4.0 engine woes

[afjeep]

ok so a few months back my engine started running like crap. ticking was barely audible at idle but increased greatly with RPMs. it would tick but run smooth for a minute or so then start running really crappy then start over. i tried adding that valve doc stuff hoping it was a stuck valve. no such luck. so after it sat in my driveway for a couple months i finally got the time to pull it into the garage and tear into it. i pulled the head and had it rebuilt. the guy said there was nothing wrong with it and it was actually in really good shape. now when i pulled the head off there was gunk everywhere. it was BAD. i've only put about 2000 miles on this thing since i got it but it looks like the previous owner didnt take care of the engine at all so when i started using full synthetic oil without flushing the engine first(my mistake) i guess it freed all the crap up. anyway, im at a standstill b/c im getting conflicting advice from people. i've heard that its probably a cracked piston, or probably spun bearings, probably camshaft problems and one guy even said that if water gets in the wrong place it can throw off timing and valve clearance causing the engine to run crappy. anyway, im lost. if y'all could offer any advice i'd really appreciate it. i know im gonna have to tear into the lower half reguardless but i'd like to have an idea. its a 4.0 auto in an 04 rubi. thanks

Edit: ok so i feel really dumb for asking this after i said all that but is it possible too that its a sensor gone bad and i just didnt think simply enough?

[mako63]

Not much help, but I know that if you have water in the valve train, your oil will look like coffee with milk in it. Good luck. I hope it is an easy fix for you.

[airforce26yrs]

Have you put the head back on and started it, and is it still running crapppy after the head rebuild?

If it is running crappy it should throw a code or two, get the codes read and see what they say.

Does the tick sound anything like a knock or is it just a tick?

[SGM O]

If you change the oil on a regular basis the 4.0L will run forever...that being said, it does sound like oil contamination. Either from what you said or Mako63 said if you got water or coolent into the oil, which means a head gasket you would have what you found. But not sure that explains the ticking sound, it would explain the running like crap, but it you did get water in the system you should have seen it coming out of the exhaust too. Have you tried flushing it, starting over with fresh oil and your now rebuilt head?

[JoeySnow70]

You came to the right place.... To get more conflicting adice!!! Is very dificult to diagnose an engine over the net, there is too many variables... Mileage, care by PO, oil pressure at idle, did it overheated???
I had a ticking in my 97 and it was driving me crazy, I cured with ATF, one quart before I change the engine oil. I add the quart in two diferent ocations and that cured. I still get some at first stat up every once in a while...

[afjeep]

If you change the oil on a regular basis the 4.0L will run forever...that being said, it does sound like oil contamination. Either from what you said or Mako63 said if you got water or coolent into the oil, which means a head gasket you would have what you found. But not sure that explains the ticking sound, it would explain the running like crap, but it you did get water in the system you should have seen it coming out of the exhaust too. Have you tried flushing it, starting over with fresh oil and your now rebuilt head?

head gasket seemed fine. oil wasnt milky at all. looked fine with none coming outta the exhaust. havent tried the flush and starting over. i was gonna do that i think but i wanted some more experienced opinions.

[afjeep]

You came to the right place.... To get more conflicting adice!!! Is very dificult to diagnose an engine over the net, there is too many variables... Mileage, care by PO, oil pressure at idle, did it overheated???
I had a ticking in my 97 and it was driving me crazy, I cured with ATF, one quart before I change the engine oil. I add the quart in two diferent ocations and that cured. I still get some at first stat up every once in a while...

yeah im gonna go ahead and blame this on the PO. haha. no overheating. no nothing. there was no indication of the thing goin bad aside from the ticking. i think im gonna put the head back on and flush the engine and if i still have the problem i'll just pull the engine and work on it.

[afjeep]

how hard is it to swap a 350 into an 04? haha

[gearhead1985]

i don't know about the 04's but my 92 when the cam position sensor when out it ran like shit idle would bounce around so i would look into that

[afjeep]

i don't know about the 04's but my 92 when the cam position sensor when out it ran like shit idle would bounce around so i would look into that

that thought crossed my mind today. cant believe i didnt think of it before. once i get the head back on, i'll check that sensor and all the rest. if it still runs crappy i'll flush the engine and so on. but like i indicated in my previous post. im considering a 350 swap even when i get this one up and running again.