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Moses Ludel

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About Moses Ludel

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    https://www.4WDmechanix.com

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    Reno Area...Nevada
  • Interests
    Family, destination four-wheeling and dual-sport motorcycling, photography, videography, fly-fishing, anthropology, automotive mechanics and welding/metallurgy.

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  1. Hi, Bill W....I'm following your mileage tracking with great interest! Your trip involves summits and 6% grades, even steeper to Virginia City. This is certainly not a flat ground test. We have family at Virginia City and enjoy the area. Tahoe should be at winter best...You will have a great time, the weather this weekend and early this week is exceptional for March at the Reno/Tahoe Area, higher day temperatures in the mid-60s this weekend after the heavy snowstorms. Virginia City will require jackets! Moses
  2. retiredfire...A 1904 has the application part number stamped into the main body just inboard of the float bowl cover near the fuel inlet. The stamping should be at the top, right next to the bowl cover on that casting flange. See whether you can find a number. I can verify if the carburetor(s) are original or from other engine applications. As for the check ball(s), I can provide a detailed parts schematic for the 1904 that would clarify here. A quality rebuild kit will have instructions with a parts diagram as well. I have a Holley Master Catalog that covers postwar through the early eighties. I can furnish OEM stamping numbers for a 152. A typical Scout 152 carburetor number would be something like "R-2494A" or "R-2494AAS". Let me know the stamping numbers on the two carburetors. We can go from there. If you need a parts schematic for the check ball issue, let me know...Moses
  3. retiredfire...See my comments in red below. Let me know if that helps...Moses
  4. Carib Snake...Greetings. I can see your dilemma and can answer a few of your needs, others can add to that. See my comments below in red:
  5. Zeke Cheek...Can you shift into the other gears without a problem? When shifted into one of the other gears, does the clutch pedal come off the floor some before it starts to engage? Is the clutch disengaging completely? If not the clutch, check out my video, it's been helpful as a step-by-step guide for teardown, inspection, checking tolerances and proper assembly of an AX15: https://4wdmechanix.com/rebuilding-the-jeep-or-dodge-dakota-aisin-ax15-and-toyota-150-151-and-154-series-transmissions/ Watch the video and see if you catch something that might have been missed during your assembly work. If the transmission shifted well after assembly then stopped shifting into 2nd and 4th as you describe, it could be either clutch disengagement or something misaligned. This could include loose transmission to bellhousing or bellhousing to block bolts, a binding pilot bearing in the crankshaft or loose internals in the transmission. Before diving into those issues, see whether the floor shifter boot is preventing the shifter from moving far enough into 2nd and 4th. That issue is common with lift kits that lower the skid plate/transfer case. Moses
  6. GlenH...Sounds good and thorough, too. Your method and testing should be helpful to other Dauntless V6 225 owners. Thanks for the link and follow-up! Moses
  7. GlenH...A 1/64" hole, if adequate lubrication, would not be an issue. Bleed-off would be minimal if this is a proven method. Worth a try? If the camshaft and lifters appear "normal" with no wear indicated, I would replace the button and spring just as a precaution...Be aware that production Buick V6 engines have one bank of lobes ground with a slight taper in one direction; the opposite bank is ground with a slight taper in the opposite direction. (Lifters have a convex base, so the taper is not an issue.) This centers the camshaft in service. Aftermarket cam grinders often ignore this measure and grind the lobes without a taper. This allows the camshaft to thrust forward with more pressure. Check the lobes for front and rear facing taper. A footnote: In building Buick V6s for racing, an aftermarket needle bearing thrust button assembly was often installed. A plate was installed at the backside of the timing cover to serve as a mating/wear surface for the needle bearing thrust button. The clearance and fit between the thrust button and stop plate had to be carefully determined...This was the allowable camshaft thrust forward. It's easier to use a button and spring if the camshaft lobes were ground correctly with opposing tapers. I've not had issues with the Melling K-20IHV kit. Again, gear and plate alignment is crucial. (The kit comes with two alignment roll pins and assembly spacer shims to center the gears and spacer plate.) Choice of the correct pressure relief spring is also critical. The aim is not to increase oil pressure. This pump kit assures adequate volume. If the pressure is boosted too high by using the wrong spring, the result will be a heavier load on the distributor drive gear pin. Although oil viscosity plays a role here, too, I'm guessing that nearly all owners run a multi-vis. A stiffer straight weight oil with slow pour in cold weather could conceivably put excess load on the distributor drive gear pin. My guess, though, is that sheared pins are likely from too much pressure, enhanced by the longer gears. Summit Racing (see link below) has a photo of the complete kit. Note the shim stock, two roll pins, a variety of springs and the gear tooth lengths: not extreme, just enough to raise volume. When selecting