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cracked heads are off, can I save my bottom end?

If you haven't removed the timing chain cover and there are no leaks coming from it I wouldn't take it off. Like the saying goes "if it ain't broke why fix it?"
From the sounds of it, it is just the heads that need replacing, and maybe a few rocker parts. The whole top end does not have to be replaced. Just use the gaskets you need and keep the rest for later, if needed. You have done the hard work of finding out what's wrong. Remember to use the correct torque when putting things back together.
 



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:dead: nice thread bring it back from the dead
 






If you haven't removed the timing chain cover and there are no leaks coming from it I wouldn't take it off. Like the saying goes "if it ain't broke why fix it?"
From the sounds of it, it is just the heads that need replacing, and maybe a few rocker parts. The whole top end does not have to be replaced. Just use the gaskets you need and keep the rest for later, if needed. You have done the hard work of finding out what's wrong. Remember to use the correct torque when putting things back together.

Thanks! there is some gunk around the timing cover but I think it's from some boiling over from the water pump when the truck overheated, I'll be replacing the water pump and gaskets with a new unit from Gates. I can't believe how cheap the parts are for these old OHV engines. The only thing that's really gonna set me back is the heads ($300 each) and lifters if I replace them, but they look pretty good. pushrods could maybe be replaced but they are cheap, too.

Any insight on where I can get new retaining clips and pins for the rocker arm assembly? I would like to replace a couple of rocker arms but I am not going to do it unless I can be sure I can get new clips, as I believe they are wear parts that have to be replaced after removal. I couldn't find anything on rockauto or some other sites, or even ebay. What are they even called? I'll dig into the factory service manual today as well to try and find a part number. Can the rocker assembly bolts be reused? It doesn't seem like they are torque to yield like head bolts, but they were in there pretty tight.

@donalds thanks! I can't wait to get all the parts and see if she'll run. Hoping to keep one more old x on the road, and a manual one at that! not enough cars with a stick these days
 






I don't remember any retaining clips on the rocker arm assembly. Other than the rockers, some springs, pins that hold it together and shafts the rocker arms are bolted to the heads and that is what keeps them together. The rocker arms themselves are the only piece that really moves. I could be wrong. It's been a while since I replaced my heads and the rockers were okay so I didn't take them apart.
The only retaining clips I can think of in that area are the valve retaining clips.
 






Hope this info is not too late for your project...Heads I used on my 99 Sport...NEW 4.0 FORD CYLINDER HEADS W/ GASKET SET & HEAD BOLTS 1995 - 2001 FREE SHIPPING | eBay

Lifters for your X...Lash Adjusters Lifters Fits 90-00 Ford Explorer Ranger Mazda B4000 4.0L OHV 12v | eBay
I bought my X after she sat for a couple of years in a field then at a shop waiting for someone to pick it up and love on it...I drove her for 2+ years before finding a slight leak in one of the head gaskets...I bought new heads and was going to install them on the old block because the old bottom end had great compression...My old block looked like crap compared to yours...After i pulled the heads I found a rebuilt Motorcraft shortblock and bought it and added my new heads to it... My old bottom end is still running today 9 years later as a friend needed an engine for his Explorer since his was run out of oil and I had a solution to his problems... Cheap and free...Take a look at my old block...And the rocker stand bolts are reuseable...Mine have over 223000 miles on them and counting...

P4150106.jpg


P4150102.jpg
 






@rasouth I'm referring to the pin and clip thing that hold the outermost rocker arm on to the rocker assembly. I am kind of scared to remove it because I don't want to break the hardware and not have a replacement, but I'll take a look at it this afternoon and see if I can carefully remove it. I have 3 rocker arms that could be replaced (mild to moderate pitting) and 1 that definitely needs to be replaced as the valve top (tappet?) has worn a significant indentation into the rocker arm which I'm sure isn't great for proper lift or wear on the new valve

@ranger7ltr wow, thanks for the links. I didn't have any appreciable valvetrain noise before so I think I'll skimp on the lifters, but those heads are a great deal. I couldn't find anything negative about them like I did with Odessa Cylinder Heads. Any idea how they stack up to King cylinder heads? Which seem to be the preferred choice among users on this site.

