Timing Chain Pictures!?! | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Timing Chain Pictures!?!

gold984by4

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Joined
October 16, 2005
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City, State
Grovetown, Georgia
Year, Model & Trim Level
98 XLT
Good day all!

I tore apart the front of my 98 SOHC this weekend and my Jackshaft tensioner was in peices... I am up to seven including the metal bracket... I have many pics of the whole project thus far, but I don't know how to post pics... Anyone have a pic of this tensioner as a complete item? How do you post pics... I would like to share the ease this task can be... I haven't use any special tools thus far... I have also skipped some steps that the book may want you to do... Work smarter, not harder!!

I have some very large pics that I can shrink down with ease, but I don't know how to post them... I could email them to someone willing to tackle the posting job for me!!

Let me know if you want me to do a quick write-up on the job...

Have a great one!!
Bill :)
 



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Go to www.photobucket.com and create an account. Upload the images there and it will create the info you need to post here that says a bunch of blah blah blah letters then [IMG] You copy and paste the entire thing including the brackets into your post and whala you have a pic posted.

edit: BTW you will want to reduce them some. Somwhere around a 4x6 print size at 100 dpi should work fine.
 






Thanks much!!
 
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Got it!! Here are the pics I have up til now...

The alt and bracket is easy to remove (3 bolts)... Ya gotta do the normal stuff, like removing the air breather and tube... I removed the Throttle Body, just to have that much more room to work...
This is the alt and bracket out...
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With pullies... good to remove to get to bolts...
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Radiator and shroud in the way...
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Weird gasket spacer between TB and upper intake... anyone know if this is needed?!
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Very dirty radiator!!! Time to clean!!
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Rad and shroud out of your way!
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PS pump and A/C Compressor bracket... can't remove it, but ya can get it out of your way a little...
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I took the water pump, pulley, clutch, and fan off as an assembly... Ya need a special tool to get the fan clutch off the pump and ya can't get the pulley or fan off without doing the clutch first...
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Ya gotta remove the 8mm bolt that holds this wire loom in place...
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My tensioner pieces fell as soon as I popped this cover... **BE AWARE - you can not get this cover off without taking the crank pulley off!**
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The BAD... not much light to focus - sorry!
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Fan assembly...
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The peices (and one still in the pan that I can't grab ahold of - dagnabit!)
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this is as of today... I will try to get the replacement parts today and post some more pics if ya'll want them...

Have a good one... and thanks for the help!!
 
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Just got back from the Stealership...

This is the new updated part... We can only pray the plastic holds up on this version... Total with gaskets came to $77 and change... I did not get the other side of the two guides... I will look into the price of it when I go back to pick up the cover gasket tomorrow...
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I will have more pics when I get it installed... I still have to figure out how to get the other piece out of the pan... Oh boy are we having fun now!!!

*Update*
With the one piece in the pan and the other six in my garage, I began to wonder how so much plastic could come from one tensioner... Well, it didn't... I have also lost my left cam chain guides... It is a wonder it even ran at all... Well, I got the Jack shaft chain tensioner in place, but now I have to pull the valve cover to try to replace the other chain guides...

Now we are really having fun (at least I am!)... :eek: :confused:
 
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Great post! Please continue to update us.
Once this is finished, I think I will put it in the useful threads section, as I'm sure there are others who could benefit from this thread. :thumbsup:
 






man when i saw your thread i thought it was a duplicate of mine..... I've been doing the same project for almost 3 weeks. It started out as a jingling noise. I took the front cover off and found jackshaft tensioner blown apart. I was convinced by a friend to "go ahead and replace the chain"... well that was a BAD move. That lead to both cams moving, which meant I had to not only rip open the intake manifold and both valve covers, but that also meant I had to remove both oil pans just to get the chain off. After removing the oil pans I found two more pieces of both plastic and metal spring. PLUS I removed the oil pickup filter and shook out two more minor pieces of plastic.

I have been taking a photo diary the whole time. Just in case I need a photo of where certain hoses or wires were routed or connected. I do that at work on occasion.

My update is this: (hopefully you will not have this problem) I installed my new updated bulletproof tensioner which has at least 10X more strength than the original. I installed my new chain, new gaskets, new oil, filter, more gaskets.... then I set the cam timing to about 2 degrees advanced. WELL it wouldnt start and i found out very quickly that my crankshaft position sensor was on bakcwrds! After repositioning it, I found out that my cam timing was actually 5 DEGREES RETARDED. I went ahead and finished the job, and listened for noises and leaks. everything was great. It starts and runs perfectly, runs smoother than it ever did since 1998 when we got it. BUT i cant sleep knowing it has the cam retarded 5 degrees. So tonight I spent about 2 hours opening up the valve covers AGAIN and repositioning TDC #1 on compression. Now i have to borrow the cam tools again, ( and set the cam timing advanced 2 degrees).
 






