Nightmare Stroker Build, Need Help

[tylerkxj]

Hello all,

I'm at my wits end with my stroker build and need to get some ideas going. I'll start with the specs:

99 XJ
Short Block was assembled by S&J Engine out in WA, using parts from Russ.
449 Block casting
Russ Racetec 3.905 Pistons
Russ Steel Bushed Rods
SCAT Pro Comp Stroker Crankshaft 9-4.2L-3895
2M667 .030 Rings
Manley 25849 Rods
Comp 68-236-4 Cam (Not the original cam, this will come into play later)
Rollmaster Double Roller Timing Set

I ordered the rest of the parts I needed from Russ, and put the head on the shortblock myself.
Comp 822-12 Lifters
Stock Rockers
24LB Bosch Injectors
MAHLE 54249 Head Gasket
Russ Ported Intake
Russ Ported Head

Part 1: Bell Housing Noise

After 8 months of having my Jeep out of commission (decided to rehab everything in the engine bay when I did the swap), finally got the motor put together, everything installed and buttoned up. Full oil pressure primed before starting. First sign of trouble was a fast knocking I heard on startup. I ended up determining this was coming from the trans/bell housing area, but never could figure out why. I confirmed by removing the trans and running the motor with just the bellhousing on it and the noise was clear as day, it almost seemed like the new flex plate was making contact with something.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Te1KH3GchEkwMDv5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/8Te1KH3GchEkwMDv5

I put back in an OEM used flex plate from a friend and tried again, trans still removed. I didn't hear a noise so I reassembled everything. With the trans back on, I heard the noise again, but improved from last time. This is still an issue, just now overshadowed by even worse issues.One thing I did notice is that my new oil pan was pushing the thin plate between the motor and the trans out toward the converter, maybe about 1/8", but at the same time I could not see it contacting anything, and didnt see any evidence of the flex plate bolts making contact either.


Part 2: Cam Gear Failure
After far too much extended idling trying to diagnose the first issue, I did eventually do the break in at ~2500 rpm. At this point the motor probably had an hour of run time total. Noticed that at idle my distributor was wobbling around. Pulled the distributor to investigate, and saw some pretty bad wear on the distributor gear, and unfortunately also the cam gear down in the block.

20260413_180205.jpg

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While struggling to figure out the cause of that issue, I also discovered that both oil pump drive ears had broken off when they came out with a magnet. They were broken in a way that still allowed them to turn the pump, and the motor always had full oil pressure.

20260413_183102.jpg

My assessment at this point was that I must have broken one or both drive ears while priming (too much gusto on the drill), which then caused the distributor wobble which wiped out the dist and cam gears.

I proceeded to then reluctantly start to tear down my new motor. With the heads off, I noticed a good amount of scuffing in the cylinders, but Russ and S&J did not seem too concerned. I did have at least one vertical score which caught a fingernail that I was not happy about, but it's definitely possible that it was caused by debris and thus my fault. Ultimately their advise was just to run it, but I am not happy about the state of it.

20260504_055845.jpg

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Draining the oil showed 0 signs of any issues. Oil was clean with a slight grey cloudiness from the coatings on the cam and rings.

I tore down the motor and removed the cam without issue, but with much difficulty since I opted to leave it in the truck.

(I guess I can't attach more photos so I will have to use links from here on)
Cam gear damage:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4kRkc9rowgUuYuh58

I did not like the state of the forward-most cam bearing, but again I spoke to Russ and S&J and they were not concerned. I buffed it with scotch brite as they suggested and it cleaned up mostly fine.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QetoRf2RKVGJ9gFr5
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Pvi4akGGHCzbWFfw9

The cam itself as well as the lifters showed absolutely 0 damage/signs of wear other than the cam gear. I was worried about the extended idling before break in but it did not seem to cause any issues. Again oil was clean as well.

