Decided to just pull the engine to change out the flexplate. I have an engine hoist but don't have a lift so may be easier for me and I can clean the engine bay, re-wrap all of the sensor wires and reseal the engine while I have it out.

Plug wires look new but look like tiny parts store wires, I'll replace those with kingsborn 8mm while I'm at it.

Looks like a new K&N air filter, should I take that out and put in a wix or something else? I've read that K&N are no good in these engines and can mess up the MAF? Is that a fact jack or did someone just have a bad MAF and blamed it on the K&N filter?

Hope when I get it back together the problem will be fixed and the broken flex plate hasn't wrecked the torque converter or front pump. No way to know till I get it back together I guess? No fluid in the bell housing so maybe I'll be ok?

 

No 1st hand knowledge but I think the oil type filters are problematic for maf. I go with cheap paper type.

 

so are you going to pull the motor and put it back in the blue one? or are you going to put the motor in the original 04 project?
you original plan was to build a motor for your 04 project correct? here you go, drop it in part everything else out.

 

Tough call Jim. This is not exactly the truck I had in mind as my project build, it just happened to fall in my lap.
I'll have to get this engine out look it over and decide from there what to do. One of the first things I need to do is see if I can find out if LR replaced this engine under warranty.
If I knew more about the overall condition of this truck it would be easier to make decisions but, I wasn't able to drive it due to the broken flexplate. I ran it but couldn't drive it.
I was making some headway yesterday on removing the engine until the wife's riding mower took a crap...had to stop and work on that.
Will get back to it today.

 

the flex plates do crack that is one of the sources of engine ticks. But broken; I would wonder if the tranny was dropped for whatever reason and the converted was not install correctly when reinstalled.

 

Yea flexplate is completely broken. I took the bolts out from the torque converter and can spin the flexplate with my finger. doesn't look like the trans has been dropped recently. The guy I bought it from drove for a little over a month before the flexplate broke, so my thinking is if the trans had been dropped and the torque converter installed incorrectly, he probably wouldn't have been able to drive it it for a month?
I found receipts in the truck from when he bought oil and filter for the engine and put them in saturday a week ago ,right before it broke so I know it wasn't giving him problems then or he wouldn't have been changing the oil and filter for the engine. It broke on him last monday, so he didn't get anything done since then for sure. Maybe the flexplate had cracks and he kept driving it and then just broke? Who knows!
I won't know till I get it back together. I will make sure the torque converter is seated correctly when I get it opened up. Wonder if I should pull the torque converter out and inspect the end if it to see if buggered up? Can I tell if it has problems from just inspecting the torque converter and outside of pump? Then I would be afraid I wouldn't get the tc set back in right. haha!

 

I'm also rebuilding my 4.0 and transmission, but in my backyard. It's been fun ripping everything apart so far. I'm amazed to see the shortcuts people take when working on engines. The plug to see the flex plate bolts was missing. There were only three bolts that connected the flex plate to the torque converter, instead of four. I'm scared and intrigued about what else I'll find. It has 185k and I think after some work it'll go a good while longer.

I'd also like to know how to check the transfer case for problems. I have an 00, so I don't know if it is the same as your 03 TC, but if so, I'd like to know what to inspect.

I've read a number of people warn about improperly mating the engine and torque converter after an engine rebuild and killing the transmission. How do you do it improperly or properly?

Also, do you plan on assembling your transmission and engine together and then dropping them both in through the top (can that even be done?) or doing it separately? I'd like to have everything on the timing cover as well as up to the plenum, and then bolt the transmission and engine together, and then drop it all in and connect to the transfer case. That would be ideal. It would make all of the reassembly much easier!

Last question, does anyone know if the 4.0 sleeves have issues slipping or if it's only the 4.6 sleeves? Mine look fine, but if it's a known issue, I'll go have it pressure tested.

 

This thread is a little convoluted as my original project of rebuilding a 00 4.0 engine to put in an 04 truck has kind of morphed into pulling the engine in an 03 and putting in a new flexplate, inspecting, pressure testing and resealing the engine.... because I bought an 03 with a 4.6 while I was working on the 4.0 engine. Soooo, looks like I have two projects going at the same time. Not sure yet which direction this project will go. I probably should have started a new thread on the 03.

You may have better luck if you start a separate thread with your project. You may get more help with a fresh thread. People are very helpful here and I'm sure you will have a ton of questions before you're done.