I replaced the driver side cam tensioner and the noises went away... Then one day, it was very loud and not the sort of thing you want to hear a good bit from the house... I babied it home and parked it until the weekend (the one that just passed)... Found out what it was on Sat (late) and had to wait til Monday to order parts... that is when I found out I am missing the driver side cam chain guide... More correctly, it is still there, just in pieces... GTO78 (OR ANYONE), could you supply a pic of what the guide should look like? I can't seem to put that puzzle together, and I NEED to account for all the parts! Did you say "Spring"? OUCH!! That is one thing I haven't seen yet!

I am not trying to take off any timing sprockets or chains!!! It is bad enough that I have to pull my front axle to get the pan off...

I have another 19 pics of the valve cover removal, but it is similar to the other post updating the cam tensioner...

Have anyone else replaced their cam tensioner and had to go back in to replace the guides??? Do you guys and gals think my jack shaft explosion took out my cam guide??

Do you guys and gals want me to post the pics?
 






Could you have disconnected the motor mounts and raised the engine enough for clearance?
 






je5 said:
Could you have disconnected the motor mounts and raised the engine enough for clearance?

Other posts I have read stated that it is impossible to remove the pan with the axle in place... Honestly, I don't know... But I think I will find out in the next few days...

I am taking the Jack shaft bolt off now, but it seems like it isn't moving... Or it is, but it doesn't seem like it is getting loose... Are these left handed threads on this one?? The CRAPPY Ford program doesn't state it on this one, just the Right cam shaft bolt... I could use some positive advice on this one, as I don't feel like popping a bolt... Thanks!!
 






OK, here are all the pics I have thus far... not including the ones above...
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I took this EGR tube out of the intake when I did the cam tensioner, this was easier since I could get to the bolt that kept the bracket in place.
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Just squeeze the tabs, and these (there are two) come out easily...
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10mm...
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No plastic guide here... There should be!!
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New tensioner...
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Put the bolts back so ya know where they are...
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New stuff at a cost of $60 for the kit - OUCH!
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Others have stated the sensor needs to come out, but mine got past with no space to spare... And one with it out...
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OK, this bolt needs to come out... I tried a socket; denied!! Get a good box end 10mm on this... My POS 10mm's caused bodily injury when the bolt broke loose... This bolt was the reason I was going to take the Jack shaft bolt out... OH, I had to put the head of this bolt in a hole in the jackshaft sprocket to get the old cassette out, then fish the bolt out... Use a magnet if you have butter fingers...
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Torx 25 bolt out... Becareful, there are two pieces to the old one!! Got the cam bolt off here as well... Since I didn't have the bottom guide, I just slacked both sides of the cam chain and didn't touch the cam or the crank bolt while this bolt was out.... The cam will not move if make sure the cam chain will slack going both ways with the cam tensioner out... Gravity keeps the chain from jumping... Once you get a good null position on the cam, put the 19mm 1/2 inch drive in a good position to loosen - take up the chain slack - and whack, very very hard, to loosen the bolt with minimal movement of the cam... THERE ARE NO KEYWAYS, OR LOCKS... Very poor design...
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The old and new...
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I took the cam sprocket all the way out to get this in place... No worries if you don't touch the cam or crank... Get that bolt head in the Jack shaft sprocket hole, then fish it into the new cassette... start the bolt...
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After the bolt is in place, put the cam sprocket on the cam and slack both sides as you did prior to loosening the bolt... Take up the slack, again like you did just prior to hitting the ratchet on the looening stage.... replace the bolt and whack away... One whack will "lock" the cam and sprocket, the washer will let the bolt spin without moving the cam/sprocket

Tensioner in place...
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The rest is just putting it back together... Will update all when I get it finished!!
 
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sweet, the only thing more i could i ask for is if it was out on a stand. but all the same, beggars cant be choosers.
 






Doubt Incarnate said:
sweet, the only thing more i could i ask for is if it was out on a stand. but all the same, beggars cant be choosers.

If you are asking if I pulled the motor to do the work, the answer would be no... I did all the work with the motor in place, but the removal of the radiator allows plenty of room to work...
 






Scary work, I wish you well. But do you know why there are no keyways, timing marks, etc? The special tools are designed to lock one cam in place, while the crank is at TDC(tool), and while the jackshaft bolt is tightened.

The cam sprockets, and the jackshaft sprockets, all four of them are held in place by pressure, the bolt pressure. If you loosen any of those four(two in back), the timing will be lost. The slightest movement of the cams or jackshaft, will change the cam timing quite a bit.

I bought the tool kit through eBay before doing mine last year. It was about $150 then, and the parts about $150. I didn't do the rear cam cassette, though I kind of wish I had. I also discovered that my balance shaft(4x4) was out of time(timing marks). As soon as I unbolted the tensioner for its tiny chain, the tensioner broke in my hand. I ended up pulling the two pans, to get access to the balance shaft, and be sure that nothing else was in there.

The lower pan can be removed without much trouble, but it doesn't help enough. The upper pan is harder to remove, avoid messing with it if you can.

