More engine questions. Reconsidering the V8

[Kirbot]

Just two more questions??
Do you want it to run and would you like to learn something about being a mechanic.
I would say that you have enough to work with to make it run decently and there is a good possibility that if you took this on in small chunks you could make it happen with out pulling the engine.

One more question, is that a weber carburetor??

I need "A" running engine obviously, and I have nothing against the AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l .
And yes, I do wan't to learn as much as I can about it.
It would be nice If I can get it running properly without a complete rebuild, I have a tight budget for this whole project.
And finally, Yes, it is a Weber carburetor, I don't anything about it though.

Something I forgot to mention, this actually isn't the original engine, I think it used to have a 4 cylinder in it, the T-4 Transmission isn't original either.
This engine is actually out of a 1987 Yj.
Oh ya, every bit of emissions stuff is off of it to.

 

[IOPort51]

how long have you had this, do you know anything about it's history?
Do you have a set of wrenches??
open end/ box end?
sockets short and deep?
how about a timing light?

I am guessing that is a vacuum line on the carb with the big crack in it, I would start by cutting the crack off and putting it back.
Pull the plugs, keep them in order and let us see what they look like.

you will need a service manual that covers the engine, Transmission and the chassis. this may be 3 different manuals.
Call your local auto parts and see if they rent/loan compression gauges.

 

[IOPort51]

For the weber guys; in the first picture is that obviously missing part an accelerator pump??

 

[Kirbot]

how long have you had this, do you know anything about it's history?
Do you have a set of wrenches??
open end/ box end?
sockets short and deep?
how about a timing light?

I am guessing that is a vacuum line on the carb with the big crack in it, I would start by cutting the crack off and putting it back.
Pull the plugs, keep them in order and let us see what they look like.

you will need a service manual that covers the engine, Transmission and the chassis. this may be 3 different manuals.
Call your local auto parts and see if they rent/loan compression gauges.

Lets see...
My parents have had this jeep for about, oh maybe 10 years.
But it's been off the road for about three, and it's gotten allot worse in those 3 years.

For a little about me...
Yes, I have a pretty full toolbox.
I could use more sockets, but I have a fairly complete set of standard short 1/2" sockets.
And a set of snapon (found in the woods for free) standard deepwell 3/8" sockets.
Quite a few wrenches, what I don't have, dad has.
Timing light, dad has one.
I'm actually a member on owwm.org, It's a forum about old wood working machines, mostly stuff from the 50s. I have a few old tools that I dissembled and restored, including 2 metal lathes.
Basically what I'm saying is, I can swing a wrench, though I have a lot more to learn about working on Jeeps.

Will do, with the vacuum line, but I'll have to fix the starter first.
I had to pull start it the other day, when I try to start it, it just clicks.
Wire from the starter solenoid to the starter gets hot, so I assume the trouble is with the starter itself.

I took a look at the plugs, there bad but none of them are closed all the way.
They have always got crudded up pretty quick, every now and then, dad would pull them and hit em with a wire brush to clean them up some.
They could probably use replacing, some of them are missing some insulation.

I'm pretty sure there's a chilton or a hanes around somewhere, but it's pretty mouse eaten.
I'll have to get to the used bookstore soon, they always have a lot of manuals.

I'll be interested to here about the carb, dad said it was probably just from a vacuum line, but who knows?

 

[BajaEdition]

So now we have settled down

Kirbot, there is a bunch of great advice haven been given to you here, and most of it has told you to stick with what you have.
and for a reason, changing out that engine will cost tons of money
so back to what you have.
Have you done a compression test on it? In other words does it need rebuilding or just a major tune up job,, that is where we need to start.
We need you to do a compression test on each cylinder, front to back, and record the compression.
then squirt a little oil into number 1 cylinder and do a test, then number 2, etc
oh, before starting this process pull off the coil wire please. so the engine does not start.
After all that you can put everything together and start the engine, it is going smoke quite a bit for about 5 minutes, but the results will tell us what you need to do with that engine.
If it is worth saving, or how to attack it if it is not.
We actually are trying to help, and we do not want to see you spend thousands of dollars you do not need to, or see another jeep lost to a slow rusting death of project jeep. All jeeps need to be running.

