Timing Chain Pictures!?!

[gold984by4]

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

The only thing I hear is the slight valve train noise... the normal stuff that means everything is working... I think you only need the new cam tensioner as it seems to go away when warm... Once the oil warms up and builds up a bit of pressure to keep the cam tensioner in place all is good... Pray it is the front one!!

I would get the chain noise when I had it under a good bit of power... All that went away as soon as I put the new cassette, cam tensioner, and jackshaft tensioner in place...

I am dreading the day the rear starts making noises!!!

Keep in mind that I didn't use any new parts except the pieces that contained plastic... No new chain or sprockets even thought they were apart of the kits... If you had the alignment tool (and maybe someone can supply the tool part number), you would be able to replace the chains and sprockets...

Thanks a bunch all and I hope this can help someone out there!!

 

[tl1000r]

thanks yeah i plan on buying the the tool kit off of ebay and i`m pulling the whole motor, to do the front and back tensioners i plan having the truck for while still, so i decide to replace them all the thanks for all the info

 

[ErnieSOHC]

Hi guys, anyone nows how to replace the rear tensioner? Hope this reduces¡ the noise, thanks in advance.

 

[Toyota mechanic]

I work at a toyota dealer ship in oz and have just had one of these things traded. At first a 'tick' was heard every now and then, so I pulled down the passanger side valve train and replaced the lifters X 6 ($430aud)( these things have reports of weak lifters\lash adjusters) FYI- I marked the camshaft position to the gear because no tools were available, this worked fine for re installment.
Now the vehicle runs well but has an even louder more constant valve train noise. We thought the lifters were not primed properly but upon 2nd pull down inspection, they were fine. I now fear that the crappy plastic guides may have failed some where in this wreck. The noise is relevent to the revs and seems louder closer to the firewall?
This suspect vehicle also suffers from the rough idle syndrome and intake manifold gasket failure! MASSIVE LEMON!

 

[CDW6212R]

Research the large number of threads related to this common issue. The solutions are in them all. This thread has many wonderful pictures. The lifters are not a problem at all, leave those alone.

Do not unbolt any of the valvetrain without the proper tools. That means having the timing alignment tools installed on the engine first.

All of the SOHC 4.0 Explorer engines have cam chain tensioners which need replacement, as well as the timing cassettes. Those parts are not going to last over 75,000 miles. If they do, you are lucky. Do not rely on luck, replace them before they wear out. The expense of a new engine is ten times the cost of replacing those few parts. Do it, don't talk about it, don't argue about it, just do it.

 

[Jorgen]

Quick question. If the chain tensioners and timming cassettes were replaced previously ( will have to do a vin search through ford to find out forsure ) would they be expected to need replacement again? Just wondering if anyone can answer that one for me. My explorer has about 188k on her right now and runs great still, woulnd't hesitate to jump in and drive the thing anywhere in the counrtry.

 

[slpdave]

This thread was aweosome (did I spell that right?), It tells me that I would not want to attempt this myself in the driveway. Great pictures, great directions. You are the man.

 

[CDW6212R]

Awesome, I believe from the large number of members who have had these issues, 75,000 miles would be a good maintenance period. Regards,

 

[badgett]

try this link scroll down the page some to get 4.0 SOHC

http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiB..._us/0900823d/80/0b/90/b6/0900823d800b90b6.jsp

 

[rmcknight]

i had that rattle at 2800 rpm, and yes, its completely gone after i did this.
however - i think it was from the front of the engine so the primary guide + tensioner and the front cam guide may have been all thats required?

 

[badgett]

My rattle is coming from the front passenger side (USA). Is it the one in the middle of the engine behind the water pump that I'm hearing ?

 

[stup]

No new chain or sprockets even thought they were apart of the kits... If you had the alignment tool (and maybe someone can supply the tool part number)

tool kit for the job is OTC 6488.
http://www.tooldiscounter.com/ItemDisplay.cfm?lookup=OTC6488&source=froogle&kw=OTC6488

heres a link for one for about 170 bucks, probably the kit im going to buy when i get the cash. im gonna go all out on this one, going to pull the engine and do jackshaft, and both camshaft's. when i get around to it (probably in a month or so) i will make sure to take a bunch of pictures with the engine out

 

[rmcknight]

Could be the primary (as you are saying), but it doesnt matter, you are going to need to pull the timing cover off and the valve cover, you should replace all the front timing chains sprockets and guides and tensioners.
And you should get the timing tools, you cant re-time the engine without the tools as a new chain or guide will slightly change the camshaft. + you need the dummy tensioner to put the right force on the cam chain guide.

