Builds '97 FZJ-80 Build - Mouse

[Fourt7]

are you just swapping the engines? if you are going through all that work and plan to keep the truck I would suggest breaking the good engine down and having a machine shop go through it thoroughly. It just makes sense with all the labor you are putting in.

Good call.

 

[NLXTACY]

As far as I can tell there are no issues with the valves. The majority of the warp on my head is at number 3 then back to number 5. I'm guessing that's really why I had so little compression.

Leak carefully for cracks near the valves. The head I had to replace on my build had three hairline cracks. Coukd weld or replace. I replaced.

 

[NLXTACY]

I've decided I have the worst luck. I'm so close to bagging this whole thing.

I bought an Aussie locker back before I ran into all the engine trouble. Now that the engine is out and stripped I've decided to install the locker while I wait to get my engine.

With my brothers help we pulled the third and while lifting it to place it in the garage I felt a pop in my back and I've been in serious pain since. I'm doing all I can to nurse it back to health.

In the mean time I got the third on the bench and pulled the pinion shaft and got the gears and thrust washers out. I installed the locker gears, thrust washers, and spacers and checked my gap tolerances. Way too tight. I can't fit .002 between them. The minimum is .006. I've pulled them out and reinstalled them in several configurations to see if it makes a difference. Nope! I can freely spin the drivers side but the passenger side is so tight it takes a lot of force to move it. Even though I can move the drivers side I can't get a proper gap. I can slide .002 in there.

Suggestions?

Order shims from CDAN, Beno or SOR. Rarely have I NOT needed other shim sizes.

 

[Fourt7]

Order shims from CDAN, Beno or SOR. Rarely have I NOT needed other shim sizes.

Good to know. I thought I was just having seriously bad luck.

 

[Fourt7]

Here's the latest. While waiting to get the replacement engine i decided to work on the engine bay. I spent a bunch of time cleaning it thoroughly. Some of the mud and dirt on the firewall I cant get off without spraying it. I've decided to just leave it. But everything else has been cleaned and degreased by hand.

I also decided to raise the front diff breather while I had the engine out. I bought extension hose and coiled it up to just below were the hood braces are. I found a convenient hole the threads from the original bolt fit and snugged it in. I'm really excited about how well it turned out.

 

[Fourt7]

 

[Fourt7]

Another update. I got the call for the engine on Monday. I rented a truck and headed down to get it yesterday. The day was uneventful and everything went smoothly. Today I had to rent the hoist again and rearrange the garage a bit to accommodate the replacement engine. The plan is to do the head gasket and rear main while its sitting in the garage.

 

[Fourt7]

 

[Fourt7]

Okay I need opinions. The engine came out of a '97 40th. Its very clean and so was the truck. After cleaning the garage and getting the engine set up for the HG tear down I set to it. As I worked my way to the cams I started to notice strong evidence that someone has already done the HG. Here's the evidence:

1. When inspecting the engine the head is obviously much cleaner than the rest of the engine. (Not that the engine is too dirty).
2. The HG is very very shiny and clean. I can see it without any questions.
3. The PHH has been replaced
4. There is a larger than stock oil filter on it (this is a stretch but it makes me think someone has been in there doing some maintenance)
5. (This one is the one that made me stop and think about things) According to the FSM when you pull the exhaust cam you are suppose to place a bolt to hold the spring in place on the gear of the cam. (Im not sure what purpose this serves). When I spun the cam to get the right hole in place I couldn't find it. On the one side I could see the threads where the bolt was supposed to go but the holes didn't line up. That's when it occurred to me that someone has to have been in here. They obviously didn't place the bolt when they pulled it so when they reassembled it they must have just lined up the gears and hoped for the best. It was after this observation that I started looking really closely at the HG and determined that it has to have been done.

So the question is should I still do it? I'm inclined to just skip it and install the engine and take my chances. Im essentially at the end of my budget for this truck and it would be great to get it back on the road and just enjoy it. The hard part is, I have very little to go on as far as history is concerned. The truck it came out of was getting a V8 conversion. It ran great prior to pulling without any problems. It's a good runner from what I can tell. I'm pleased to see the interior of the engine looks good. The oil is obviously used but it appears clean.

Thoughts?

See pictures below

 

[Fourt7]

 

[Fourt7]

 

[stkybgr]

My thought would be leave the head gasket and focus on the exhaust cam. Almost sounds like the timing might be off. I would verify that before anything else. Big question is did you hear the motor run before you got it?

 

[ralphy1997]

Look at the two half moon shaped knockouts on the front of the block where it meets with the head. Factory fipg used there was gray, if someone has redone the head, any ooze of fipg there should be black.

 

[Fourt7]

My thought would be leave the head gasket and focus on the exhaust cam. Almost sounds like the timing might be off. I would verify that before anything else. Big question is did you hear the motor run before you got it?

Engine ran great! I did get to hear it run.

Look at the two half moon shaped knockouts on the front of the block where it meets with the head. Factory fipg used there was gray, if someone has redone the head, any ooze of fipg there should be black.

Ill look closer at that. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[baldilocks]

I never installed an Aussie but I remember reading a thread fairly recently where the OP was describing the same exact clearance issue you have.

 

[Fourt7]

Look at the two half moon shaped knockouts on the front of the block where it meets with the head. Factory fipg used there was gray, if someone has redone the head, any ooze of fipg there should be black.

Indeed the fipg is black!

 

[Threatx3]

Did that engine in Utah not work out? I was curious what happened with that.

 

[Fourt7]

Did that engine in Utah not work out? I was curious what happened with that.

It took me forever to track down the "decision maker" related to that engine. When I finally did they were super cool and we corresponded back and forth about it. Their records showed the engine had 260k miles on it when it was wrecked and they wanted $1800 for it as is. I decided to pursue another option.

I really appreciated the lead though. I was super hopeful it was going to work out.

 

[Fourt7]

Im in the process of transferring over all the good parts and goodies for this engine. I'm hoping to get it installed soon. I'll keep the updates coming.

 

[Threatx3]

Seems a little steep for 260k miles. I does give me hope that my current cruiser with 153k will last a while.