 

[Kirbot]

So now we have settled down

Lol
Yes you could say that.
I have a lot options and some of them are pretty complicated.
But at the end of the day, I really do wan't to keep from getting in over my head.

My brother probably has a compression tester, or knows where to borrow one.
I'll ask him soon as I get the chance.

 

[IOPort51]

vacuum leaks make engines run like , and you for sure have a vacuum leak.
What kind of metal lathes have you rebuilt?

Lets see...
My parents have had this jeep for about, oh maybe 10 years.
But it's been off the road for about three, and it's gotten allot worse in those 3 years.

For a little about me...
Yes, I have a pretty full toolbox.
I could use more sockets, but I have a fairly complete set of standard short 1/2" sockets.
And a set of snapon (found in the woods for free) standard deepwell 3/8" sockets.
Quite a few wrenches, what I don't have, dad has.
Timing light, dad has one.
I'm actually a member on owwm.org, It's a forum about old wood working machines, mostly stuff from the 50s. I have a few old tools that I dissembled and restored, including 2 metal lathes.
Basically what I'm saying is, I can swing a wrench, though I have a lot more to learn about working on Jeeps.

Will do, with the vacuum line, but I'll have to fix the starter first.
I had to pull start it the other day, when I try to start it, it just clicks.
Wire from the starter solenoid to the starter gets hot, so I assume the trouble is with the starter itself.

I took a look at the plugs, there bad but none of them are closed all the way.
They have always got crudded up pretty quick, every now and then, dad would pull them and hit em with a wire brush to clean them up some.
They could probably use replacing, some of them are missing some insulation.

I'm pretty sure there's a chilton or a hanes around somewhere, but it's pretty mouse eaten.
I'll have to get to the used bookstore soon, they always have a lot of manuals.

I'll be interested to here about the carb, dad said it was probably just from a vacuum line, but who knows?

 

[Kirbot]

vacuum leaks make engines run like , and you for sure have a vacuum leak.
What kind of metal lathes have you rebuilt?

Good idea about the vacuum leaks, thats another thing I'll check into.
Turns out my brother does have a compression tester, I'll check it out when I get the chance.


I have a 10" x 20" Atlas, and a 9" x, I think 15", Southbend.
Oh, and I have a 14"x30" Hendey conehead.
But I don't have that one yet.

Before

After


The southbend isn't quite finished yet, but I'll snap a picture in the morning.

And, if you've never seen one, this is a 14"x30" hendey conehead.
Not mine, but it's the same thing.

 

[Kirbot]

I think I'll pick up some Sea Foam to run through it, maybe tomorrow.
It certainly won't fix it, but It would be interesting to see the result.


-Mike

 

[Kirbot]

I picked up new spark plugs, and a can of sea foam today.

Got the new plugs in but didn't get to the seafoam.

WOW! what a difference!
It still smokes, and it still vibrates horribly (I assume thats the bearings) when you rev it.
But! It still runs MUCH better.
It doesn't want to stall so easy now,it has much more power, and it just runs smother.

I'm getting sick of pull starting it though, especially with a flat tire.
I pulled out the starter out and tried running it directly off the battery... still nothing.
I guess I'll just have to replace it.

I've got a few old tire laying around so I'll try pulling the flat one off the rim and sticking that one on. I know it's not easy, but it's been done, my brother did it with 38" boggers.

Here's the old plugs, pretty bad considering they only have, probably a few hundred mile on them.
Notice the insulation missing from one of them, thats probably the one that was causing the trouble.

 

[Kirbot]

Oh, and the line coming off the the carb with the big crack in it, I shortened it like suggested.

 

[Kirbot]

I took the starter apart and cleaned it up today.
It turns, but really slowly, and it smokes a bit too...

I'll pick up a rebuilt one tomorrow, then I'll check the compression.

 

[Kirbot]

Made some progress today, but it's probably time for a new topic since this one isn't about a V8 anyway.

I'll post a new one.