97 wrangler OM617 swap
 

Howdy boys, kinda new to the site. Been a member since January, and trolling since way back. I've learned so much from this and other sites, i decided it's time to give a little back. So, here it is: About 4 years ago, I pulled the faulty 4.0 six, and the AX-15 5 speed out of the jeep and swapped in a 5.2 (318) Magnum with an automatic (44re). With 4.10 gears and lockers front and rear, the rig would 4wheel with the best of them. I didn't do a lot of work to either the engine or tranny, pretty much put em in as is. After 2 years started having trans issues. Rebuilt the trans, ran for a little while, trans issues again. With gasoline prices going up and the weak transmission, I started looking around. After about a year of researching, I arrived at diesel being my choice and the OM617 being the engine I wanted. Weight, durability, economy, and availability. And Price! Since I still have my AX-15, that's going back in as well. I started watching the internet for motors and cars to see where the price point of things were, looking not only locally but checking as far away as was practical. I decided I really didn't want to mess around with a whole car, and bought an engine that a guy had out in LA. More on that later. I have some photos I need to up load, and will add them asap.

Sorry i haven't done any photo uploads yet. They have gone from my phone to my tablet and are now in some kind of limbo till I get things figured out. I am giving myself a two day deadline to get this together despite my technotardedness!

Good luck with your build!

Thanks for the shot in the arm. I'll try to get my act together and make people proud!

The start
 

This is my 97 Wrangler on a trip in the Chiracahuas. I apologize for the goon with the grin, for some reason the real picture of just the jeep wouldn't load. So all you get is the jeeps ass, which could be either part of the jeep, or the goon!

Heart Transplant
 

So here's what we start with, 5.2 liter Magnum V8, coupled to a 44RE automatic. In hindsight, should have used the manual AX15. Had nothing but trouble and leaks from the 44RE. But when it was good, it was a blast to drive and 4wheel. I had discovered a leaking head gasket on the OM617, so I pulled the V8 to sell for cash to continue the build. My wife was thrilled to see me doing this in our driveway AGAIN! Trying to get better at uploading Photos. So far only half of them seem to be liked by the uploader machine.

Empty engine bay.

Once again, I apologize to members and administrators for my inability to post more than one photo at a time. And if anyone can offer explanations as to why some photos load and others do not, I'd be happy to learn. Moving on. So concurrent to the engine yank, I was working on getting to the head gasket. As you get into one of these motors, you discover just ho well they are put together. There was some wear on the valves and guides, but everything else was in good condition. When I felt the slop on the valve guides I panicked, but replacement is as easy as driving them out and driving the new ones in. I measured the existing guide height with a depth micrometer and carefully drove the new ones to the correct height. I can't show the pictures of the new guides because they are apparently unacceptable, but here is the engine in the stand!

Trying some more
 

Ok, so now that I have finished a surprise bathroom remodel the wife sprang on me, I am back to the jeep build. As i mentioned before, the OM617 had a leaking head gasket, so I was in a state of dis-assembly. So cleaning was a priority. Discovered that a good scrub in a tub with diesel fuel for solvent, followed by a water rinse, followed by a quick spray with brake cleaner would yield some pretty good results. Any stuff left baked on came off pretty well with the help of a HF soda blaster. It did a pretty damn good job! Pictures to follow.

So after cleaning things up a bit, time to put the head back in place. If you don't already know, that sucker has some mass to it! I made the job a little easier with some paracord loops running through a 5"-6" piece of PVC