Those cylinder walls look rough! What's all that liquid in the bore? Is that gunked up coolant?? Or some sort of oil you were using to clean? The mating surfaces look good at least. Mine look freakin horrible, it's hard to even imagine I will get to that point after I attack it with some solvents and a scraper. There was so much gunk on there as it's a 21 year old vehicle and was overheated. The old gasket material is on there like a rock, it's gonna take a lot of elbow grease. Would be sooo much easier if it was out of the truck but I don't have a stand, so...Gotta do what I gotta do
 






I am using those heads currently and have had no issues with them at all... The liquid in the bores is cleaning fluid; a combination of kerosene, Dawn liquid dish soap, and WD-40... When I bought this truck the oil pump didn't work so I dropped the pan and found there was solid sludge filling the pan except where the oil pump pickup sat... When I cleaned out the pan and installed the pump I was afraid to even look at the top end since I know the top end would be worse...I had 60 psi hot or cold oil pressure with a new pump so I started driving it after changing the fuel pump as well...I used synthetic oil in the engine for 22500 miles changing it every 3k and the amount of sludge in the top end when I pulled the valve covers was unbelievable...I am still amazed that the engine ran as good as it did with the bores looking like they did and the sludge inside the engine...Plus when I put the old heads back on the old block and helped a friend put it in his Explorer I told him I would not guarantee 100 miles on it and he has been driving with the old block and heads for 9 years now!!! I guess the look was deceiving since I figured the block was done yet I still had at least 125-135 in each cylinder...

Half a tank of varnish for 2+ years killed the fuel pump and the tank in short order but I tried to clean it and coat it with POR-15 to "fix it"... Right the only fix was a new tank and not letting it sit long with little fuel in it...

I changed my lifters since you will need to remove the heads just to replace the lifters and I only wanted to do that one time...I also replaced the rockers and stands but I find that the supplier is no longer has them available...I also replaced the harmonic balancer since the rubber was coming out of mine and the timing cover since my new block didn't have a timing cover but did have a new timing chain...
 






@ranger7ltr thank you for the info! I'll bit the bullet and buy new lifters as well as tackle the rocker arm assembly with a few new arms to fix the pitted ones (most of them look excellent, only 105k original on this engine). The cheaper price of those heads vs King cylinder heads will open up some room for more new parts. Glad to hear the heads are still working. I was going to get Odessa heads (even cheaper, 450 complete, shipped) but a lot of threads on this site seem to indicate they aren't high quality. They come with a 5 year warranty vs 1 year for many other heads but I always wonder how much luck one will have with these types of warranty claims if there is a need. It's best not to have to deal with all that. Plus, pulling the heads is a real PITA! Will new heads need valve stem seals? Or will they come with new seals? My top end gasket set (enginetech, 105 on rockauto, seems very high quality) came with new seals but I would assume a new assembled head already has them, no?
 






Yes it will come with seals
 












Hey @fast_dave thanks for checking in. No real updates yet, still saving $$ for the new heads, and maybe lifters if I'm feeling spendy, but old OEM lifters are probably better than the ebay special anyway, so who knows. I've been busy cleaning all the parts I took off, everything is looking great. Besides heads, I have acquired alll the little bits and pieces needed. Still cleaning the deck, that old gasket crap was really caked on and I'm starting to drive myself insane with the repetitive razor blade scraping with little noticeable results.

If it feels smooth is it good to go? There are significant dark stains, even on areas that feel smooth as glass, and I don't want to get really aggressive and damage anything, especially if it's fine. Are these heads that picky about needing a perfectly smooth surface? I have a new enginetech gasket set (yeah yeah, I know I should've gotten the fel-pro) but it looks good and feels high quality. Pretty beefy head gaskets by the looks of em. I can try to get some photos of the deck tomorrow when it's light out if that would help with advice.
 






I can try to get some photos of the deck tomorrow when it's light out if that would help with advice.

@siggy-TX

Just Saying - There is a reason why the phrase "a picture is worth a 1,000 words" refuses to die.