I would get the timing tool kit if I were you, the timing needs to be really accurate for best efficiency. Good luck,
 

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CDW6212R said:
Scary work, I wish you well. But do you know why there are no keyways, timing marks, etc? The special tools are designed to lock one cam in place, while the crank is at TDC(tool), and while the jackshaft bolt is tightened.

The cam sprockets, and the jackshaft sprockets, all four of them are held in place by pressure, the bolt pressure. If you loosen any of those four(two in back), the timing will be lost. The slightest movement of the cams or jackshaft, will change the cam timing quite a bit.

I bought the tool kit through eBay before doing mine last year. It was about $150 then, and the parts about $150. I didn't do the rear cam cassette, though I kind of wish I had. I also discovered that my balance shaft(4x4) was out of time(timing marks). As soon as I unbolted the tensioner for its tiny chain, the tensioner broke in my hand. I ended up pulling the two pans, to get access to the balance shaft, and be sure that nothing else was in there.

The lower pan can be removed without much trouble, but it doesn't help enough. The upper pan is harder to remove, avoid messing with it if you can.

I would get the timing tool kit if I were you, the timing needs to be really accurate for best efficiency. Good luck,

I totally agree that you should have the tool... I only removed one cam sprocket, and didn't touch the crank or cam while I had the bolt out... Technically, they should be lined up when I put the sprocket back... the fine tuning is already marked for me... Since I didn't replace the cam sprocket, the nubs on the back side of the cam sprocket made marks on the cam which became the timing marks... Since the sprocket is totally symmetrical, it won't matter if you remove the cam sprocket from the chain when you install the cassette...

This is a pic of the new sprocket... the original has little nubs that stick out over the edge of the cam... these nubs caused a clean spot on the cam itself... timing marks, more or less... The only way this would fail is if the crank moved, or the cam moved... I know some may be skeptical about my method, but I feel 100% confident that it is perfectly aligned (unless it was flawed from the factory)...

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Here are the pics I have of the oil pan... No getting around it guys and gals, the pans (and I do mean panS), must come off... First is what was in the pan... Second was in the oil pick-up tube...
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Rain ended my work early... I will also take a pic of the nubs on the cam sprocket that work as timing marks tomorrow... **I MUST RECOMMEND THAT YOU USE THE TOOL "CDW6212R" MENTIONED!!**

Here are the pics of the marks I made to keep everything in sync... I actually repositioned the cam and loosened the bolt to show what it looks like OUT of place... Then again in sync...
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I still have to try to get the upper oil pan off (with the axle in place - Fun, fun, fun!!)... If I must unbolt the motor mounts, I'll try to get a good pic of how far you have to lift the motor... It may take me the rest of the weekend to get this done, so hang in there for me...

BTW CDW6212R: That replacement jack shaft tensioner looks like the one that failed in my motor... Did they update the original, then totally redesign it again?? So that is what mine looked like prior to exploding...
 
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I replaced what was reasonable, and available. I bought the front cam cassette, all tensioners(4)(4x4), and the jackshaft chain. The other sprockets are over $40 each, and had to be ordered. My 99 model has 77k on it, and had a replaced front cam chain tensioner.

I believe that the only updated parts are the guides on the cam chains(cassettes), and the check valve installed in the front cam tensioner. All other parts look the same, nothing in mine was initially broken.

I believe that this whole valvetrain design is so new that Ford did not know how long each part would really last. The two cam chain tensioners should be replaced regularly, like every 50-75000 miles. My rear tensioner was weak, when the spring inside weakens, then slack is too much in the chain, causing noise, followed by failure. The cam cassettes themselves had a recall prior to 2002, so the jury is still out on those.

I agree with you that you should be okay with your timing as you handled it. A slight off timing from the factory could still exist, but that reliance on the as timed condition is fine. Good luck,
 






Good day guys and gals,

I have finally gotten my 98 back together... I was asked if I had to lift the motor to get my main oil pan off... I did! I had to lift the motor over 1.5 inches AND I dropped the front axle until the CV joints were sitting on the lower control arms... MAKE NOTE: if you drop the front axle to allow that little extra room, you can NOT move the vehicle at all!!

More advice... Get the alignment tool!! While my method did work, it isn't the recommended way to do this job. You would need to use the original cam sprocket, and mark the cam to sprocket, and sprocket to chain...

You would normally prime the oil system, but being as these OHC motors don't have the oil pump working off a center cam that you can access by pulling the distributor, it would be wise to pull the plugs and fuel pump fuse until the oil is up to pressure...

I will make a note that the engine was nearly whisper quiet when it was done...

I wish all the best of luck and will answer any questions you may have!

Bill
 






Excellent job, thanks for all the pics. Hope she runs well for ya.
 






Congratulations, well done. It is a big involved task, slow going. Regards,
 



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so did it get rid of that rattle in between 2400-3000 rpm, becuase my 2001 does the spark knock sound in between 2400-3000 and it rattles in the front of the motor when cold. then goes away when warm :)
 






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