the right oil pressure spring, the factory setting for a stock 225 Buick/Jeep V6 is 33 psi at 2,400 rpm with the engine warmed. That's not a lot. With stock bearing clearances, 40 psi at 2,400 rpm would be plenty. (This is not an AMC inline six or small-block Chevy V8!) These engines need adequate oil volume, not excessive pressure. Anyway, I'm not trying to sell anyone on the idea of this Melling high volume pump kit. However, it's been in the aftermarket for many decades with successful installations, mine included. Check out these links: https://www.ebay.com/itm/253006482096 [The marketer has shared the installation instructions. This is a busy pump kit to set up properly. Center the plate when indexing/drilling for the roll pins. Use the correct pressure relief spring and an accurate oil pressure gauge to set the oil pressure at 2,400 rpm. Testing the pressure and picking the right spring are the extra steps that can make a difference.] Current best price and ready availability at: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mel-k-20ihv Keep us posted... Moses
  8. GlenH...The button pressure is important. Are the camshaft lobes okay? Is there excessive forward thrust of the camshaft that is overcoming the spring pressure? Or is the button spring weak? I've not done the oil feed modification but understand the premise. If the hole size can be determined before drilling, that could be a solution. I have always done the Melling High Volume oil pump modification/kit, which essentially extends the length of the pump rotors/gears and uses a spacer to increase the depth of oil pump gear cavities. That kit would assure plenty of oil volume if you do the modification described. When installing the Melling kit, be certain to align the machined spacer plate precisely before drilling/indexing for the included alignment roll pins (2). (The shims in the kit are for temporary use only while centering the spacer plate with the new gears.) This positioning is critical for the pump gears to run on center and not damage the kit's metal spacer, the new oil pump gears or the timing cover bores. Let us know more about the orifice size for the drilled passage and so forth. This would be a direct bleed but not much different than the rocker arms. With enough pump volume and the correct orifice size, there should be no issue. Moses
  9. Hi, GlenH...I understand your dilemma and frustration...There is a reference within the Jeep (i.e. Buick) description of 225 Dauntless V6 oiling: "The timing chain is lubricated by splash of an oil stream from which oil is directed to the distributor drive gear from the fuel pump eccentric on the camshaft." I emphasized the fuel pump eccentric's role. If the eccentric is either not in place, is incorrect for a 225 V6 or is altogether missing, that could be an issue. The eccentric plays a role for both the distributor drive gear and chain lubrication. Check this closely and get back. Did an engine builder or owner remove the eccentric and install an aftermarket electric fuel pump? Is this the wrong eccentric and not for a 225? The eccentric could affect both the chain lubrication and failure of the distributor drive gear and driven gear. Moses
  10. pesilfven...Your photos of the install will be helpful to others. This is an unusual project with the 258 intake, Howell EFI and the 4.0L cylinder head. Make sure you have good intake port alignment/match-up. You're essentially creating a CA E.O. install with a 4.0L long block engine. This will be interesting for others to see! The Howell system should make a noticeable difference in performance, electronic altitude corrections (with the 02 sensor feedback) and improved fuel efficiency. TBI is good for low end torque, and that's your CJ's realm. Have a pleasant Holiday Season and keep us posted... Moses
  11. pesilfven...Do you need to do an emissions inspection? Does this system have a California E.O. number? Beyond that, I've not installed a 4.2L manifold on a 4.0L head. The Mopar EFI conversion went the other way: A 4.0L ('95 YJ Wrangler prototype) intake manifold was fitted to the 4.2L. The Sniper and MSD Atomic have been around for some time. We followed an Atomic EFI retrofit to a 4.2L at the magazine several years ago. Again, no E.O. number, but it worked and had a clean tailpipe reading. The Atomic EFI was adapted to a stock 1989 4.2L BBD manifold: https://4wdmechanix.com/?s=Atomic+EFI. This is a 4-part series, detailed, that will walk you through some of the obstacles overcome. We took the vehicle over the Rubicon Trail (also covered at the magazine). However, despite the clean tailpipe that met low emissions, the system was abandoned due to lack of a California E.O. number. The YJ's owner subsequently installed a complete 1991-95 era 4.0L MPI/EFI donor engine with PCM and peripherals. He passed California smog as a legal engine conversion...It all depends on your aims and emissions requirements. Moses
