1999 5.2 Engine replacement, what to know?

[sentrek]

My sons truck threw a rod bearing or something, it has had a slight knock for while but now it is too the point we need to look at a replacement. Looking to keep cost to a minimum and the replacement as simple as possible so we are not looking at changing anything, just want to do a new rebuilt long block. I am pretty handy with a wrench but definitely no expert. We are looking to do this ourselves because the local garages want about $8000 to do it and the truck just isnt worth that kind of investment. My only real concern before getting into is getting the timing right, I watched a couple videos about how to set the timing on this specific engine and it did not seem to difficult. I was thinking about throwing a set of shorty headers on it while were at to help squeeze a couple extra hp out of the new motor.
Anything else that would be good to know upfront? thanks in advance.
1999 Ram 1500, 5.2, 4wd, Automatic.

 

[Yeret]

If you're going the "long block" route, try to get it with Fel-Pro or comparable gaskets. If it's coming with a factory-style intake manifold, you might want to consider just swapping the plenum pan with one of the thicker, aluminum ones (with a Fel-Pro gasket) just to ensure that you aren't gonna get stuck dealing with plenum leaks down the line.

Try to get a high-quality cap and rotor so you don't have to worry about them for a while. It's a small matter, sure, but if those parts are 100x easier to replace while the engine is out of the truck than in it.

Cloyes 3028X is a good timing chain upgrade. Nothing fancy, not a "true roller," but it's a cheap yet good double-row setup that should be much stronger and more durable than the factory single-row chain. I've been running one of these for years and no problemo yet.

The factory heads are prone to cracking around the valve seats. Some say they're harmless, but I'm not exactly a fan of handwaving cracks inside any of my engine components...I had mine replaced with ones that had thicker castings to counter the problem years ago, but I honestly cannot recall where exactly I got them (someone on eBay). Odessa Cylinder Head has plenty of offerings, but I'm not sure if they have the "improved" castings. Of course, you could just say "screw it" and buy a set of Eddy's, but...not an ideal choice if you're on a budget, LOL. Point being, if the long block is just using a remanned set of factory heads, there may or may not be cracks. Just kinda depends on how much of a deal it is to you...

 

[sentrek]

I appreciate all the feedback.
We are going the long block route to keep the cost to minimum. I reached out to customer service, where i plan to purchase from, and they said it varies, but typically the gasket sets are either Victor Reinz or Fel-Pro.

Cap and rotor check, was planning to do that and wires and plugs while at it.

Thicker plenum pan has been ordered. The long block doesn't come with a intake you have to swap it out with your existing intake before sending the core back so making this fix while were at it.

Timing chain, not horribly difficult to get too in the event he actually hangs on to the truck long enough its an issue so were gonna have to take our chances on the new chain supplied with the remanufactured long block. It comes with a 100,000 mile warranty so if it last that long he will be set, he only put about 10,000 miles a year on it the last 2 years.

Heads are definitely not in the budget. They claim to do magnaflux testing and sim testing so between that and the warranties they offer I am again going to have to trust that what they provide is at least not cracked at the time it is reassembled and shipped to us.

This is definitely a budget fix to get it back on the road and if it last him a good 4 or 5 years, I am hoping he is a position to upgrade long before then.

 

[TXd150]

I’m doing the same with a new reman engine, I’ve worked on older Chevy engines but never a Mopar engine. I bought the longblock and have it set aside till I’m able to devote a few days to this project. One thing I came across that hasn’t been mentioned here is the oil pump shaft bushing. I don’t have the engine here to check if it came with the bushing installed and if it is I’m not sure if it’s been burnished to fit the shaft yet. The tool to install and burnish the bushing is expensive.

 

[TXd150]

Went to look at the engine and I’m happy to say the bushing was installed and they even installed a new oil pump shaft.

 

[sentrek]

Mine was preinstalled as well, however the one I bought has something wrong with it and it has been turning into a long drawn out process dealing with a warranty claim.

 

[TXd150]

That sucks, where did you get the engine from?

 

[sentrek]

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[sentrek]

Got the truck back on the road finally after getting the replacement motor but we are running into a bit of an issue. Long story short after getting the motor installed we took to the garage to get a couple things done because we had done some other work as well, so it needed an alignment, and an inspection. While doing the inspection and alignment the garage said the truck stalled out on them 3 times while test driving it. I had test driven it a few times prior to taking it to the garage and I had no issues with it stalling. Anyway, they said the code was coming back as a crankshaft sensor. I thought that was weird since i put a brand new one on it when we did the engine swap, but hey, its possible it was a bad part, it happens. I give them the green light to replace it, they do it test drive it, no issues, all is good. We go pick it up and drive it home and all is good. MY kid drives it to work the next day, no issues, all good. Day 2 of driving it to work the engine light comes on. I scanned it and it is coming up us P1391, which is either a crankshaft sensor or camshaft sensor.
Anyone replace multiple crankshaft sensors and still get this error code? Any thoughts or what the underlying problem could be?