6 good/well-lit pics total = front to back view, back to front view & overhead view - of each V Bank - will get you the opinions/responses you're looking for.

HTH & Your Mileage May Vary
 






Be sure to clean out the cylinders and top of the block after scraping off the old gasket. I didn't do a good job of that on one of my cars and a piece of old silicone or gasket screwed up my intake gasket.
You can try using a scratch pad, like what you would use in scrubbing pots and pans, after scraping. It while help with cleaning and smoothing the surface. You may not get all of the stains off. The metal of your block is a lot harder than the pad so you won't damage the block if you scrub it hard.
It sounds as if you are on the right track on getting it fixed. Replace what parts you see that need replacing and re-use those that don't.
 












@fast_dave
@rasouth

Yes! Updates: I broke down and bought a roloc disk, I was driving myself absolutely crazy with a razor blade and couldn't get it perfect, so I went out there with the drill and the attachment and had it all cleaned up, minus a couple parts where I couldn't get access because of the AC compressor line, and I had the deck silky smooth in less than an hour. I was careful and kept the thing moving so I didn't cause damage. Lesson learned on this one. New heads are sitting on my work bench. A buddy and I are gonna pull a marathon session this Saturday and put them on. I just have some small cleaning things to wrap up, like testing my injectors and cleaning the lifters, then she's all ready. Gonna put it all together, change the oil, then start then engine (I hope lol) and fill it with water. After a quick drive, gonna give the coolant a good flush with the garden hose (the block coolant passages look gross) then fill it up again and run it, then change the old water pump. I'll update again when there's more to tell!
 






Good luck on your marathon!
 






@fast_dave @rasouth @donalds
UPDATE: IT RUNS! I spent all weekend on the truck and every night last last week after work until late working, when finally at 12:30 am on Wednesday night, I finally got all the accessories buttoned up, oil primed the system without spark (was too lazy to figure out which was the fuel relay to pull that too), then fired her up. Came right to life, was rough, but on the next ignition cycle the idle was pretty decent. Plugged in the $10 amazon OBD scan tool and it heated up real quick to 195-205 degrees and stayed there. No check engine light, no codes. There was a pending EGR code for too high of flow but it went away now. I think that was solved when a vacuum leak from the EGR tube to the DPFE sensor was repaired (one of the original lines was cracked - new part is on the way).

Ongoing issues:
After the first drive, the clutch fluid was completely empty. I threw some new fluid in but that made the pedal start sticking to the floor, I'm guessing air bubbles got in. I tried to suck out all the air from the line I could with a turkey baster, then slowly pumped the pedal. I was worried I damaged something for a bit, but after a while it seems to engage/disengage just fine. Occasionally the truck starts a little rough, but has yet to fail to crank. There's an occasional slight stumble at idle, seems like a misfire (but not bad enough to trip a code), but I'm attributing that to poor connection between the plug wires and coil pack. I'll update once I get my shiny new NGK wires in from RockAuto and use electronics cleaner on all contacts and dielectric grease on the plug boots. One of the connectors to the coil pack is a little bent up and I think that may be my issue. Could also be a dirty MAF, IAC, many other things... We will see. AC doesn't work, which is a huge bummer here in the Texas heat, but I'm working on it.

Work Still To Do:
Replace idler pulley, belt tensioner, drive belt, all heater hoses and clamps, backflush heater core again, try to diagnose the AC issue (buddy has a manifold gauge), replace EGR rubber lines, replace / flush all fluids besides oil and coolant (including the foul probably original 21 y/o diff fluid, yuck). New tires are the first item though, so I can get it past inspection.

THANK YOU so much everyone on this site. I'll keep lurking the forums and chiming in where I can, though I'm still a bit of a newbie I think this was a good first step. Onwards to making this thing reliable and take a trip in it. The next big project will be sending me over to The Ranger Station, though, as I replace my 2.3 Ranger's clutch, pressure plate, slave cylinder, etc...... At least I can drive the explorer in the mean time.
 






Congrats!
It might take a while for the computer to adjust all the components, might be why it runs a little rough, but good job!
 









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