My first engine “build”

mbalbritton said:
SON OF A…MUTHA FLETCHER…

So last night I pulled out each lifter, one at a time to inspect the bottom face and put them back. One at a time as to have no chance of mixing them up.

Then tonight I wanted to measure the rod journals to see if they were standard or undersized. Not even thinking about it, I spun the block over and hear 9 of the lifters fall out and scatter across the floor or fall into the oil drip pan under the engine stand.

FAAAAAAAWK!!!!
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Buddy, I've been into more 4.0 and 258 than most so take the following advice.
Don't lose a moments sleep about it.
Ideally, they're all go back in the hole they came out of. But you ain't gonna hurt a thing if you don't.
Over my 25 years of wrenching and building 4 liters, you know how many times I used a valvetrain organizer? Zilch.
Rockers go back where they fit, as do pushrods.

As long as one particular lobe isn't chewed up (where it would be obvious) put em back where you wish. If you feel the absolute need, replace the lifters with some parts store replacements and rock on.

You'll be just fine man.
 
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Jody Treadway said:
Buddy, I've been into more 4.0 and 258 than most so take the following advice.
Don't lose a moments sleep about it.
Ideally, they're all go back in the hole they came out of. But you ain't gonna hurt a thing if you don't.
Over my 25 years of wrenching and building 4 liters, you know how many times I used a valvetrain organizer? Zilch.
Rockers go back where they fit, as do pushrods.

As long as one particular line isn't chewed up (where it would be obvious) put em back where you wish. If you feel the absolute need, replace the lifters with some parts store replacements and rock on.

You'll be just fine man.
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It’s one of those things you constantly hear. Don’t mix them! I know you can’t always see issues or differences, but looking at them… they “look” and feel the same. I was halfway inclined to say fuck it and not even talk about it. 😁

These lifters look brand new, I don’t see how new vs these would make any difference. Not to mention I’ve heard bad stories about new lifters anyway. If these are OE, I’m probably better off keeping these anyway. 😁
 
Jody Treadway said:
Buddy, I've been into more 4.0 and 258 than most so take the following advice.
Don't lose a moments sleep about it.
Ideally, they're all go back in the hole they came out of. But you ain't gonna hurt a thing if you don't.
Over my 25 years of wrenching and building 4 liters, you know how many times I used a valvetrain organizer? Zilch.
Rockers go back where they fit, as do pushrods.

As long as one particular line isn't chewed up (where it would be obvious) put em back where you wish. If you feel the absolute need, replace the lifters with some parts store replacements and rock on.

You'll be just fine man.
Click to expand...

Look here, this isn't the kind of advice he needs to be hearing. It's not very conducive to making it into a stroker.

Duane
 
Forgot to mention the real kick in the nuts.

After gathering up all the fallen lifters and setting them in the work bench, I grabbed my calipers to measure the journal and the battery was dead in my calipers…as well as the spare battery. FFS…
 
mbalbritton said:
SON OF A…MUTHA FLETCHER…

So last night I pulled out each lifter, one at a time to inspect the bottom face and put them back. One at a time as to have no chance of mixing them up.

Then tonight I wanted to measure the rod journals to see if they were standard or undersized. Not even thinking about it, I spun the block over and hear 9 of the lifters fall out and scatter across the floor or fall into the oil drip pan under the engine stand.

FAAAAAAAWK!!!!
Click to expand...

just admit it. it was intentional. you need to get that big cam
 
Mic’d the rod journal out at 2.095 looking like this crank hasn’t ever been undersized.

So, in my curiosity and desire to understand how shit works, I was looking at some of the lifters that are randomly organized on my bench. I grabbed a pushrod and pushed down on the lifter plungers. Some moved some didn’t. Figured since they’re mixed, why not screw with everything a little more and open one up. So I grabbed one that wasn’t moving, pulled it apart, sprayed and cleaned everything out, lubed and reassembled. Now it moves and is springy. Cool. I don’t know if this was right or wrong of me, but I figured I had nothing to loose and everything to gain (knowledge, either immediate or latent).

So I started going through all of them with similar results.

I’ve seen two different approaches online for reinstalling. One said submerge the lifters in oil and let them sit. I’m Assuming this is to fill
With oil. The other said, for used lifters, to compress them and bleed them. That you didn’t want to crank it charged with oil. That you could bend pushrods. That sounded ridiculous to me, because they would fill with oil after running.
 
mbalbritton said:
Mic’d the rod journal out at 2.095 looking like this crank hasn’t ever been undersized.

