5.9 Misfires on 4 cylinders

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catch_kc

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Pretty wild.

Right? lol.

I bought the truck for cheap because it had a "blown head gasket" (per the seller)... The rest of the truck looked to be in decent shape and with 160K on the odometer, so just a blown head gasket made sense for the price I paid. I figured the engine would look like the rest of the truck... I was wrong.

And to think... the ONLY codes it kicked out were misfire codes. I'd expect a few more codes... maybe O2 codes, idle codes, fuel/air codes, etc... nope. Just misfire codes with burned/melted/broken pistons pumping in a pool of coolant and oil. Kinda strange.
 
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catch_kc

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Just bought a 5.9 motor online from LKQ with 116K miles. It's got a 6 month, 6k mile warranty. Obviously I'm going to go thru the motor before installing it.

With that said, am I supposed to transfer anything from the old motor to the new? Like flywheel, torque converter, distributor, etc...? Or is that just for the guys going from a 5.2 to a 5.9? I'm not sure what external components are coming with this motor until it arrives.

Thanks.
 

dodge dude94

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My suggestion is before you do anything, get it on a stand and spin it over and check for compression. Go from there.

Only thing you'd wanna swap is sensors and/or intake if it's a 97 or older.

Otherwise, the usual water pump, timing chain, plenum, heads and oil pump. With only 116k, as long as it has good compression, that's all I'd worry about tbh.
 

Yeret

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And to think... the ONLY codes it kicked out were misfire codes. I'd expect a few more codes... maybe O2 codes, idle codes, fuel/air codes, etc... nope. Just misfire codes with burned/melted/broken pistons pumping in a pool of coolant and oil. Kinda strange.

I'm guessing that the previous owner ignored the spark knock, or just didn't know any better, and pushed the engine whenever it occurred, especially in such events as accelerating to highway speed or going up a steep hill. The pistons can only take so much of that and eventually they, like the one you discovered, just give up. Hell, there's a good chance that the knocking is what blew the head gasket to begin with. When that telltale metallic knocking sound occurs, the last thing you want to do is give the engine more throttle, especially if you don't kickdown the tranny.
 
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catch_kc

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So the new engine is all cleaned up and ready to go in. I've replaced the cap and rotor, thermostat and thermostat housing, upper and lower radiator hoses, that little bypass hose, all new hose clamps, installed the Hughes plenum plate, cleaned all threads with tap, cleaned/painted exhaust manifolds, and painted the 2 large aluminum brackets that hold the AC compressor/alternator and PS pump. I also replaced all the fuel injector o-rings and painted the fuel rail. It looks pretty good, now it just needs to be dropped into the truck.

Here's a pic of the motor ready to go in... I'll keep you posted when I have it running.

20180506_204604.jpg
 

meistermash

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My hughs super doper plenum plate was warped. Was going to redo it because it blew again. Friend asked, did you check the plate before putting it on? Heck no I said, I just slapped it on then back together. Just saying.
 
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catch_kc

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My hughs super doper plenum plate was warped. Was going to redo it because it blew again. Friend asked, did you check the plate before putting it on? Heck no I said, I just slapped it on then back together. Just saying.

Damn, that sucks. I didnt look to see if it were warped or not... I mean, it didn't seem warped and the bolts torqued evenly. Fingures crossed I guess.
 

ouch1011

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Kind of late info now perhaps, but tearing into an engine with a warranty often voids the warranty. Seems kind of backwards if you are doing fixes on it to make it more reliable, but that's usually how it goes. Also, with the level of damage to that piston, you really should check the catalytic converter. There is no reason an N/A engine would be pinging bad enough the ruin the piston like that. I've only seen that level of damage on (N/A) engines with severely plugged exhaust. You should also make sure there isn't any debris in there, because the reversion in the exhaust can allow it back into the cylinder.
 
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catch_kc

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Update...

I got the new engine installed and running. Runs like a champ, smooth and strong. No engine codes, no knocks, no intake whistling, etc...

I do have to adjust the transmission cable at the TB because shifting from 2nd to 3rd is a little rough and the engine sometimes dies when reversing. Also, the RPMs are weird at shift points. But other than that its great.

Any tips on adjusting that cable? I see that white block assembly on the tranny cable has a ratcheting adjustment.... but I've never messed with anything like it before.

Thanks in advance and I appreciate all the tips/info thus far.
 

SportRam00

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You have to carefully take the locking clip off of the ratcheting part of the cable. Then disconnect the cable end from the throttle body control. While holding the cable end tight with one hand (to take up the slack), use your other hand to move the transmission cable sheathing forward or back in order to center the cable connector end over the stud on the throttle bracket. Once you think you have it centered, replace the cable locking tab, then reconnect the cable to the throttle body.

Stock adjustment is 1mm forward or back of the center of the stud. Adjusting the cable it a hair tighter (move sheath toward firewall) will give you firmer shifting. Adjusting the cable a hair loose (moving sheath toward front of truck), softer shifts.

WARNING: Do not adjust it too far from stock adjustment in either direction. This will cause shifting issues and potential transmission damage. VERY SMALL adjustments on either side of stock will change the shifting dynamics of the transmission.

I personally have my cable adjusted ever so slightly tight (cable connector about 1mm tighter than stock center). This gives my truck firmer shifting and a more responsive kick down. It may take you a couple of adjustments to get it how you want. Less moving when adjusting is more, in tis case.
 

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