 

[TXd150]

That sucks, what brand crankshaft sensor did they replace it with? I reused both Mopar original crankshaft and camshaft sensors when I did my engine replacement. This might be the problem if a cheaper part was used. MOPAR 56027870AB comes up as the part number for the crankshaft sensor. RockAuto has it and so does Amazon for a few dollars more.

 

[Daw14]

Only use what the original manufacturer installed, OEM .
They cost more but have the correct specs to work with the brand they were originally designed for.

Any make , stick with OEM for best results .

 

[Sherman Bird]

My sons truck threw a rod bearing or something, it has had a slight knock for while but now it is too the point we need to look at a replacement. Looking to keep cost to a minimum and the replacement as simple as possible so we are not looking at changing anything, just want to do a new rebuilt long block. I am pretty handy with a wrench but definitely no expert. We are looking to do this ourselves because the local garages want about $8000 to do it and the truck just isnt worth that kind of investment. My only real concern before getting into is getting the timing right, I watched a couple videos about how to set the timing on this specific engine and it did not seem to difficult. I was thinking about throwing a set of shorty headers on it while were at to help squeeze a couple extra hp out of the new motor.
Anything else that would be good to know upfront? thanks in advance.
1999 Ram 1500, 5.2, 4wd, Automatic.

If you knew the resources a garage (shop) has to devote to the massive project of an engine replacement, you'd understand this: 8 grand is a bargain.
That being said, a good quality long block in the PowerTorque brand can be obtained through O'Reilley's Auto Parts.
I've had stellar results with them, AND I like their warranty. Check into it, you might like it.

Add about 1500 dollars for all the "while you're at it" stuff: Spark plugs, water pump, radiator, thermostat, oil, oil filter, coolant, radiator cap, motor mounts, maybe a starter, ALL hoses, clamps for said hoses.... and so forth.

Doing THAT diligence, 8 grand might come into better focus for you. Perhaps you and your son could do it?!

I recently finished a 2002 Ram 1500 4.7L longblock from Power Torque and rebuilt the transmission. I replaced his catalytic converter/ "Y" pipe, exhaust manifolds, and every item I listed above. His total bill was about 13,550 dollars. The 45RFE trans parts were stupid expensive, though. I still saved him 1500 dollars over a reman trans,

 

[sentrek]

If you knew the resources a garage (shop) has to devote to the massive project of an engine replacement, you'd understand this: 8 grand is a bargain.
That being said, a good quality long block in the PowerTorque brand can be obtained through O'Reilley's Auto Parts.
I've had stellar results with them, AND I like their warranty. Check into it, you might like it.

Add about 1500 dollars for all the "while you're at it" stuff: Spark plugs, water pump, radiator, thermostat, oil, oil filter, coolant, radiator cap, motor mounts, maybe a starter, ALL hoses, clamps for said hoses.... and so forth.

Doing THAT diligence, 8 grand might come into better focus for you. Perhaps you and your son could do it?!

I recently finished a 2002 Ram 1500 4.7L longblock from Power Torque and rebuilt the transmission. I replaced his catalytic converter/ "Y" pipe, exhaust manifolds, and every item I listed above. His total bill was about 13,550 dollars. The 45RFE trans parts were stupid expensive, though. I still saved him 1500 dollars over a reman trans,

I appreciate all the info and feedback but my son and I already did the engine swap. After I got the new replacement motor (under warranty) and reinstalled it fired right up and has been running great for a couple of months now. Only issue is we keep get a crankshaft position sensor code so I am about to order a mopar oem replacement and try that. But it still runs and drives great, just keep getting the engine light. The exhaust system was already relatively new before the old motor quit but I did put a set of headers on and junked the stock manifolds while we were at it. and fixed the plenum leak issue with the 3/8" aluminum plate.

 

[sentrek]

That sucks, what brand crankshaft sensor did they replace it with? I reused both Mopar original crankshaft and camshaft sensors when I did my engine replacement. This might be the problem if a cheaper part was used. MOPAR 56027870AB comes up as the part number for the crankshaft sensor. RockAuto has it and so does Amazon for a few dollars more.

I am not sure to be honest, we live in a small town and since they did all the work in a day i assume whatever they could get from the local autoparts store but i really dont know. I used a Dorman which is probably why it didnt work. Thanks for that part number, I am going to get the mopar one ordered.