Clacking Noise F134

Harold gave you good advise. I personally would remove the crankshaft and have it Magnafluxed for cracks. They often form on surfaces that get hot as a bearing fails. They may not be visible to the naked eye but they will show up with the Magnaflux. They usually are in the radius where the journal meets the cast cheek of the Crankshaft. Trust me, you do not want the crankshaft to break on you. Matt W.

 

Agree with above . Ive blown quite a few engines , well 4 and my family raced so Ive delt with a know over 10 other blown engines not inclueding what blew on the farm R). Also have the rod checked , last time I spun a rod bearing and drove home on it ,it got the rod out of round where the bearing fit in . I always spin the engine over after torqueing each rod and main and when I got to that one it locked the engine up .I had to take it back apart and carry the rod back to the machine shop.

 

The reason why I was debating whether or not to do a full rebuild is because this Jeep is only for wheeling. I do not drive it on the road and for now it will not be registered for the road. I flat tow it to JW Corbett and wheel it from there. I would like to at least change all 4 rod bearing and possibly the main bearings.

 

It has been a while but budget is tight.
I changed the rod bearings on all 4 of them put it back togeather and I am still getting the same clacking noise. Do the connecting rod have a bearing at the top where it meets the piston?

 

All of the motors I have worked on have a small end bearing at the wrist pin. And yes they will clatter.

 

No bearing at the piston pin. Have you adjusted the valves again?

 

I started the engine with the valve cover off, yes a big mess but the noise was lower in the engine.

 

The piston pins are a light press fit, The repair manual doesn't say anything about a bushing or bearing in the piston. The manual does say the pin is locked in place with lock screws. If I recall the rod end is split and tightening the screw acts to pinch the pin in place.

Since you have replaced the rod bearing and adjusted the valves and still have a tapping noise I believe you have excessive rod journal to rod bearing clearance. What is your oil pressure ? Did you have the rod journal measured ? If you didn't have it measured, if you didn't do it on assembly and don't have access to a micrometer, go to a good parts store and purchase some plastiguage. There are 2 sizes, get the .001-.003 size. If you are not familiar with the material this stuff crushes at a consistent rate. You apply the material across the bearing surface replace the rod cap and torque it to specs. Then remove the bearing and compare the crushed material to a chart and that will tell you the clearance.
The reason I suggest checking the clearance is I believe when the bearing failed you got excess clearance in the rod journal. You mention you thought the crank was ok but I have never had a rod bearing completely fail without damage to the crankshaft. I have had worn bearings replaced and be ok but you describe the bearing as being completely gone. Your crank journal may appear OK but still be worn. Another source of excessive clearance is the rod big end. If the bearing spun or was completely gone the rod could be worn over sized or out of round. In either case the plastiguage will tell you if excess clearance is a problem.

 

I am not sure what the oil pressure is since the CJ has been stopped for a while now. I am finally having time to work on it again.

I have never used the plastiguage before but will do that and see what it says.
I remember when I replaced the bearings I tried to see if there was play and was not able to feel any play now I did notice side to side play. what should the clearence be between the rod and the crank journal side to side?

Also I have never had a crank reworked before do you know what it should roughly cost for me to take it somewhere to get checked and possibly resurfaced?

 

It can vary a lot depending on what they do. I worked in a machine shop in the 70's and really don't recall specific prices. When I rebuilt the L4-134 2 years ago I only had the crank polished. They checked it for me, It had been machined by the PO to .010 rods .030 mains, but was within specks. I believe it was around $20 for the polish. The reason I say it varies you may only need machining on the rods, and or the mains. Someone had recommended checking for cracks. Also if the journal is worn to much you would have the option of welding it up and then turning it smooth. Each operation would have a separate charge. Get some recommendations for a local machine shop, check the price for a crank from a source like Walcks so you know the max price would be and go from there.

 

What about the side to side clearence I mentioned above?

I found the vid of the last ride I had wih her the day she broke. The noise got louder about 30 min after so I shut her down.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wlirio/2582844822/in/set-72157605637603477/

After replacing the rod bearing it is not as loud but same noise

 

The service manual does not give a specification for rod to crank clearence.

 

"What about the side to side clearence I mentioned above?"



The fsm I have on the fhead shows .004 to .010 clearence checked with a feeler gauge,

I see you are in the WPB area , me to, I have the fsm on my hard drive in PDF format, I would be willing to share a copy with you , we would just need to meet some where, PM me if interested.
David

 

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