More problems after 0012m upper/lower manafold gasket, Tentioner kit fix

[cjmedina]

There must be something wrong on the rightt head but the clearance is so small to see anything.

We have to come up with a way we can identify what is wrong so we know how to move forward.

It would be great if I don't have to remove the engine. If I did I think I would go with the Trans removal option. This way I can have the trans look at to.

I fear the Valves are bent......


Cliff

 

[2000StreetRod]

Passenger side guide & tensioner

Here's a photo by CDW6212R that shows what you should be looking for:

At the bottom of the photo the threads on the hydraulic tensioner (slack side) are visible. The piston in the tensioner is compressed and pressing against the guide. If the metal piece is there then you have the new style guide assembly.

At the top of the photo the guide positioning post is visible holding the traction side of the guide assembly. Notice below it and farther down is the other side of the traction side. The chain passes between.

Try to feel for these pieces of the guide assembly if you can't see them.

 

[cjmedina]

Ok,

Tomorrow I will have to come up with a way I can get a good view/feel of the area.


Small camera and good lighting?


Small hands?



To be continued........................

 

[2000StreetRod]

Review of right/rear photos

I just finished reviewing all of the right/rear guide photos you have posted including the ones in the mirror directory. I still see nothing wrong with the traction side of the guide assembly. However, there are no photos showing the slack (tensioner) side of the guide assembly or the hydraulic tensioner. I believe the hood and PCM prevents a direct line of sight for a camera. I think I've seen one taken in the past with a mirror.

Once again, I suggest that you pull the hydraulic tensioner to check it's spring. Here's a link to my thread about replacing one: Rear Timing Chain Tensioner Replacement

I guess there's the possibility that the backfire you mentioned caused the chain to slip. But it's my opinion after spending some time playing with the chain that it won't slip unless a guide or tensioner is broken if the engine is rotating in a clockwise direction. When the engine rotates counter-clockwise, the slack side becomes the traction side and the traction side becomes the slack side with no tensioner. That is when the chain is most likely to slip.

 

[cjmedina]

If I have to remove the hood I will, to get a good view down there....

 

[2000StreetRod]

Mirror photo

I found the photo by bbakercpht I remembered that was taken with a mirror. It is shown below.

Unfortunately, it doesn't show the tensioner. It may not be possible to get the required angle.

 

[cjmedina]

Thanks Dale for all the detailed information.

I will give it my best to get the pictures tomorrow.



Cliff

 

[cjmedina]

I'm having a problem getting in there to take some good pictures because there isn't much room. I'm also haveing a problem illuminating the internals.

I thought of using my HD ZI8 on macro.

Here's 2 Youtube clips


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e3ibAhMNhs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1o11kaEJEo

More Mirror Photos: ftp://cj136.gotdns.com/files2/Explorer/Headace/RH Chain/Mirror/



Cliff

 

[2000StreetRod]

Looks good to me

I can see nothing wrong in the videos. The traction side of the guide looks completely intact and in the proper position. I only got a glimpse of the slack side but what I saw looked good. I could not see the end to the tensioner in contact with the guide. I could only see the threads of the tensioner.

I suggest that you remove the rear tensioner shown in the photo below and check the spring strength. Be careful not to lose the compression ring if there is one at the bolt head face.

It is not real difficult to compress the spring with both thumbs (one on top of the other) to push the piston into the housing until little if any projects from the housing.

If the tensioner is OK then I can't think of anything else to check and the next step is to proceed with retiming the camshaft.

 

[cjmedina]

Thanks Dale,

I will carefully remove the rear tensioner tomorrow.


If it's Ok then what is the speculation on how this could of happened?

everything seems tight so I can't see how the chain jumped.


I'm sure you'll lead me step by step on how to get it timed.



Thanks,



CJ

 

[cjmedina]

.

 

[cjmedina]

Ok I removed the right tensioner.

It wasn't to hard to do. The hardest part was moving the fender well. Some of the top bolts were rusted so I had to soak them in liquid wrench for a few minutes. The size of the socket was the same as the new Left tensioner 1 1/16.

I put a screw driver through the hole to push on the guide part..... (It's looks like metal but I can't tell)...... that the tensioner push,s on the chain. The screw driver bottoms out the same distance/length of the tensioner from head to end. I did not feel any resistance after that point. The tensioner was not completely pumped up but there was some spring!

If nothing else can be found out of order then how do we explain the 50 degrees off?????