 

[Halfnuts]

The rear chain tensioner has gone bad in mine just this week- just in time to ruin my vacation. I'm considering lighting it ablaze where it sits... (The insurance $$ would be more than enough to take a quick trip out of town)

 

[CDW6212R]

Well, it's a $40 part, change it. Torque the new one to 49lbs.ft. Good luck,

 

[badgett]

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,

can I replace these 2 guides (the ones in your pic) without special tools ? Will the timing chain stay still when the tensioners are removed?

 

[CDW6212R]

Only the two cam chain tensioners can be changed without the special tool kit. They just thread straight in. Every other part of the valvetrain requires the tools, because there are no splines or gears(teeth) connecting the parts. Both ends of the jackshaft, and the chain end of each cam use compression to hold them together. When loose those joints can spin within each other completely, both parts are smooth/round. Only the compression of the bolt holding them tight together keeps them from moving separately. Thus you must actually use the special tool before you even loosen any of those bolts. The engine must start at TDC to begin the work, the tools physically hold the parts in place, while the bolts are secured.

 

[tmh6202]

Only the two cam chain tensioners can be changed without the special tool kit. They just thread straight in. Every other part of the valvetrain requires the tools, because there are no splines or gears(teeth) connecting the parts. Both ends of the jackshaft, and the chain end of each cam use compression to hold them together. When loose those joints can spin within each other completely, both parts are smooth/round. Only the compression of the bolt holding them tight together keeps them from moving separately. Thus you must actually use the special tool before you even loosen any of those bolts. The engine must start at TDC to begin the work, the tools physically hold the parts in place, while the bolts are secured.

Hey Don,

I think it is also worth mentioning that even though you use the tools, only one head can be done at a time. BUT, both the primary chain and front cassette have to be off/out at the same time as the left cassette chain is behind the primary chain. The biggest thing to make certain you do is to keep the cam sensor nub in the proper place in relation to the head. This can change even if you use the OTC6488 tool kit to hold the rear cam in place. The tension from the valve springs will cause the cam to rotate somewhat. I was victim of this during my rebuild. Got it back together, tunred it over, sounded ok but would not catch and run. We took the valve covers off and when compared to before pictures and diagrams, we realized that the flat spot was on the bottom of the cam, 180 degrees off. OOPS! It pays to take pictures and follow directions! The flat spot in the picture below is the opposite side of the cam that needs to be up at installation/tightening of the cassette to cam bolt. The opposite side has a flat spot with a nub that sticks up to "trip" the sensor. I cannot locate a photo of that, but I have not looked at everything I have yet. I will scan a diagram from the instructions tomorrow and post it for those who need it.

Good luck everyone! Mine is still running strong and QUIET!

Todd

 

[CDW6212R]

Agreed, I watched my two cams and valvetrain carefully when I loosened the jackshaft bolt. Only the left one moved then, I did the left first, and when I got to the right cam it had turned slightly, no harm.

I believe that if the engine is at TDC when the work begins, then the cams won't move out of position any amount that will hurt any valves. The crank isn't turned during the process, just TDC verified. So doing each head(cam) is a matter of installing the tools, which lock the cam into it's timed position. Each cam gear bolt is tightened when the tools are on, which locks that cam in time with the crank.

So after the front cam chain, and rear cam chain are done(it's cam gear bolt), then the engine is timed. That's how I would verbally describe the general timing process.

 

[elvis8814]

I've started my drivers side tensioner/guide replacement project a few weeks ago. (I like to take my time.) So far I've been able to get to the timing covrer. My problem I'm having is, How do you get the crankshaft pully bolt out without moving the engine off TDC? How do you remove the power steering pump bracket? Thanks.