Replacing Timing Chain

Hey Everyone,
i have the timing chain rattle so i am going to begin taking it apart tomorrow, i have never done a timing chain before but i am going to attempt it, i have the haynes repair manual, are there any major things i need to make sure i do?? and help/suggestions appreciated..i know i probably should not be attempting this but i dont have the money to pay for labour and i feel confident enough to do this...Thanks Everyone

I have never done one before but if you take your time and don't break any bolts you should be firne. There is a lot of right ups on here about doing them so do a little research and you will find all the info you need. I am going to be doing mine soon along with replacing my heads so good luck.

SOHC V6 related threads

SOHC V6 Timing Chain Inspection & Repair

Rear Timing Chain Tensioner Replacement

1 SOHC V6 Engine Removal Procedure

SOHC V6 Camshaft Timing

street rod hose are awesome i just have one question, if i just have to replace the tensioner or the guide on the jackshaft to crankshaft chain o i need to put it to TDC or do anything like that or would it just be take it apart replace the part and put it back together. (not removing the chain) sorry if i sound dumb, just want to make sure i dont screw anything up
Thanks so much

replacing primary tensioner & guide

The primary (crankshaft to jackshaft) tensioner and guide are easily replaced without removing the primary chain, or loosening the jackshaft sprocket. As long as the jackshaft sprocket retaining bolt is not loosened there is no need to retime the camshafts as explained in the SOHC V6 Timing thread. Therefore, it is not necessary to position the crankshaft at TDC.

I still have not found a good way to loosen and tighten the crankshaft balancer retaining bolt with the engine in the vehicle. I purchased a chain wrench from Harbor Freight Tools but haven't tried it out yet.

Hey everyone, thanks for your replies i finally got everything apart and discovered that my tensioner for the balance shaft is gone and that the tensioner on the jackshaft is on its way (The plastic is starting to break), i know that i will need to remove the oil pan anything else special, Thanks for your help????


http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz279/Danson1391/Ford Explorer Timing Chain/DSCF8480.jpg

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz279/Danson1391/Ford Explorer Timing Chain/DSCF8479.jpg

http://i835.photobucket.com/albums/zz279/Danson1391/Ford Explorer Timing Chain/DSCF8476.jpg

balance shaft chain tensioner

Unfortunately, I believe the reinforcement section (upper oil pan) has to be removed in order to replace the balance shaft chain tensioner. Have you inspected the rear guide assembly? If it has failed then the engine will have to be pulled to replace it.

if there is still a rattle after i finish these than i will check the upper half, i heard that the engine will have to be lifted to remove the oil pan, is this true??

Yea it has to be lifted and honestly you basically need to remove the entire engine. This timing chain repair is not for the faint of heart.

A true "engineering marvel" .

remove the valve covers

Since you have the front timing cover removed it should only take a little effort to remove the valve covers and inspect the upper sections of the cassettes. You could be wasting time and effort working with the engine in the vehicle if your rear guide is broken.

Typically timing chains are good for the life of the vehicle (typically.....). On a well maintained SOHC, how true is that?

If the chain does break, is this motor an interference or non-interference type?

Yes its interference and the chain is itself is tough as nails sadly its the plastic guides and tensioners that fail and allow slack into the chain and the impending crash and with metal fines all throughout the oiling system, done dealski.

I'm a Ford fan through and through but I would not recommend this engine to my worst enemy, sorry I know quite a few fans here and there but myself the SOHC 4.0 makes me love the cam in block 4.0.

I went through this about a month or so ago and yes my balance shaft chain tensioner was gone also. I have read about every post on here concerning how necessary and unnecessary the balance shafts are to these engines actually running smooth and reliably. My Sport has 146000+ miles on it and I thought, what the hey I'll take a chance because frankly, I did not feel like going through all the crap to replace this tensioner. It would have made so much better sense to place the tensioner where the guide is and vice versa but, oh well so much for Ford engineering (just look at how complicated they made the timing on this engine). I took a dremel with a cutoff wheel and cut the chain off driving the balance shafts. Was this a wise decision and do I recommend you do this? Yes and no I guess. For me it was, it runs just as smooth and almost as quite as a 2003 Explorer we have at work that's factory with 89000 miles on it. Is this what you should do, that is up to you. Read and make your own decision. Will I regret it down the road? Who knows, but with only having $1100 in the entire truck, and knowing where another engine is for $300, I took the chance.

Thanks everyone for your help, i have removed all of the bolts for the oil pan but it will not come off, i was thinking of just dropping the front of the pan just about an inch and just sliding the new plastic piece on the old bracket assembly, therefore i would not have to remove the whole pan to get to the bolts underneith, is this a good idea????

Danson said:

Thanks everyone for your help, i have removed all of the bolts for the oil pan but it will not come off, i was thinking of just dropping the front of the pan just about an inch and just sliding the new plastic piece on the old bracket assembly, therefore i would not have to remove the whole pan to get to the bolts underneith, is this a good idea????

Click to expand...

To get the upper sump off you need to remove the 20 bolts and 2 nuts from the edge. Also 8 larger bolts in the middle. Also you may have missed the 2 cradle bolts at the rear with a T30 head and the 2 lower transmission bolts.

When reinstalling you need to put some rtv at the corners of the scoops for the front and rear seal casing and a line where the front cover meets the block (i think there is a link to where you can find assembly instuction manual on pdf in thread called primary tensioner .....).
You also have to make sure you loosen the inserts in the upper sump that 6 of the 8 bolts pass thro. You then have to hand tighten the 20 outer bolts and 2 t30 bolts. Then make sure the rear of the block is no more than 0.25mm away from the rear face of the block. Then torque the inserts and fit and torque the 8 cradle bolts in a spiral pattern. then torque the outer bolts.

obviously the mating surfaces have to be cleaned also to get a good seal. If you don't get the spacing right at the rear the tranny will push/pull on the upper sump and could break the seal.

I had a mechanic do my front chains and he dropped the upper sump with the engine in to do the balance shaft tensioner and the seal lasted about 6 miles (with a new gasket), just enough to get me home. So my message is really pull the engine and do it all properly for peace of mind.

If you do go with your plan then i think you will have a hard time trying to put the guide with springs onto the old bracket.


above is a photo of the bust guide on the tensioner on the engine i'm rebuilding now. As you can see without the guide the springs arch quite considerably and are quite stiff. So i think you may have a hard time if you go down that route.

I'm not trying to put a downer on your ideas but from my own experience this is an area you can't really cut corners on (caveat: i believe some people have managed to do it and good on them but i just got hassle)

Best of luck for you
Jan

i took all of the screws/bolts and i pulled the pan down just enough to pull what was left of the plastic guide off and slip the new one on

hello everybody
i have a 1997 ford explorer 4.0 ohv v-6 with vin x
does anybody have any pictures of with valve cover off ohv motor with timing chaing cover off
once in blue moon i have timing chain rattle
my wife said you fix now