About your questions:

"I'd also like to know how to check the transfer case for problems. I have an 00, so I don't know if it is the same as your 03 TC, but if so, I'd like to know what to inspect."

TC in my above posts = torque converter. I should have been more clear. I'm not taking the transfer case out on this one. I hope!


"Also, do you plan on assembling your transmission and engine together and then dropping them both in through the top (can that even be done?) or doing it separately?"

It probably can be done if you have a hefty enough hoist or an A-frame. I am not planing to pull the transmission out of this one at this time if I can help it.

"Last question, does anyone know if the 4.0 sleeves have issues slipping or if it's only the 4.6 sleeves? Mine look fine, but if it's a known issue, I'll go have it pressure tested."

If you have it all apart I would definitely have it pressure tested. I think the 03 and 04 sleeves had the most problems slipping and are more common in the 4.6 but, if it was ever ran hot they could slip in the 4.0 bosch blocks as well. I think in the 00 discovery they used the same block for 4.0 as the later 4.6 just a different crankshaft, rods and pistons. Do some searching on slipped sleeves and/or slipped liners and you may find more info on that.

Good luck with your project I look forward to following along as you work on it.

 

[QUOTE=

Good luck with your project I look forward to following along as you work on it.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the info. Your project has options. Usually that's a good thing. I my case, I'm kinda happy I don't, because I would never get anything done on it and just let it sit while trying to decide. Good luck on yours.

I am getting a larger cherry picker to drop it in. The hoist I used to pull my block barely reached it. I had to remove the passenger side tire to get it in there far enough. I couldn't go at it from the front because I was too lazy to remove the ARB bumper.

So the 4.6 and the 4.0 blocks are identical? Crazy. Different pistons, stroke, or bore? I guess you answered that with the crankshaft. I'm going to look into a 4.6 crank, now. Just for the heck of it.

And yeah, I'll start my own thread so I don't hijack yours. Thanks and best of luck!

 

"Thanks for the info. Your project has options. Usually that's a good thing. I my case, I'm kinda happy I don't, because I would never get anything done on it and just let it sit while trying to decide."

I'm bad about that too. I have unfinished projects that go back 20 years. I am pulling the 03 engine out now though so maybe I'll stay on it. But as slow as I am I may have to cosmoline the 4.0 block sleeves to keep them from rusting while I work on this 03

I just finished head gaskets, rebuilt heads, timing gears, oil pump gears and more on my other 03 so maybe it'll stay running while I work on this one.

"I am getting a larger cherry picker to drop it in. The hoist I used to pull my block barely reached it. I had to remove the passenger side tire to get it in there far enough. I couldn't go at it from the front because I was too lazy to remove the ARB bumper"

That's not lazy that's using your head. I only have one of the harbor freight 2,000lb hoist/cherry pickers but at full extended length it is only 500lb capacity. I have used it to pull SBC engines though so plenty enough for a rover engine. don't know if it would pull a rover engine and trans together.

"So the 4.6 and the 4.0 blocks are identical? Crazy. Different pistons, stroke, or bore? I guess you answered that with the crankshaft. I'm going to look into a 4.6 crank, now. Just for the heck of it."

Yep, you can drop a 4.6 rotating assy right into 4.0 block. Bore is the same, just stroked with a new crank, rods and pistons. Some say you can use the 4.0 pistons with a 4.6 crank and connecting rods and get a higher compression ratio. I think the piston dish is a little different? also some say the 4.6 may have a little more aggressive cam so you may want to change that too.


Member Abran has a 4.6 crank and rods for sale now...or he did a few weeks ago. He also has the pistons, flywheel and balancer if you wanted all of that matching from the same engine.
There's also Paul Grant, Will Tillery, Drillbit and other members that sell used parts and may have what you are looking for if you decide to go that route.

And yes if you have a good 4.0 block and it's torn down already I would take it to a machine shop and have it gone over... pressure tested, maybe line bored and everything checked for square, deck surfaces checked, and new cam bearings, maybe a new crower cam, and yes on the 4.6 crank and rods if you don't mind spending the extra money on all of that. If it has a lot of miles on it, it is probably overdue for cam bearings and if you put in new cam bearings you should also put in a new cam and if you put in a new cam you probably should put in new lifters. also check you your timing chain and gears and oil pump gears while it's down .haha. One thing leads to another on these... I think it never ends!

"The torture never stops" FZ

I will be looking for the thread on your project and will be following along.