Here's the series of pictures for your review.

ftp://cj136.gotdns.com/files2/Explorer/Headace/RH Chain/Tensioner/

Let me know where I go from here......?


Thanks Dale,


Cliff

 

[2000StreetRod]

Clean the oil port

The first thing I suggest is that you make sure the oil port for the hydraulic tensioner is open. It is 1/8 inch or so in diameter in the threaded opening of the head where the tensioner screws in. You can use a small allen wrench to poke into the port to make sure it is not blocked with sludge. According to Cloyes who makes timing chain kits for the Explorer, some of the chain related failures have been due to the oil port being blocked. The oil flows into the tensioner piston for exerting pressure on the timing chain.

 

[cjmedina]

Ok

Do you know where the hole is....top, bottom,left or right? Very tight area to see. I would have to feel for it without dropping anything in the big hole....


Cliff

 

[2000StreetRod]

Improvised camshaft holder

Since you don't have the special timing tool kit you need a means to prevent the camshaft from rotating away from the correct position. The photo below shows what I used.

The camshaft bearing inside diameter is about 1.1 inches which is about the same diameter of the pill container. Other members have made strips from soda bottles which works as well but is a little harder to position on the camshaft journal. The thickness of the plastic should not be more than 1/16 inch.

I used an Xacto knife to cut the ends off the small pill bottle with about the same inside diameter as the camshaft journals. I used tin snips to cut the remaining tube into 0.5 inch wide strips. Then I cut each strip slightly less than half of the diameter of the camshaft journal.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Try 4 o'clock position

Ok

Do you know where the hole is....top, bottom,left or right? Very tight area to see. I would have to feel for it without dropping anything in the big hole....


Cliff

I think I can see it's shadow in your 3rd photo of the last series at the 4 o'clock position. Unfortunately, I have already inserted my new one into the opening. It's about 1/4 inch in from the outside surface of the head.

 

[cjmedina]

Ok I was able to locate the small hole by feel. I used a stiff wire and was able to stick it down more then an inch without resistance....just clean oil!


Now what's next....?



Cliff

 

[2000StreetRod]

Taught chain tool

You'll also need some way to make the chain taught when you torque the camshaft sprocket retaining bolt. The spring pressure of the tensioner is insufficient for accurate timing and torquing.

The photo below shows what I used.

A 7/16 inch 3/8 inch drive short depth socket is tethered to a cable tie and small locking plier to keep a fumbly fingered person from losing the device into the depths of the head. The socket was selected because of its length (slightly longer than the tensioner piston extension) and diameter (about the same as the piston).

 

[2000StreetRod]

Position piston #1 to TDC on compression

You've already checked the camshaft timing for the left (driver) side and found it to be correct. So when you have your plastic strips and your tensioner spacer then rotate the crankshaft for #1 piston to TDC (as indicated by the crankshaft damper and crankshaft position pointer) on the compression stroke.

Confirm that the timing slot on the rear of the left (driver) camshaft is below the centerline of the camshaft and parallel to the surface of the head that mates with the valve cover as shown in the photo below.

This will be hard for you to accomplish since your engine is still in the vehicle and you can't fit between the rear of the camshaft and the firewall.
You might try using an allen wrench that fits snugly into the slot as shown below and then measuring the distance between the low end of the wrench and the top of the head.

Then flip the wrench around and see if the measurement is the same.

As a cross check to make sure the camshaft is not 180 degrees off, look at the protusion on the camshaft that is used by the camshaft position sensor. It should be pointed upward as shown below instead of downward.

 

[2000StreetRod]

Loosen right/rear camshaft sprocket

At this point don't spend much time trying to get the left camshaft accurately aligned because it will probably move when you loosen the right camshaft sprocket retaining bolt.

The right/rear camshaft sprocket retaining bolt loosens when turned clockwise. You will have to keep the camshaft from rotating while breaking the camshaft retaining bolt free. It was originally torqued to 62 ft-lbs. You will need two 19 mm sockets. One to keep the crankshaft damper retaining bolt from rotating and one to loosen the right/rear camshaft sprocket retaining bolt. The crankshaft damper retaining bolt was originally torqued to 44 ft-lbs plus 90 degrees which is equivalent to more than 100 ft-lbs so the camshaft sprocket retaining bolt will loosen before the crankshaft damper retaining bolt.

Loosen the right/rear camshaft retaining bolt by turning clockwise while keeping the crankshaft from rotating. Once loose, the camshaft will rotate to the least spring pressure position of about 50 degrees before or after the correct position.