So, in my curiosity and desire to understand how shit works, I was looking at some of the lifters that are randomly organized on my bench. I grabbed a pushrod and pushed down on the lifter plungers. Some moved some didn’t. Figured since they’re mixed, why not screw with everything a little more and open one up. So I grabbed one that wasn’t moving, pulled it apart, sprayed and cleaned everything out, lubed and reassembled. Now it moves and is springy. Cool. I don’t know if this was right or wrong of me, but I figured I had nothing to loose and everything to gain (knowledge, either immediate or latent).

So I started going through all of them with similar results.

I’ve seen two different approaches online for reinstalling. One said submerge the lifters in oil and let them sit. I’m Assuming this is to fill
With oil. The other said, for used lifters, to compress them and bleed them. That you didn’t want to crank it charged with oil. That you could bend pushrods. That sounded ridiculous to me, because they would fill with oil after running.
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The only time I don’t soak is if the mfg specifies not to, for setting initial valve lash
 
mbalbritton said:
Mic’d the rod journal out at 2.095 looking like this crank hasn’t ever been undersized.

So, in my curiosity and desire to understand how shit works, I was looking at some of the lifters that are randomly organized on my bench. I grabbed a pushrod and pushed down on the lifter plungers. Some moved some didn’t. Figured since they’re mixed, why not screw with everything a little more and open one up. So I grabbed one that wasn’t moving, pulled it apart, sprayed and cleaned everything out, lubed and reassembled. Now it moves and is springy. Cool. I don’t know if this was right or wrong of me, but I figured I had nothing to loose and everything to gain (knowledge, either immediate or latent).

So I started going through all of them with similar results.

I’ve seen two different approaches online for reinstalling. One said submerge the lifters in oil and let them sit. I’m Assuming this is to fill
With oil. The other said, for used lifters, to compress them and bleed them. That you didn’t want to crank it charged with oil. That you could bend pushrods. That sounded ridiculous to me, because they would fill with oil after running.
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Soak em for an hour or so in motor oil. Install head and gasket, torque head bolts to spec, with a healthy application of pipe dope to driver front head bolt, torque rocker to 24 ft/lb.
 
Years ago I modified and forked the end of my flat bar to replace valve stem seals on my 304.

Now I’ve added a hole to it in order to replace the stem seals on my 4.0.

Works like a charm!
IMG_0587.jpeg
 
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Got the head back on. Valve stem seals, cleaned up valve train and lifters, head gasket. Just need to torque everything down (minding that pesky head bolt up at the water pump).

Leaving the bottom end for Saturday.

Got in main and rod bearings, plastiguage, all new gaskets and seals, brass freeze plugs. Then it’s clean up and make pretty time.

Looking to go HEI as well.
IMG_0592.jpeg
 
This morning, I wandered down to the basement with a cup of joe before heading to the office. I ended up pulling another rod cap to try out some plastigauge. Good thing I am going to replace the bearings as this one was scored pretty good. So, just to educate myself, I dropped a piece of plastigauge on the journal and torqued the cap back down to see what I was looking at an got a 0.002. I swapped out the bearings for my new ones and torqued it down again. this time 0.0015. Looks like I got the right bearings!

I'm going to pull the crank out and clean out the oil passages and polish the journals this weekend. Hopefully be able to have the bottom end back together and oil pan and valve over back on. This shit's fun!
 
I didn’t look, and the transmission was already gone on the donor, but would this ‘94 4.0 with a distributor and TBI have a CPS?

If so, what do I need to be planning if I stay with the a999 for the time being?

Also, is there a way to bypass or work around the O2 sensors, or be a good boy and put a Cat and O2 sensors on the YJ?

Any other things like this I need to factor, in order to adapt this ‘94 4.0 to my ‘87 YJ?
 
mbalbritton said:
I didn’t look, and the transmission was already gone on the donor, but would this ‘94 4.0 with a distributor and TBI have a CPS?

If so, what do I need to be planning if I stay with the a999 for the time being?

Also, is there a way to bypass or work around the O2 sensors, or be a good boy and put a Cat and O2 sensors on the YJ?

Any other things like this I need to factor, in order to adapt this ‘94 4.0 to my ‘87 YJ?
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The 94 doesn't have TBI injection, it has multi port fuel injection and yes it has a CPS.
O2 sensor (only has 1) won't care if there is a cat or not since it is upstream of the cat.
Are you keeping the factory injection or going aftermarket? If keeping factory, best to use a 999 from a YJ or TJ 4.0
if you're going with aftermarket injection, none of the OEM stuff matters anyway
 
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