I am taking a class on rebuilding engines. This engine is from a 2001 Dodge Dakota: a 3.9 L V-6. I have a 2000 Dodge Dakota with the same engine. The previous engine owner didn’t change the oil very much and the cam shaft is wrecked. Bolts on upper assembly components were Metric, lower components were SAE. Currently chasing the threads and cleaning before I start my measurements

 

Pictures are a little out of order. I bought the engine off of E-Bay. Figured once I finish it I will drop it into my 2000 Dodge Dakota and then rebuild the 2nd engine. Still working on my build sheet for it.

 

Pink?? What prompted that choice?

Have fun with it!

 

Thought I would making look like a Toy since it is powered like one....reliable little beasty though....it is going to be pink, blue, fuschia, black, but the fan is going to be yellow...I was thinking of painting a Hello Kitty somewhere on it....and maybe a rainbow and a unicorn on the beer keg intake manifold...

 

LOLOL. I like the Hello Kitty idea, and the unicorn is mandatory.

 

wanna do mine next? :P I can't imagine how it looks with 185,000 miles on it. I've abused it hard the last 1,000 or so.

 

I have a friend that would just LOVE that pink motor LOL she's into everything hot pink and black

So forgive my ignorance but, that cam damage,,, is that roller failure or simply not enough lash adjustment on that cylinder or a slightly bowed cam??

I honestlyy wish i had the 3.9 instead of the 3.7, the thought of three timing chains always makes me shutter.

 

Typically chunks missing from the cam is poor oiling combined with high heat (again, lack of oiling...) and high pressure. Hydraulic lifters don't exactly have 'lash' but rather 'preload', which is static set with factory valvetrain. Once hydraulically pressurized, there is also pressure exerted on the ca lobe itself, even on base circle.

This differs from manufacturing anomalies, which appear in hundred of miles with missing chunks (or lobes altogether), not thousands of miles with pieces missing.

 

According to the folks I bought the engine from it had 145K miles. It took me a good hour or more to work out the lifters, that old oil had turned into tarnish, and I kept spraying them with PB Blaster penetrating oil and working them back and forth with my fingers before I could get them out.
I wanted an engine to work on and learn from, it's given me that in spades. Not many after market parts available for this boat anchor though....oh well...it deserves pink. With the option of giving much of a performance upgrade off the table I decided
to make it as reliable as I can.
My truck is black, I will probably paint the engine compartment pink when I am in the middle of swapping out the engine

 

The 3.9 is a 318/5.2 sans 2 holes. Most parts that will fit a 318 bottom end or 318/360 top end will generally fit the 3.9, except intake manifold obviously.