410Custom's builds a 2007 Ranger V8 - custom truck build - Project "Ranger Premier"

[Josh P]

I hoped that would have fixed it. Did the sound or tone of the knock change with this repair at all?

 

[vroomzoomboom]

oil pressure?

and i still shudder at the cam sync thing we went threw.....

 

[JoshT]

Sucks to hear that the pushrods did not fix the problem. I'll be keeping an ear out for your future roller rocker experiment. I did the cheap 1.7 RRs on the stock Explorer cam in my first engine, so already wearing Mustang valve covers from that. Was using the aftermarket cam this time around so went back to the stock rockers. Money isn't there for 1.6 RRs at the moment, but I am interested in making the change in the future. Especially if the stock rockers aren't 1.6 as advertised.

Hope the MIL has a speedy recovery on the ACL. Dad went through that (or a PCL?) after a plane crash many years ago, was not a speedy recovery. Best advice I can give is encourage her to stick to the physical therapy and to keep exercising and mobile afterwards. I think that was his biggest problem with recovery, he didn't stick to the PT and he used the pain as an excuse to not do, then got used to not doing. He never worked the muscles enough to get the strength and stability built up. Granted he had a lot more going on as well as a result of that accident and general wear and tear that comes with age and hard work.

I had scans done, specialists looked at it. I couldn't control the knee or anything below it. 3 months on crutches so looking at that picture of her on the stretcher is painful cause it'll be awhile to get back to normal. It also made me more aware of ADA accessibility, especially around the house

Scarry proposition, but did they test for the possibility of a stroke? Dad had a mini-stroke one night back in 2021 that caused loss of mobility. He could still move around to an extent but weak and unsteady. He needed a walker and/or cane for support for a while. IIRC at first he thought it was a bad case of vertigo, but the symptoms lingered, eventually the doctors tracked it down to the stroke.

 

[Josh P]

Scarry proposition, but did they test for the possibility of a stroke? Dad had a mini-stroke one night back in 2021 that caused loss of mobility. He could still move around to an extent but weak and unsteady. He needed a walker and/or cane for support for a while. IIRC at first he thought it was a bad case of vertigo, but the symptoms lingered, eventually the doctors tracked it down to the stroke.

They did the scan with the dye to check something with circulation. It never hurt or felt different in any way. Doctors were stumped, but it does happen to other people, I met someone a few years ago talk about the exact same thing down to falling over when getting out of bed. Their doctor couldn't figure it out either.

 

[410Fortune]

The engine noise did not change still the same knock

The engine fired off more quickly
Seems to be running smoother and stronger
No smoke at all from exhaust that I could see
Before there was blue smoke

I’m Not afraid of the work! It’s making the time to throw at it, I will be burning the midnight oil for longer… I’ve been at this for weeks (lack of sleep, making time to tow/ fix this sucker)

I need to know the cause so I can do the repair
Today some basic tests should help with that
Compression test and scope the cylinders
Check accessory drive and make sure no knocking there. Check converter studs and bolts… check??? Still sounds like a bad lifter to me…. Out comes the stethoscope again


I have a 5.0 torn down to the shortblock two bays over
I have a complete 97 drivetrain on a pallet in front of the shop
I have a perfectly running 160k 98 driving around out front (for parts)
Those are just the ones ready to go if needed

So do I throw a cam into another block with new gaskets and drop it in here? We are gonna find out… and I’m gonna need to order some more gaskets and head Bolts just in case. The project two bays over has all the goodies I need, I can rob Peter to pay Paul as needed
I don’t have remflex gaskets I’ll order a set of those right now just in case

Remember my sport trac has this exact same setup (engine wise not Holley) she’s noisy but she runs fine… sheesh
Please send help

I ignored the ganglion cyst on my
Wrist and now 24 months later I’m getting it removed because it just kept growing
Likely from an old wrist Injury /
Arthritis… they are normally harmless. This one needs to go. That will have my left hand out of commission for a few… I was trying to do it over winter not when pulling engines. I get the mri results later today

 

[donalds]

I'm very interested in the compression test numbers
We Will know if anything is bent.
All of that rotating mass just stopping instantly with no consequences
Very interesting

 

[DintDobbs]

@410Fortune Progress in process of elimination... eventually you gotta reach the end of the line, and that's where the problem will turn up. Meanwhile, this thread is more interesting than any thing I've seen on TV in the last few decades.

"The project two bays over has all the goodies I need, I can rob Peter to pay Paul as needed." Favorite quote of the year. Save this one for posterity.

@donalds That's the fascinating part. I am also curious as to what wacky things could happen under that kind of mechanical stress, but I'm not gonna try it on my Explorer!

