy pull up onto them. I got me thinking, where is the best spot to pull from if you don't have front tow hooks???

Okay thanks :D . Thats a good idea. I wasn't going to pull on the intake manifold, I was just looking at how the chain would fit down through the manifold and hook onto the engine mount on the drivers side. I noticed that the chain wouldn't pull straight up, but would kinda hit the manifold as it would become tight.

Anyone??

Thanks for the info, I will definitely check the bearings once the pan is off. Is there any other spots to hook onto the engine to pull it out? I can hook onto the engine mount bracket on the passenger side, but I'm not sure if I can feed the chain down through the intake manifold and hook onto the bracket on the drivers side. I'm just afraid of breaking the intake manifold if the chain gets up against it when I'm lifting it. Or am I worrying too much?? :dunno:

I did think about rebuilding it. I guess I will find out if its necessary once its out of the truck. The engine has about 180,000 kilometers (110,000 miles) on it but its still runs good, although it does have a bit of a knock sometimes. Did you remove any of the intake first before pulling the engine out?

Hey everyone, I'm planning to pull my 2.5L 4 cylinder engine out to replace all the gaskets. Just wondering where the best lifting points on the engine are?? I'm going to use one of our tractors to lift it out. I was also planning on taking the engine out by itself and leaving the transmission and transfer case in the truck. Does anyone have any tips or tricks and any other things I should do while I have the engine out? Its an 86 3 speed auto.

Who made the 3 speed transmission in my truck?? edit: I should say who make the 3 speed in the MJ's??

I am running stock size tires. I do basically all highway with a little driving around the farm, but not much really. For speed I usually stick to 90 kilometers/hour. Even at that speed the engine really has to rev. The truck has about 183,000 kms on it.

Well, I have been driving the MJ quite a bit more and have finally run a few tanks of fuel through it. I have been writing down the kilometers at every fill up. Filled up tonight, and as long as all my conversions are correct, I am pulling only 15mpg. Not sure what to make of this. Its an 86 2.5 TBI 4x4 , with the 3 speed auto. I am assuming the high rpms that I have to run at hurts the fuel economy a fair bit. What are others getting with this engine/trans setup?