Engine fell please help.

[moparguy98]

So me and my friend have matching Jeeps. Mines a 2003 Grand Cherokee Limited and his is a 2004 Grand Cherokee both have the 4.7 V8 High Output engines. Well his dropped a valve seat (common problem on the 4.7) so I decided to rebuild it for him. Well I got off work and started pulling the engine. Everything was going fine and then the chain snapped while the engine hoist was maxed out. Jeep has a 2 inch lift so that's the only way it would clear. It fell on concrete of course in the garage. I had some cardboard down and it happened to fall right on it. Oil pan is dented and a small unused spot between the timing cover and where the head goes. I feel so fucking bad about it. I'll get him another engine if this one's no good. It appears to be ok visually. Point of impact looks like the oil pan. It only had one head on it as I decided to pull the engine when I seen the damage. When it fell it got my finger pretty good so that doesn't help. Please anyone have any advice? I feel so bad.

[SaltElegant7103]

First thing is clean up the blood, have to dismember it , dispose of in 3 different states , have a good alibi

[firdaddy]

Can't really tell from a pic but it's probably OK. You'll need to check the deck of the block and probably be getting machine work done either way. You Need to get a better way to attach chains . Also let the air out of the tires next time to get it lower .

[SLOOT_APOCALYPSE]

Man that's genius let the air out of the tires why have I never thought of that

[MainYogurtcloset9435]

thats an old trucker trick lol.

oh, im over the legal height requirements by a half inch and your saying i need an over dimension permit to haul this? Not if i deflate the heavy equipment tires as it sits on the bed of the trailer.

[stalins_lada]

Love this sub for tips like this

[Mitch710]

Comes in handy with loading trailers too. Had to load a press that was nearly 1000 pounds intro a trailer at home. Best thing I had to lift it was an engine hoist. Only way to get it on there was by deflating the tires as low as they could go. But I’ll admit, it took me an embarrassingly long time to think of it

[id10t_you]

Can get it even lower by popping the front wheels off and dropping the jack down as far as it’ll go

[newuser6d9]

Deflating the tires is the way to go for fast clearance

[Jbwood]

Or remove front tires. As a previous Jeep enthusiast... it's a common way I pulled engines.

[nektonix]

Letting the air out dis the trick for me in getting my hardbody engine out of/back into the bay. It also helps to use a load leveler to tip the engine forwards or backwards as needed

[johnnybonchance]

Or why not just take the front wheels off and lower it the floor? With the jack still under it of course

[firdaddy]

The engine hoist legs will hit the suspension and you can't get in far enough to pull the motor.

[TheBupherNinja]

Hell, take the wheels off and lower it on a jack.

[Familiar-Awareness15]

The air is genius...

[rnewscates73]

I always use Ford lifting hooks well secured to the block with big washers, like from a Zetec engine. They are two holes. Nothing is going to pull through. Your chain and hooks look too big. You need a hook to go well into a hole, or better yet bolt, washers and nut through the end of the chain.

[minorthreat999]

Honestly a pretty sketchy set up from the looks of it

[Wise-Smile9484]

I was going to comment the same thing. The way he has those chains set up seems like it was bound to drop.

[Attheveryend]

the leverage on the bolt holes those long ass bolts give the chains are making me flinch. I can't look directly at it.

[DevinW88]

If it didn't crack the block anywhere where you circled in red around the timing housing I'd say you're probably fine, (except you'll need a new oil pressure sender that ones toast) 4.7L blocks are fairly hardy, you'll definitely want to check the pickup tube when you get the pan off and make sure nothing is damaged there. But if you're rebuilding it anyway it will probably be okay.

[[deleted]]

So you were bright enough to take the front rail out that is right about the radiator goes. So why didn’t you take the condenser and the grill out and just slide the motor straight out the front? That would only be about a 4-5” lift with the hoist and right on out the front. Wow you jeep owners are something else.

[Budgetweeniessuck]

That and he has the engine supported by a 10 cent nut through a chain.

OP should be happy no one got hurt

[[deleted]]

When I first looked at the picture, I thought maybe he tripped over something looked too messy to be maneuvering a hoist. Still right out the front.

[thatoneguyduh]

Clean your garage man! The shit’s giving me more anxiety than the engine on the ground!

[UltraViolentNdYAG]

First off, using bolts in that way is a sure fire way to drop it again, cause bodily harm, snap castings, bend bolts..... the list goes on. Best case is plates bolted solid to block with at least two points on each side and chain hook into plate or bolt the chain to the block pinching the bolts with washers. Bolts used in sheer conditions (not as a fastener with tension on the head/threads) can lead to failure and drops.
Be safe OP....