 

[boominXplorer]

Kinda sounds like rod bearing issue if it's running fine. I've also had a 5.0 explorer with a light knock that ended up to be a melted piston from detonation. That tune not being perfect and going out to do a long journey like that out the gate probably wasn't the best idea. Cutting the oil filter open will point us in the right direction.

 

[410Fortune]

So I’m a moron
After docotors appoint yesterday came home and my Neighbor was here, so I had him
Listen to the engine with stethoscope for a second opinion. He pinpointed cylinders 3 and 5 rocker arms with the scope as the exact spots of the noise. Same conclusion I came too. Those three rocker arms were suspect to me as well… even after re torquing and pumping up the oil pressure. So I got excited and removed the intakes. Sure enough 3 loose /loose ish rocker arms. The pushrods have just a tiny amount of play in them up and down and the rockers have some play side to side on the pedestals.

So I ripped the lower intake off and removed all rockers, rods, and lifters. Nothing jumps out at me… I was fully expecting to find something broken. Nope. I think I have a few bad lifters.
I’m a dumbass because I did not do compression test first… I got excited.

Anyways I’m going to replace all
Lifters pushrods and rockers, new lim gaskets and see where we are at
Intake valves all look perfect, all springs, retainers, valve stem seals look perfect… it has to be noisy rocker arms, they should not have play in them
It is very
Obvious the noise is in the top end under the rocker covers… if we are wrong well then the next step will be compression test followed by yanking the engine

I will also be dissecting the suspect lifters on the bench I want to see that they are jammed or squishy or something

Very close inspection of oil filter turns up nothing, a few tiny specs of material but it seems to break down in the fingers like carbon.. no metal glitter no chunks of anything
Cam lobes all centered and shiny… fingers crossed some more

 

[410Fortune]

When the front d shaft let go the engine ran fine after the blown fuse was found. It was later in the return trip home that the knocking started and got louder… apparently low on oil 1 to 1.5 quarts up until then it was still running smoothly?

Wrist lump is not a cyst it’s a fatty tumor .. which is why they needed an mri and now surgery is scheduled…. Fun fun

 

[CDW6212R]

That's good on your wrist, I expect the surgery will be quick and easy.

 

[Turdle]

Yeah, good news. You fatty

 

[Turdle]

Now I want some sausage

 

[Josh P]

Now I want some sausage

That's what
-She

 

[410Fortune]

Neighbors wife took down a massive cow elk a couple weeks back, after being skunked the last 5 seasons they finally got one this year… and only 100 yards from the road and another 100 yards to their house. He had 400# of elk Meat to process and 15 gallons of trimmings to make sausages from… oh man I can’t wait to have some of those sausages
Okay back to the engine repair, I am on it … schedule is clear blue truck is focus

 

[410Fortune]

Pics
All
Lifters pushrods and rocker arms replaced with those from a known good running 2000 302 that had 153k miles on it. Parts are in very good condition

153k lifters look brand new

All Lifters cleaned inspected lubed and installed

All
Rocker arms inspected, the old ones that were the suspected “noisy”
Arms are worn and missing material
At the pivots

The rocket arms are stamped and so the whole arm should be similar in thickness to this spot here

The worn pivots are quite obvious when measured with this caliper

The old pedestals also have wear marks far exceeding what the new “good”
Parts show… see how the shiny metal extends all the way to the end?
Worn rocker arms and pedestals
Likely from wrong pushrods and geometry putting too much strain on them. I suspect I will find lifters bad or broken when I have a chance to take the “old” ones apart on the bench

Intakes will go back on this am along with new oil…
Again

Fingers crossed this is the end of it and she will run smoothly

 

[410Fortune]

Comparing the “new”
Rockers and pedestals to the ones that came off the noisy engine I found the rockers that were noisy to be missing material at the pivots
Using a gauge I can see there is metal missing on the suspect rocker arms

The lifters I pulled out of the noisy engine appear fine but they do have “wear
Marks” more so then the parts that went in

I have the engine and lower intake prepped with clean surfaces and new gaskets ready to go back together. That is as far as I got last night. All “new” lifters pushrods and rocker arms installed, torqued to 22 ft lbs, engine oil pressure checked with a drill. All pushrods delivering oil as they should, all lifters got “stiff” when I tirn the oil pump. I am hopeful!!

 

[410Fortune]

Okay so in the interest of my sleep habits I decided to take apart one of the suspected bad lifters

I am glad I did

The cap and check ball were on the wrong side of the plunger = broken

Same thing on suspected bad lifter number 2


Now I know (95%) found the remaining issues and I bet she runs like a proper 5 oh

The cap spring and check ball are supposed to be locked inside the cup and seated in the bottom of the plunger like this

Improper pre Load and geometry found the weak spot in the lifters

 

[CDW6212R]

Good catch, lifters are critical parts.

 

[donalds]

Looks like you found your noise.