The next issue I faced was that the original comp cam Russ spec'd (thrust plate style) is no longer available, so I had to switch to the older cam button style and a new timing set. I ordered these from Russ and installed the cam with tons of comp cams assembly lube. It was tough getting it inserted from the front but I did get it in, it spun freely and felt good. It did seem to stick if left for a couple minutes but I figured that was just the assembly lube. I also inserted the distributor and rotate the cam prior to installing the timing set to make sure that fit was good too. Zero movement from the distributor so I proceeded reassembling everything.

New timing set in:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4GQ9Htr3XhnJ6uaS9

Part 3: Oil Pump Interference

Fast forward to yesterday. Head is installed, new lifters are in and rockers are all torqued down. I did the preload check that Russ has everyone do, and I did have one or two that seemed to have too much preload on them, but at the same time finding zero lash was difficult, so counting rotations from there is iffy and I don't really know how accurate this method is.

New oil pump installed, and primed, this time with more care (I used the old distributor shaft with the gear removed as a tool to spin the new pump). The pump primed up fast and got plenty of oil up to all the rockers. I installed the cover. At this point I could finally check to see if our new distributor was solid. I primed the oil, removed the starter relay and had my wife crank the motor for about 5 seconds. Distributor was once again doing a dance. This was really unfortunate but also confirmed for me that the oil pump had to be the issue. I reluctantly began the process of once again pulling off the oil pan and draining brand new oil.

I was pointed to this thread: https://jeepstrokers.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2671

I did the checks shown there and nothing stood out to me. I also painted the pump face before pressing it up there with no gasket, and it looked like it made good contact everywhere/was not sitting crooked. I also painted the end of the distributor shaft and it was not bottoming out on the oil pump drive. I didn't get to finish this investigation however, before noticing an even bigger problem.

Part 4: Cam Bearing Failure

While desperately trying to figure out what could be the issue with the new oil pump, I happened to have a glance in the oil pan and saw that it was completely full of glitter. At this point I knew this saga was about to be over for me. It didn't take long looking up into the motor before seeing the culprit, the 3rd from the front cam bearing was completely trashed.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ncSA92dR3xnpVLjMA
https://photos.app.goo.gl/13s8RDrPrmmHkvM6A

I am at a complete loss here. I have no idea how that amount of damage could occur during the max 30 seconds total the motor was cranked over with the starter, under full oil pressure and with assembly lube. Again after the motor break in with it actually running the oil was clean and the cam was undamaged, so I have no reason to believe the bearing was in bad shape before putting the new cam in.

So at this point I have no choice but to take a step back and evaluate my options. I am over 10k into this motor build and have to once again start over from the beginning. I can't keep wasting more time and money. And to top it off I have no leads on the tranny noise, the oil pump/distributor issue, or how on earth the cam bearing could have been wiped out that quickly. It's also got cylinder scoring that I don't like, and if I can't trust this motor to bring me out into the woods on long overland trips (which was the whole reason I wanted to do this project in the first place) then there's no point. So please let me know your thoughts. I imagine this is a full rebuild again at this point. If anyone knows anyone in NJ who might be able to take this on I'd be interested to hear what they would charge. Thanks for reading.

[eugenebuilt]

You got this.

Seems a full tear down is next so you don’t place your valuable parts at greater risk.

Curious, did you use a high volume oil pump? Is the distributor shaft OEM?

Any developments on the source of the noise in the bell housing?

Tough spot for sure. Looking forward to learning you got her going.

You got this.

[mpgMike]

I used to live in NJ, but moved to OK about 3 years ago. My approach would to be break out the machinist micrometers and actually blueprint the engine. Most folks skip that step, considering it a "high performance option". I blueprint EVERYTHING now, especially with Chinese parts so dominant amongst most parts we get of late. Built a 350 Chevy and it took 4 sets of cam bearings to get a complete set that actually fit! Nightmare stories are numerous, but you get the point. If you brought it to me, I'd do a complete tear-down and start mic'ing everything, including distributor shaft wobble (they occasionally fail; had one fail on me going through DC late on a Sunday night in pouring down rain). (And of course, replace the bad cam bearing.)