to rebuild or not to rebuild

[bukeyechad]

89 fj62........when does one know when to rebuild the engine/tranny/etc???? are there certain signs/symptoms to look for??? is there a certain mileage???? what tends to go first??? all and any advice would be great

thx for all and any info

 

[tetonguy]

Start with a compression test.

There is along list of things to check. Personally I would start with a cylinder compression test. Specs are somewhere above 120psi per cylinder and all six need to be +/- 12psi of ech other or pretty close. If your cylinders are not balanced or below 90psi bad things are on your horizon. Starting here with bad results is a no brainer -rebuild is needed. After rings and compression comes valves and then the long list of seals. Most stuff can nickle and dime you to death so be careful what route you pick. A rebuild will include most all of the potential breakdown issues and minimize the labor involved as opposed to multiple small fixes which buy you time but no real confidence in what you drive.

 

[bukeyechad]

so i need to start with a cylinder compression test...thent hat will give me a better idea, correct?? if so, can you please tell me what i need to get to do this. i have none of the specialized tools that i need, but fell that my aresenal is going to by multiplying!!

thx a million

chad

 

[import silvia]

How many miles and how's the shifting? Smooth or clunky?

Does the CEL come on at startup and then turn off?

Does the temp gauge ever go anything above halfway(don't "account for being in PHX")?

 

[bukeyechad]

219k miles.....no cel......no temp gauge issues......taking it to brakemasters right now to have aligned and check compressions.......

 

[snowboardonsnow]

If you start burning oil or hearing knocking sound be concerned, otherwise just keep her tuned and lubed.

 

[bukeyechad]

there is a slight ticking ...i wouldnt call it knocking...my bro-in-law says its the valves.....but it is a very light noise....

 

[BG_TX]

A good sign it is time for a tranny rebuild is when you are sitting in a drive-thru and the overwhelming smell of burnt transmission fluid conquers the cab. You tell the drive-thru employee to forget it and trying to pull away from the window takes about 2 minutes because 1st gear won't catch. Then you get on the road which happens to be a business route with a decent amount of traffic and a speed limit of 50mph but you cant get the beast to exceed 20... all the while you can see a stream of fluid on the road behind you and the smell of the burning fluid in the cab. Never to fail you, the wagon gets you to your destination (home) but a rebuild is highly suggested...

By the way, I've heard that a well tuned 3FE sounds like a sewing machine, there is a 'tick'.

 

[bukeyechad]

that is a great description in regards to the sewing machine......that is pretty much how it sounds. at 219k....is that normal for these beasts to go that long without a rebuild of any sort........does it just depend on how much one beats it up and neglects it??? it is just hard for me to imagine it NOT needing some sort of work done to it. i will do a complete fluid change, belt change, wires, plugs rotor, dist cap.....and going to change fuel pressure pulsation dampener and fuel pressure regulator.....should i do diff service as well???

 

[BG_TX]

I am assuming this a 'new to you' rig? I would do the diffs as well then you know when they were last serviced, etc.

Tetonguy's post is good advice for determining next steps on the engine.

 

[bukeyechad]

ok...so i did compression check and all 6 cylinders were 150-152........pretty damn good, huh????!!!! changed diff fluids x2, transfer case oil, tranny fluid, radiator flush, alignment (but still veers right), in process of removing oil pan gasket (hoping it is the leak and not the rear engine seal), rotor, cap, plugs, wires, will grease all zerks and change shocks this weekend....what else?????

 

[bukeyechad]

so if compression is ok.....what should i check next??????

 

[Cruiserdrew]

so if compression is ok.....what should i check next??????

Your wallet. You're going to be buying another 100k worth of gasoline before this one needs a rebuild.

 

[slcfj62]

You should expect more than 300K on one of these engines if it is well maintained. If the transmission is original, you are nearing the point where many of these fail. Look up Rodney Flush for changing the transmission fluid and put a good transmission cooler on it and you may get quite a few more miles out of it before it's demise. Start saving now for a new transmission or a 5 speed swap.