Dodge: Engine Question, 3.3, crossed to a.a.toyota

Well, it sounds like a bad lifter or the oil galley is stopped up and is
getting ready to break the rocker arm mount, common problem with this engine
if the oil changes are neglected
Glenn beasley
Chrysler Tech
"HachiRoku" <GTS> wrote in message
news:bweld.2154$.. 

On Sat, 13 Nov 2004 07:25:07 -0500, maxpower wrote:
 

First guess was a bad lifter. Nobody I know wants to have a look!(One tech
just laffed at me, chuckling "Chrysler" as he did!)

Is there a quick fix? Like I said the guy I got it from said it's been
doing it for 12,000 miles!
 

Agree with maxpower. Valve lifter problem here. Ever had the valve covers
off? How much sludge?

It should be pretty easy to isolate the noise to one of the valve covers
with a stethoscope. Pull it off and check it out.

Don't know specifically this engine, but some engines carry oil to the
valve train through tubular lines. If you have hydraulic lifters (a
favorite of American manufacturers), similar problems. Sludge either of
those up and your valve train is starved for oil. Only a matter of time
then before something breaks. And you don't wanna know what that would cost
to fix...

--TeGGeR®


"maxpower" <net> sprach im
news:com:
 

On Sun, 14 Nov 2004 00:45:55 +0000, TeGGer® wrote:
 

Oh, I don't need a stethoscope, you can hear it loud and clear; cylinder
bank closest to the firewall, to the right of center. Ok, I'll ask you:
any way to fix it easily, or at least hold of major damage for a few
thousand miles? I'm only going to be driving it about 7,000 a year, would
like to get a couple years out of it (although the body is SOLID! and it
doesn't have the usual Chrysler tranny problems...)

Of course, it's the cylinder bank that you have to remove the intake
plenum for, it couldn't be the front...
 

HachiRoku wrote:
 
=========================================

Could be a cracked rocker arm tower in the cylinder head.

See:

http://www.allpar.com/mopar/33.html

Go toward the bottom of the page, "Rocker arms / rocker arm pedestal
breakage."

Fixing mine using the shortcut method described cost about $300 but that
was on an LH car with excellent access, and included inspection of the
other head for cracking in the same place, fortunately didn't find any;
and replacing both banks' valve cover gaskets, which were leaking anyway.

Doing it on the rear bank of a minivan could be awkward.

-GP

HachiRoku <GTS> sprach im news:PtBld.1323$063.362@trndny03:

 


Probably not. If the oil feed is impaired, your valve train will wreck
itself in short order.

Keep an eye on the oil. If is starts to show silvery streaks, major damage
has already occurred.

 


Won't get that if the valve train is starved of oil.

 


Pull the front cover. If there's sludge in that, there's sludge in the
other.

Is this a pushrod or OHC motor? If it's OHC, it's possible there is an oil
feed rail that can be unbolted and cleaned out. Again, I don't know if this
engine has hydraulic lifters or not.

--
TeGGeR®

On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 06:39:10 +0000, TeGGer® wrote:
 

Oooh, he don't know me very well. He'll find out. When somebody asks me,
is it the good one or the bad one, it's *always* the bad one! Of course
it's pushrod (hmmmm..interesting...I've been told the engine has a timing
belt...) and that they are notorius for having bad rockers. Maybe I'll
luck out and it'll just be a rocker going bad...but I doubt it.

I called a guy I know who's a Chrysler guy, he has two of them I was
scavaging parts off for the last one I had (gave it back to the guy who
gave it to me, he decided he needed it after all...229,000 and ran like a
watch ) The only 3.3 he had was flood damaged and seized, otherwise
"...I'd just give it to you..."