mjeff87

That's where I have it chained now, but I've already got the mounts installed. reason being is the thru-bolt on the passenger side doesn't clear the oil filter mount the way it's put in from the factory (rear-to-front). I flipped it, but it's too long that way and hits the oil filter and I don’t want to cut it. I may end up having to do that, though….. Image Not Found

Gonna be installing the 4.0 driveline this weekend (engine and tranny bolted together) and am having trouble coming up with suitable chain attachment points on the block. I don't have a leveler, so ideally I'd like to do something similar to this (Chebby 250 in the pic going into an XJ): Problem is coming up with a place to attach the chain, especially on the driverside. I could use the bottom bolt on the bellhousing but it's aluminum and I don't think that would be a good idea. I could use a headbolt but don't want to risk things with the new head gasket I just installed. I could use the starter bolt(s) on the other side, but wanted to already have the starter bolted to the tranny before it all went in. Any creative chaining idears out there besides wrapping it under the oil pan (not gonna do that, either)? TIA, Jeff

No, before anyone asks…..I didn’t do this :D What happens when you don’t fully engage the pin in the coupler on a 48 foot refrigerated trailer with about 40K lbs of freight in it and try to drive away??? This: Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Crane and wrecker are en route to sling it back up and hook it to a road tractor. Trailer is ruined, besides the landing gear being ripped off, the sides and floor are buckled. I know someone who will be looking for a new job today….. Jeff

depends on what Hanna does.....I've got race tickets for RIR for me and the wife plus my brother and sis-in-law who are coming down from PA. If the race is rained out Saturday my bro and I will be wrenching, but if the race goes as scheduled we'll be there and I'll be wrenching on Sunday (they're heading down to the beach for the rest of the week). Guess I won't really know until they call the race.....gimme a call on my cell 804-720-3106 Saturday morning and I'll let ya know what's up. Jeff

The only possible place for coolant to escape from the manifold side of the 4.0 block is from the front exhaust stud, and only if the threads on the #11 head bolt aren't sealed. That head bolt passes thru the coolant passage in the front of the head, and the hole for the exhaust stud intersects the hole for the headbolt inside the head. I meant to take a picture of it when I was having my head reworked (to fix that stud, in fact) but I forgot to... Jeff

If you want to swap an AW4 in it, you'll need the TCU and the underhood wiring harness it attaches to, as well as a different throttle body that has the second TPS output for the TCU. AW4's came stock behind 2.5's from 87-89 but were a very rare option. You can use a 4.0 AW4 trans body, but you'll need the specific bellhousing for the 2.5/AW4 combo, plus the torque converter. Jerry (tjbliley) and I found out the hard way that the 4.0 torque converter doesn't work.....he ended up getting a new 2.5 specific TC from a place up in PA. I'm not sure if the TF 904/909's are computer controlled. Jeff

Thanks JT.....it's at the machine shop now getting turned. I might want to have a spare one around, just in case.... One other question on which way to install it. One end is tapered, and the other end is flat, edges on both ends are beveled slightly. I'm assuming that the flat side should be facing out, yes? The inside of the hole in the crank is conical, which would match the face of the tapered end of the bushing if I were to press it the whole way into the hole (but it doesn't seem to need to be pressed in the whole way, only until the outward facing edge is flush with the face of the crank). If you look at the pic of it I took with it on the input shaft (backwards from the way I think it's supposed to go) you can see the flat edge, and on the other pic you can see the tapered end. Jeff

Thanks B...I picked up a steel sleeve bushing yesterday that other people have used, and it didn’t work. It has the right OD to fit in the crank, but the wrong ID (still too large to fit the input, and too small to press the stock needle bearing in). Went by the parts house and we rummaged through a bin of bushings and I got a brass one one that will work. ID is perfect, but the OD is just a tad too big to fit, so I’m gonna run by the machine shop today at lunch and have them turn about .008-.010 off. Then I’ll pop it in the freezer overnight and press it in tomorrow. Jeff various parts, left to right: stock needle bearing, brass bushing I’m using, steel sleeve that didn’t work (Dorman p/n 14674): Image Not Found Image Not Found

well, I've already blown the budget on this project :oops: and didn't want to spend any more coin on the external setup. Plus I'm paying rent on the storage facility/workshop I'm in and am trying to get out by the end of this month so I don't have to spring for another month's rent. Future plans, once this is in and running, is to build up a stroker to replace it. I'll probably switch to an external when I do that, but that'll be a year or two down the road..... Jeff

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....if there is a race this weekend, you seen the weather report lately?? :popcorn: Jeff

Weekend progress (cut short by work :mad:) Ran into a problem with the pilot bearing being wrong….I’m heading to the parts store today to get what I hope is the correct one. Once I get it, I can bolt the new flywheel, clutch, and tranny to the engine and set it all in place (maybe tonight). Got the 4.0 harness and new throttle cable installed: Image Not Found Swapped HVAC fans because the connector was different: Image Not Found 4.0 ECU installed, and only had to make one splice, everything else connected right up: Image Not Found Had to swap the heater control valve (2.5 routes coolant thru the intake manifold): Image Not Found Moved onto the tranny, new slave/throwout, CPS and output seal: Image Not Found Image Not Found Image Not Found Cleaned up the dust shield: Image Not Found Waiting on the pilot bearing now: Image Not Found Image Not Found All I really need now are new heater and radiator hoses and a muffler (new cat converter in hand, too). Also have to splice the 4.0 fuel lines into the 2.5 ones, and figure out where to mount the coolant overflow bottle (once I get the engine back in). Jeff

