Dauntless 225 Issues

Hey, just starting a 1965 CJ5 project. I "inherited" this from my uncle. It was parked, running, about 7 years ago because of transmission/clutch issues. Has a 1971 225 (according to the casting numbers) that someone swapped in at some point before he owned it. I am not having any success getting the engine to run. Cylinders 2,4,5, & 6 have 115-125psi of compression (I'm sure the rings are not seated real well, since it has not run in such a long time). However, cylinders 1&3 are not developing any compression. When you turn the motor over, you can hear the air whooshing in and out of the carburetor, kind of like if the intake valve was stuck open and the exhaust valve was stuck shut. I've removed the valve covers, and the the valves are moving up and down correctly, so it does not look like they are stuck. So, one of my suspicions is that perhaps the valve timing got off (not sure how, since it was supposedly running when parked). I set out to remove the timing cover to peek at the chain, but have twisted off several of the bolts in the water jacket. I'm considering just tearing it all down and starting over/rebuilding. My uncle thought it had a slight knock when it was parked, in addition to the tranny trouble, so I'm considering that too. It could be something simple, but perhaps serious. I can't produce the knocking without running the engine. Also, the engine has not had good air filtration, so I'm a little skeptical of the cylinder/ring/piston condition.

Any thoughts, am I on the right track? I am not opposed to fixing it right the first time and just rebuilding it, but I don't want to over do it if I am missing something simple.

 

Try removing and turning the distributor 180 degrees

 

I would say at this point in time with all the past history you already have...........there is enough reason just to pull it and re-built it................I mean you could do a leak-down on #1 & 3 but chances are if the valves are not closing the heads would have to come off anyway...........Pull it take a look at the condition then make and informed call on what to do next.

 

Since you already have the valve covers off, try removing the rockers and tap on the valves for the two bad cylinders. Sounds to me like you have a couple of stuck valves. It they are stuck open you will see the rocker moving but can be hard to tell if the valve is actually returning to the closed position. Tapping on them will immediately tell you if they are stuck.

If your timing were off I don't believe you would develope that kind of pressure in the other cylinders. Inadequate filtration, engine noise, lack of compression, and transmission issues - I would pull the engine and transmission and get ready to drop a grand or more into it.

 

Pull the rocker assy on that left bank and put a straight edge across the top of the valves. You will see the two that are not all the way up. Tap on the top of the valve with a rubber hammer and check with straight edge again.

 

Johns1967CJ5, I have no ignition set up on the motor right now, just sorting through the compression issues.

Can anyone recommend any good repair/specification/overhaul manuals for the 225 engine? Something with assembly procedures, tolerances, clearances, etc.?