Hey all,
2000 Durango 4.7L V-8.

She started and ran just fine this morning, it did have a CEL code p0441 but it did not seem to affect how it was running. We drove about 5
miles to Costco for gas (id10t light was on for low fuel) put about 24 gallons in her (yeah I know was cutting it close) and went on our merry way. Drove approximately 3 miles in city traffic with no issues...purred like the little demon she is....made a stop at the Chiro for a weekly adjustment and 20 minutes later went to continue our day. Hopped in and tried to fire her up and the EXTREMELY ROUGH IDLE began. If you let off the gas it would sputter and die....only way to get it to run is to pump while cranking and once started keep your foot in it to idle...and when I say rough idle I mean the whole car is shaking rough idle...currently waiting for a AAA tow home....anyone have suggestions? I did check for pending and current codes...just the afore mentioned p0441.

Need a miracle here.

 

Update: I'm thinking that I might have sucked some junk up from the tank...talking with my mechanic adviser today...anyone have a suggestion for the best way to pump 24+- gallons of gas out of the tank? Not sure the old siphon hose in the tank will work these days....

 

Well dirty rotten no good blankety blank! I figured out what was wrong with Red. #2 cylinder has 0 compression. Stuck a camera down in the cylinder and saw the intake valve partially open...pulled the valve cover off (snapped a lower stud in the process and found the rocker for #2 intake laying in the head...it appears that the valve seat dropped...so I get to tear it down and do valves on both heads....lucky me...oh and I still need to do that to my 2001 Durango...luckily I have all the parts for my 2001 4.7L, just wish the beast was closer to the garage...FML

Steve

 

Progress report: As I'm working outdoors on this beast, tear down has been slow...I finally got the timing cover off and am getting ready to remove the timing chains/heads...a progress pic for anyone who wants to see:


I've got a lot of cleaning to do and I'm dodging rain/wind storms...I did put the timing chain cover back on to keep the dirt out....Also, anyone know the part number for the heater hoses that come off the timing cover and cross over the engine block? Its the hose that goes from rubber to metal across the engine to the heater hoses coming out of the fire wall.

Steve

 

And we have found the culprit:

Dropped valve seat on #2 intake valve...

Minor damage to #2 piston head...going to clean it up and run her

And as a bonus...I lucked out and found an unused set of reman heads on letgo for $275...now to get busy cleaning and installing...tomorrow time for a beer or 3 lol

 

Hope you get it all sorted out. With regards to your other thread, I personally wouldn't try honing the cylinders with the engine still in the bay.

From the look of how glazed things are, I'm guessing the engine wasn't being run on good synthetic oil and might have also had bad oil maintenance over it's life. That might have contributed to the valve seat dropping.

Good luck with it and start running some good synthetic and synthetic media filters, once you get it back on the road.

 

I agree fully that the previous owners didn't really take good care of her...I've found numerous sketchy things that previous owners did...on the topic of synthetic oils...I've heard (and somewhat experienced for myself on my '01 Durango) that unless an older motor had been run its entire life on synthetic oil, don't do it...the reasoning is that the synth oil will find places to leak where previously there wasn't any leaks...any truth to this? I know I'm replacing most of my gaskets except the main seals and oil pan gasket (really wanted to do that until I read the manual and it said remove the front axle ) but I just don't want to cause more issues...i was going to use high mileage oil on her and do a couple early changes...thoughts?

 

I wouldn't hesitate to switch. Synthetic oil has smaller, more uniform oil molecules than conventional and if you already have a leak, it might slip past a bit easier. However, I've had both conventional and synthetic in motors that leaked and couldn't see the difference in leakage.

I'm running 0W-20 with 300K, if that sums it up for you. Only thing I have is slight valve cover seepage, which is perfectly normal with 300K and which I'm getting ready to take care of soon. Already have some Felpro gaskets waiting and picked up some cheap fuel line disconnects from Harbor Freight. I don't use high mileage oil. Once it swells the gaskets, if you stop using it, they shrink back down.

 

so there is some truth to it, since synthetic oils have better detergents they will clean out any junk or buildup in the engine (typically caused by poor maintenance) and sometimes that build up is closing leaks, in this case you would develop leaks, if everything is in good shape you will be fine and the synthetic wont hurt anything.

 

IT"S ALIVE!!!! With heartfelt thanks to everyone on this board, the beast is ALIVE! Just have to finish "burping" the cooling system and tighten a couple more things and its time for a road trip!
for all



Thanks again

Steve

****Edit**** Learned a major lesson doing this project. I had never used the Lash Adjusters (lifters) in any engine rebuilds before this one...I never knew they had to be "prepped". I found out that they are supposed to be soaked in oil for 24+ hrs or so and then "pumped" to get all the air out...currently experiencing a "tick" at startup...asked my mechanic mentor and he did the Homer salute (Doh!) and said that would definitely cause the sound...should go away soon with more run time.....guess I should have googled it more...oh well on to the next project....need my silver '01 back on the road next