Gotta problem going on my 4.0 swap and need some input. The engine I got was in front of an AW4 and I’m installing an AX15. Problem is the pilot bearing. The hole in the rear of the crank is setup for the snout on the torque converter from the auto tranny and is too large for the OD of the pilot bearing. I know my AX5 had the bearing pressed into the flywheel, but the new flywheel I got for the AX15 doesn’t have a center section (there’s a lip on the end of the crank that fits inside the hole in the new flywheel). Am I missing something??? Here’s a couple pics of the crank end and the new flywheel I have….any help is much appreciated. Is the flywheel not correct?? Jeff Image Not Found Image Not Found

I’m not proud……I’m a junk picker-upper. After Katrina left us w/o power for almost 3 weeks, I grabbed this out of someone’s trash pile: Image Not Found About $35 dollars in parts later and a couple cans of Rustoleum, and this is what I ended up with: Image Not Found Image Not Found It's only a 5000W, but like BLATZ said, it keeps the beers cold...... :chillin:

Be careful if you swap the MAT sensor......I snapped my old one off flush with the manifold when I changed mine. What should have been a 10 minute job turned into a 2 hour nightmare (getting the remnants of the old sensor out). The factory used copious amounts of threadlocker on it when they put it in. I wasn't having any performance issues, I just swapped it as a refresh of all the stock sensors. Didn't notice any difference with the new one, so I would assume my old one was still working..... Jeff

Just redid the head on a 4.0 also, but it's on a stand not in the vehicle. I agree the lower manifold bolts are a PITA (even on the bench!). You don't need to mess with the bellhousing bolts at all unless you are pulling the engine to do the work. Do not use any type of sealant on the new head gasket, and there is a specific torque sequence and set of torque steps to follow when reinstalling the head. The #11 headbolt (front of engine, driverside) needs sealant on the threads because it passes thru the water jacket, and it also only gets a final torque of 100 lb/ft, not 110 like the other ones. For the headbolts on the driverside, you'll need a deepwell 6 pt socket (can't recall the exact size of the headbolts at the moment, I think they are 5/8"). You can reuse headbolts one time, and if you do you should dot the tops of them with white paint as a reminder that they are on their second tour of duty. If yours already have marks on them, do not reuse them. Jeff

Small progress made on Saturday, my weekend got cut short. reinstalled head: Image Not Found put the manifolds, new injectors and fuel rail on: Image Not Found new fancy FelPro valve cover gasket (it better not leak, it was $51!!!): Image Not Found new power steering pump, plugs/wires/cap/rotor, oil and filter, serpentine belt: Image Not Found Basically, the engine is ready to drop in. I stopped down last night to drop off some parts and noticed the oil pan gasket was leaking a couple drops right in the front under the HB :mad: Snugged the pan bolts up and cleaned the whole area up and will recheck tonight after work to see if it’s still leaking (hopefully not)……everything was SQUEAKY clean when I assembled it, so I’m not sure why it’s leaking in the first place. I’ll be at it all weekend coming up, my wife is going out of town and I got a reprieve from going with her. Anyone’s welcome to stop by and help or just hang out….. Jeff

Just replaced the HG on mine and asked the same question of seveal folks, all said to install dry. If you look at the new HG, there should be a small slip of paper with it that also says to install dry. I used the same gasket. Jeff

You'll need a tool called a "lock plate remover", about $10. While you can do the job with about three hands and a couple screwdrivers, the tool makes it so much simpler. Jeff

I should be receiving a package from Jon (5-90) tomorrow or the next day :D I will post pictures of the quality of his stuff..... Jeff

Don't have a radiator yet, that's one of the few remaining things I still need. I was going to clean up the waterneck I have now (and install a new thermostat), but I might swap in a new 91+ housing and cap the sensor hole for now until I can figure out the wiring.

small thread hijack..... Can you wire an e-fan into the stock harness if your MJ didn't come with one originally? I picked one up for my 4.0 swap and was planning to just wire it on a switch (via relay) in-cab, but if I can do it factory style and let the coolant temp control it I would. Jeff

Mine was not driveable (very far, anyway) with similar numbers when I lifted mine. Got 1/3 of the way home from Pat's house and had to stop and drop the front DS before it self destructed. I reset caster to about 6 degrees and it's been fine since. But that was with an AX5, front DS is about 4" shorter than an AX15 or AW4 rig. I might be able to get another degree or two of caster when I get the 4.0/AX15 in place. Jeff

I have a spare crossmember if you need it. You can get it when you come pick up the engine :D

Got the head back from the good ‘ole boys shop yesterday, hot-tanked and broken stud (with a broken drill bit stuck inside of it too) milled out and replaced with a helicoil. Also test-fitted an RE trackbar brace (thanks Pat!) that for the most part all lines up. Not sure if it will be in the way when I go to reinstall the driveline, but it’s so easy to fit in right now with nothing (like an engine) in the way….. Repair: Image Not Found Cleaned up head (pushrods are off soaking in some solvent at the moment): Image Not Found TB brace: Image Not Found Now I can finish bolting the engine back together, and hopefully get the whole driveline back in this weekend. Next weekend is travel to PA for the wifey’s family reunion, so no work on the MJ after this weekend for a couple of weeks :cry: Jeff