Hydrolocked Engine. Need help
 

Okay, I hydrolocked one of my cylinders:mad:, and broke a piston rod:sad2:. I was most fortunate to have it break outside of the cylinder so the wall is fine. I just bought the new piston/rod and oil-pan/gasket. (mopar i hate you:eek2:). I am ready to install them but I do not know the best way to get to it. I do not want to mess with the timing too much, and I would like to do this myself. My mom and I are doing this as a project together and we both think it would be easier to r disconnect all of the rods from the crankshaft, and remove it, then pull the old piston out and put the new one it. There is NOTHING on the internet on how to properly remove a crankshaft from the engine out of a JK and I want to do this right, not halfass. So if anyone knows the best way to do this/ has any ideas of the easiest way to do this. Please let me know : )

thanks in advance.

IMO I would tear it down and inspect the damage before I went ordering parts. Do you have any experience in rebuilding motors??

Depending on how the engine is made and which rod and pistola it is...sometimes you can do the job from the bottom. I've done it once or twice before. You have to be REAL lucky, though. Since the Jeep is so damn new though, I'll be damned if I'd do it any other way but the RIGHT way. Just pull the whole thing and tear it down.

You will not be able to remove the crankshaft from the engine unless you remove it from the vehicle. You have the flywheel, front cover, damper, timing change and pulleys to remove the crankshaft.
You really need to inspect the engine good and make sure none of the other rods are bent. Being a mechanic for the last 20 years, I have yet to pull a piston out from the bottom of the engine. I am willing to bet you will have to remove the intake and cylinder head to remove it. I am also betting that the cylinder head gasket is damaged do to hydrolocking the engine.
You really should consult a repair shop or look for a Mopar shop manual for this particular engine to do it right. You will also need all of the torque specifications. If you put it together wrong it will self destruct.
And I will repeat. You should consult a good repair shop and just eat the cost. You may be better off in the long run.

i did tear it down, and I found a mopar parts catalog for my engine and ordered everything i need, so thats not my concern. I'm just unsure if i should continue going from the bottom and pulling the crankshaft, or if i should remove the manifolds and valves and go from the top.

thank you, that is something i will definitely check as well.

Like an earlier post states. There is absolutely no way to go from the bottom and pull the crankshaft. Almost all internals in and on the engine are connected to the crankshaft in one way or another. It would be more time efficient to pull the engine, inspect all parts, order parts as needed or another engine as needed, and then begin the process of rebuilding. If you don't have experiece in rebuilding an engine, I would recommend you study all reference material before diving in. It's not really difficult, but it only takes a little mistake to undo many many many hours of hard work. I've been there, and I am sure that many others have been there. Additionally, there is someone in the "for sale" posts selling a 3.8, might want to check it out. Good luck.

keep us posted on how this goes, I think you really need a service manual at the bare minimum, good luck anyway.

okay well today was 2nd to last day of assembly. tomorrow I am running to mopar to get the bolt i need for the intake manifold gasket.

I am surprised at this tear down. Going from the assembled engine down to being able to stick my hand through the cylinder and touch the crankshaft. And putting it all back together. Without a book, without anything but a general knowledge of parts.
I have learned 2 things, no snorkel = no water. And I can be more confidant next time i tear apart my engine b/c I know where everything goes. Some of my friends and family say it was pretty crazy and redneck of me to try to break into my engine without any instructions, make repairs, and put it back together; I just say, its a jeep thing.
:thumbsup:

What did you use for torque specs if the bottom end is not properrly tight the rods will come apart.

I want you to have it together right.

Well if something doesn't work, you can try ebay. I saw an engine on there the other day for $700. There is also an X model they are selling for parts.

engines are really fragile intricate devices... its highly unlikely to break a piston rod and not score the crank, knock a main journal out of round, or scuff a main... sure it might " run" when you put it back together but all the bolts need torqued to the right spec.. and in the right sequence..what about any metal shavings that worked their way through the oil before you shut the Jeep off? cold water hitting the hot head as it came in... the new rod and bearings need clearanced.. the crank should be checked for chaffing... in a hydrolock situation with an aluminum head its also possible to warp the head ever so slightly... as well as care to be used like a ring compressor when putting the piston in.. and indexing your rings... if you are putting in a new piston honing the cylinder so the rings actually seat in.... building engines is Not *hard* per say however there are a lot of simple yet very important things to do to make it run correctly and be long-lasting...
-Christopher

Well, going off of what you said here I'd have to say that you should look into a new engine. The one your fixing is not going to last. I can not imagine why on earth you would take apart the engine on a reasonably new vehicle without any instructions.v:dontknow2:

It's things like this that allow my Jeep to hold its value... Thanks

Unfortunate
 

At this point he has done way too much to the engine to get an insurance claim.

hydrolocked, he assumed we understood...and we did, is from putting the air intake too close to the waterline of the body of water your jeep is submerged in.

i appreciate all of the posts. thank you for pointing out issues that I may have missed or that others may miss down the road. Tonight is the last of assembly, I will keep everyone posted on how it goes. again i thank everyone for their advice and suggestions. happy new year! : )

Hope your new year starts out great then!

A lot of us here keeping our fingers crossed for you. You certainly have more cajones than most of us for tearing it down, but then again if the alternative is just to purchase another engine, if it doesn't work you aren't out that much other than your time.

I'll be waiting to hear good news!:thumbsup:

good luck and hope things work out for ya. :thumbsup: Might give me the inspiration to rip apart my old rodeo :popcorn:

gentlemen, after 14 full days of doing nothing but going to work and working on my engine. It is done. It runs, runs just as well as it ever has. It was absolutely worth it.

Two initial problems near the end.

1) the belt is squeaky. I have to say we didn't set it aside properly so i have to buy a new one. (no biggie)

2) while removing the throttle-body. The clip that hooks up the electrics broke. Which means it could not actuate and get the proper airflow to my engine. (solution was to zip tie it until I can order a new clip or just hardwire it and relocate the dislocation point.)

but it runs. It runs so well, It sounds great, and nothing has ever felt quite as good as the moment I put it in reverse and pulled out of my driveway and took a spin up the street and back. I have 3 loves in my life. My Jeep, My girlfriend and my Parrot. (in that order) [haha, jk babe]. and I am so incredible stoked on life that it is running again. Thank you so much those who supported me, Thank you too who doubted me. I have completely built my confidance working on engines. So my mom and I had so much fun doing this, we are now ready to tackle our next project.... willys maybe? :)

Well done and congrats!

I have a little more faith in that mine will turn out ok.

You forgot you mom in the love portion of your post, she did help you right? As I was once told by my Auto's teacher in high school. There will only be one woman in your life that truly loves you, your mother. Time to take her out to a nice dinner.

Congrats and good work.

btw i am ordering a snorkel. nuff said

Happy new year!!!

Glad to see you have it back together and running. Sounds like you could be a good candidate to be a mechanic (technician). They are getting harder to find these days.

I still dont know how you did the rebuild with no torque specs to refer to. That motor aint going to last. Good Luck.