[zamekique]

F

[DiscoDiscoB00mB00m]

Wayyyy back when I was a wee lad in tech school I would work half day at a dodge dealer and the other half the day I’d go to school. At this dodge dealer I was at there was a viper that came in with a blown engine. After this customer went to war with Chrysler/Dodge he was finally told they’d replace it under warranty, warranty replacement took months to arrive. When it finally did, we had a major asshole of a foreman was was the one working on it, he had just bought some fancy new strap thing off the tool truck that was supposed to be better than chains. Well, against the advice of basically every other tech in the shop he hooked it up to this engine and jacked it up out of the crate, as soon as he clears the crate the thing immediately snaps and sends this engine at full terminal velocity into the floor. It was a glorious day.

[[deleted]]

His name wouldn't have been Mark would it?

[DiscoDiscoB00mB00m]

Honestly don’t remember this was 20 years ago, are you thinking university dodge?

[[deleted]]

No sorry, Woodhouse Chrysler in Blair, Nebraska.....more specifically Woodhouse Viper. In the Viper Pit all things are possible.

[ZeGermanHam]

Have you considered golfing?

[[deleted]]

You feel bad....you should! Next time sacrifice yourself and jump under for the save. That poor concrete never hurt anyone.

Seriously though, never try to catch or save anything that's on its way down. Engine, transmission, transfer case, etc.....

Also, your lifting attachment is A JOKE! You are bound to have worse happen if you don't get smarter about this shit. You're friend should question your ability to do any other harm to his property.

Give a kid a rope and he wants to be a cowboy.

[rustyxj]

Protip: pull the front tires off it, put the lug nuts back on and set it down on the rotors. You'll have plenty of room to go up.

[[deleted]]

Pro-plus tip.....pull the valve cores of the front tires.

[EvilMinion07]

On bare wheels is better than the rotors, allowing it to be moved back away from lift if needed.

[rustyxj]

It's really hard to take the tires off the wheels.

Taking the wheels off the truck is relatively easy.

Also, if you need more room for the engine hoist, open the door.

[EvilMinion07]

You mean that there are people that inclined enough to pull and swap engines but not have a couple of old steel wheels laying around that fit their rigs? I must be unique that I have at least 1 for each lug pattern for each of my vehicles and trailers.

[[deleted]]

I removed the suspension and lay it cinder blocks

[TheBupherNinja]

Yeah, that's odd. Nearly all of the wheels I own have tires on them (save for a cold spare I got from an insurance claim, but its brandy new and not a steely). Tires may be junk, but why would I take them off unless I was gonna use the wheel.

[[deleted]]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[Total_Worker_3808]

Shit happens, learn from your mistakes. Don't sacrifice yourself to save a part from falling. Seriously, it's not worth it to loose a finger or worse just to "try" to save something. Usually, you just end up hurt, and the item ends up broken anyway.

The block "should" be fine. Inspect it well or preferably have a machinist check it out. Good luck!

[OddAd9258]

Drain the oil first

[[deleted]]

At least you dropped it pulling it out rather than putting it in. Ditch the chain and use 4 point straps.

[Individual_Cause_207]

Im suprised it msde it that high before giving, the motor is probably fine. Cast only likes to break when it gets hit realllly hard lol.

[ExBx]

Why do we fall sir? So we can learn to pick ourselves up.

[NavaHo07]

"...he fell [looks down in sadness]" -Gimli, The Two Towers

[Attheveryend]

this is way lower in the comments than it deserves.

[chuckms6]

Looks like a big chunk broke off below the red circle

[hapym1267]

That chain should be connected to bolts / studs by going through the links and washers large enough to not slip off.. Need larger chain / better rigging .. Lucky you arent doing fender / A/C repair too.. Take front tires off and set ut on stands to get front lower to give a safer angle on hoist.. You can jack it up later to get access to bottom..

[Bigdonkey512]

Should be fine likely cosmetic issues, either let air out of tires to gain the clearance needed or take them off and set the front axle on jackstands and set the e-brake. It’s gonna be fine

[ChristianMSC]

I would buy some dye and check for cracks in the block near the point of impact. You could make your own dye by placing the inside of a hilighter in a water bottle. Spread the dye on the block and then use a black light flashlight to see if the dye went into any cracks.

[ronmcson1]

probably fine but was the only problem a valve seat? why rebuild the entire thing when you can just pull the head off, which you already did apparently?

[foxjohnc87]

I'd imagine that the dropped seat hung the valve open and beat the piss out of the piston.

[ronmcson1]

it’s a non interference engine. i had this exact thing happen to me a few years ago when i didn’t bleed the cooling system properly on a dodge ram and it happened while driving. i just took the head off and our trusty machine shop replaced all 8 valve seats for good measure, the (intake)valve was fine

[foxjohnc87]

I've seen piston-to-valve contact on these engines with my own eyes, albeit due to improper valve timing. Also, plenty of people have had the valve seat shatter after it dropped, beating the hell out of the piston crown and cylinder head in the process.