  12. Mike S...Howell TBI has been the historic go-to solution. Howell received a California E.O. Number decades ago. At that time, the Mopar MPI/EFI Conversion was the only 50-State legal system and somewhat affordable. The Mopar system is patterned after the 1994-95 Wrangler YJ 4.0L components. Howell's conversion is built around 4.3L GM V-6 components. In 2015, we experimented with MSD Atomic EFI on a YJ Wrangler 4.2L engine. (See https://4wdmechanix.com/?s=MSD+atomic for links to all the details on our 4.2L installation.) The system worked and tested well on the Rubicon Trail. Since then, MSD has received an E.O. number for Atomic EFI retrofit on 1987 and older GM V-8 engines. No Jeep 4.2L kit on the horizon. There is simply not enough demand or volume, and the Atomic EFI unit is better suited for V-8 displacement engines. The system retails for over $1500. The Mopar EFI Conversion is no longer an option. Some owners use kit components from HESCO and install donor 4.0L MPI systems on their 4.2L. Some install the entire 4.0L cylinder head with it, which requires minor modifications to coolant ports in the 4.0L head. However, you'd run into exactly the same dilemma you currently face: No California E.O. number for the donor parts. Holley (parent company for MSD now) has its own TBI units available and legal as OEM replacement for factory TBI GM V-8s and 4.3L V-6s. This is a CARB E.O. legal replacement product but not legal for your 4.2L Jeep engine. (It would not have the peripheral parts, either, like the ECM, wiring, sensors, etc.) The units for the 4.3L V-6 would likely serve well on a 4.2L Jeep. That, essentially, is what Howell has offered, a GM 4.3L TBI unit supported with GM peripheral parts and a wiring harness. You would need Howell's CARB E.O. compliant kit. Other than registering your Jeep outside Washoe or Clark County, which I would not do or recommend, it looks like Howell is your answer for a 50-State legal, California approved, Jeep 4.2L TBI conversion that would be smog legal at Washoe County....To clarify, we're at Fernley (Lyon County) and don't have inspection requirements. I still maintain emission legal vehicles. I had access to a clean burning new R2.8L Cummins diesel crate engine for our '99 XJ Cherokee but passed on the project because it would not be 50-State compliant or legal in the State of California, Washoe/Reno/Sparks or Las Vegas/Clark County. To date Cummins has not been granted a CARB E.O. number for that engine. No vehicle has been produced with the R2.8L turbodiesel engine, so there is no EPA or California certification or emissions compliance. Sound familiar? Historically, you could run an HEI distributor with a Howell system, or an O.E.M. Motorcraft system can be stripped to the bare distributor without the gaggle of emissions related parts you describe. (I ran a reliable 5-pin Chrysler module and Ford big-rotor with spacer on the AMC/Jeep Motorcraft distributors. I describe that in my Jeep Owner's Bible.) Acceptable distributor type(s) can be readily confirmed by Howell tech support if you go down that road. An HEI distributor is a simpler, one-wire solution. Make sure it's a Jeep 4.2L retrofit. If your Scrambler were not such a cult/collectible, I'd suggest installing a Chevrolet LS V8 engine with the cats and other components that must come from the donor vehicle. (For details, there's an article at the magazine on Advance Adapters' 50-State legal LS swap into their TJ Wrangler.) You could swap engines for nearly the same cost as an EFI or even a Howell TBI conversion. Our next door neighbor sold a pristine, essentially stock 1981 Scrambler a month ago for $18,000. It had been registered at Winnemucca and sold to a Texas party. When I glanced at the 4.2L, it looked "dehorned" like your engine. Very common. Howell TBI works with your stock intake manifold (BBD style) and would be the easiest and least involved path to EFI. The engines run well and delivers far better fuel efficiency, power and high altitude performance with the O2 closed-loop system. It's essentially 4.3L GM V-6 TBI with mostly off-the-shelf GM parts, available when you're stranded at Jarbidge or Austin. In wrapping this up, you do have one additional option to consider. Discuss with the DMV or smog inspectors whether you can install a complete 1991-95 Jeep Wrangler or XJ Cherokee 4.0L engine with MPI/EFI from a donor/recycled Jeep. You would need a complete engine with all peripherals, the 60-way original PCM, the engine wiring harness, all sensors, the exhaust manifold and a legal air intake system. The 4.0L block will bolt in place of your 4.2L with minor modifications to one engine bracket. There would be no impact to your frame or the overall structure and appearance of the CJ-8 Scrambler. The 4.2L spacer/shim, bellhousing and flywheel will work as well. You would need a HESCO crankshaft damper for the 4.0L short snout crankshaft/serpentine belt drive and a HESCO crankshaft position sensor that mounts at the oil pan/front of the engine. (Your 4.2L bellhousing has no provision for a crankshaft position sensor.) You need the correct crankshaft pilot bearing, simple...In the end, this would be a later 4.0L Jeep engine conversion into your 1981 CJ, which California would allow. So should Washoe County, Nevada...Without any fanfare, a 4.6L stroker build-up would not impact the appearance of the engine, and it should still pass a tailpipe emissions test. Moses
  13. Looks great, Mike! Our neighbor just sold a pristine, rust-free and original (semi-restored) CJ-8 Scrambler for $18,000. There's headroom if you want to go that far. This model has a devoted following and fetches a premium price. Above all, have fun with whatever route you take...The Jeep is at home with the plow out front and a job to do! Moses
  14. Mike...It could be hard to tell an engine swap if done correctly. The bolt in brackets could have come from new parts stock or a donor vehicle. It was, however, a major chore to swap over from an Iron Duke to a 4.2L. Emission controls, including the exhaust system, would have been involved. The 4.2L in 1981 had the BBD carburetor and a heavy complement of emissions devices, vacuum circuits, an electronic carburetor interface and ignition electronics for emissions. The engine block could have been 1980 even if original. AMC had a habit of using carryover parts until they were gone. This was not the "Big Three" level of manufacturing. Let us know how this all turns out... Moses
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