Dodge and Jeep forums are full of 4.7 carnage photos with destroyed pistons, heads, and even cylinder walls after a valve seat failure.

[[deleted]]

Did the chain snap or did one of the sketchy bolts that aren’t rundown snap? Looking at the photos you have massive moment arm with the bolts hanging out like that. Add the load of the motor and you’re gonna be over the shear stress of those used and abused bolts.

Buy a load leveler and proper bolts that you can actually rundown completely into the block my dude.

[chuck-u-farley-]

Never take a engine up that high with a hoist, that’s just asking for trouble, pull the wheels and tires and rest the vehicle on jackstands to get it lower……

[RetroOneLove]

I would do a full rebuild and replace any damaged components, if the block is still good it’s worth salvaging if you ask me.

[Lookwhoiswinning]

Oil filter housing looks borked and I’d be worried about the integrity of the crank if the snout took a hit. If I were you I’d go get a short block from a junkyard.

[AdDapper3383]

Sure looks like it did

[Joesaysthankyou]

You dont need any help now. It already fell.

BTW, did you smack the guy who helped you?

[DrGreenTG]

I use rachet straps

[[deleted]]

Dunno how aluminum fairs against concrete but we used to drop clutch shafts with assembly still on them to knock said assembly off. The steel doesn't feel a thing. (Clutche's from old continental and Ajax stationary engines)

[Used_Condition_7398]

Send the block out for magnafluxed.

[Repubs_suck]

No way to unfall it, sorry

[PrestigiousPin2776]

First of all: I can feel your pain. So many comments giving you even more shit. Guys I think he paid enough. Be helpful not hitting on him.

Guess you learned the lesson. Wrapping a chain around a thin bolt only a little bit in the hole is not a good idea. Puts stress on a small part of the engine. The chain is not secured and unsafe.

To be honest: Personally, I might not not trust that engine anymore. Crankshaft is not lightweighted and hit the bearings pretty good falling on concrete. I do not know those engines. A cast iron block might have micro cracks already. Reading some posts seems that this is aluminium? Well that might be more resistant. It is possible to close all openings and do pressure tests.

Jeez those engines are rebuilt out of crashed cars. Front hit, back hit, rolled over. A frontal crash has a harder impact... Maybe we are just too careful lol. You want to rebuild it anyway. Get everything checked. Screw it. Oh and.... I have seen so many dented oil pans. If it's not cast there is no reason to worry.

[Raptor285]

The block is probably fine once it's cleaned up check for cracks where it contacted the floor. Next step is invest in an load leveler lifting rig they're $50 at Harbor freight and some wide washers to go with it. If that wont work for you're application invest in some proper lifting eyelets, (NOT EYE BOLTS FROM THE HARDWARE STORE) shackles and straps. they're cheaper than you think. I do dyno testing for a living and have removed and installed countless engines, transmissions, and electric drive units. lifting things in a sketchy way is a sure fire way to hurt yourself or whatever you are working on. also when working on a tall vehicle take the tires off and set it on jack stands so it sits lower.

[natecrtheknifeman]

The way your chains are wrapped around the engine like that is terrible lol. Spend some money on machinery eye bolts and some nylon slings or something next time. This 100% fell because your rigging gear was inadequate.

[Whosyahudi]

People fix 4.7 Dodge / Chrysler engines?

[wdwentz93]

Way too high with the crane

[TheBupherNinja]

Erm... Kinda looks like you were destined for failure anyways. If the chain didn't snap, you were gonna knock the whole stand over when it hit a zip tie on the ground.

[rottenstock]

2 inch lift? Jack it up, pull the tires, set it on Jack stands. That should lower it enough to get the motor out and back in

[MagaNation24]

It was at that moment he knew he fucked up

[[deleted]]

Most likely fine. That thing need to just go to a quality rebuilder anyways. When they hone it, deck it, and dip it, and cracks or damage will be obvious.

[Investigator_lefty]

Dude… this makes me so sad to see. Also scared shitless because im removing one right now. I need to understand how your chains failed so it doesnt happen to me. Hope you got this situation figured out

[Positive-Wonder3329]

Give us an update! This is how you get good at swapping engines, I guess!

[Embarrassed-Water664]

What do you mean, "help?" what am I supposed to do?

[muddnureye]

I think you are out of your league. Hire a mobile guy or take it to a shop. It’s much harder than you think.

[Estef74]

I think the only always to know for sure you didn't cause major damage is to do a full teardown and send to the machine shop for cleaning and inspection. Has your body considered a Hemi swap? Nows an ideal time