drivers side camshaft doesn't rotate when engine is cranked

[mostly_broncos]

Working on a 2003 explorer sport trac 4.0 SOHC engine.

The truck belongs to my brother , he had AAA tow it to my driveway , it died on the highway. Put the scanner on P0340 check the cam position sensor it and its wiring seem good. I bench test it by hooking a voltmeter to the terminals and move it around the head of a sledgehammer and see voltage. So I put it back in and try the same sort of test while my brother cranks the engine and nothing.

I pull the sensor and look in the hole while he cranks and see no movement



Ok i leave off for the night and this morning I get up early before the hot weather pull the valve cover and give it a crank and the camshaft is not turning when the engine turns.


The chain , for what its worth appears to be tight , well that chain anyway. I know the crank is turning , do I have a broken chain at the crank broken sprocket at the crank or is the tensioner on the primary chain destroyed etc?

key on the crank sprocket shear?

when something like this happens do the pistons and valves make contact?


its obviously way beyond the cam sensor

I could pull the other valve cover and see if the other cam turns that would tell me if the primary chain is turning I suppose

are these interference engines I guess is the main question

 

[410Fortune]

yes they are interference engines

You must remove timing cover to see the carnage
Or just pull the engine then have a look see

 

[mostly_broncos]

The sun is cooking down now I buttoned it up until later. I suppose I could pull the other valve cover and see if that cam turns ? If neither one turns then the chain at the crank isn't "functioning" if the passenger cam turns then it could just be the drivers side. Then I could pull the timing cover and pray its the key or access the drivers side chain but that interference issue doesn't sound great

I told him he needs to find transport this is not going to be a quick fix or may not be worth doing at all financially . He loves the truck , I dont charge dealership rate but I dont work for free either this is a ways beyond one of those buy me a six pack things

 

[Josh P]

If the motor ate itself, low mileage replacements can be found at junkyards.

 

[mostly_broncos]

hes actually found a same year same color sport trac on facebook hes talking to the seller . we put a lot into this truck if it becomes a donor for another that would be helpful. He needs something to drive to work I loaned him my volvo for now but that leaves me driving my 77 F150 every day which I love but at $5 a gallon I dont want to lose my volvo for 2 weeks while we sort this out . He will be spending at least $1000 on a junkyard motor at a minimum , I told him I'm not putting timing chains in this only to find that valves or pistons are junk after trying to start it. If it was mine I'd pull it off the road register something else then go through it and decide the best plan but he and I both have a lot on our plates at the moment and its not great timing for a crisis (no pun intended)

 

[Turdle]

Unless the engine is pulled and timing chains done correctly, buying another sport Trac with the same problem ( which it has ) would really suck

 

[mostly_broncos]

I agree but he likes the sport trac and needs to get a driver within a week. This one can sit here forever as a parts donor. We are short on time between working and pitching in helping our mother cope with a cancer diagnosis . Between the 2 of us we can barely keep up with all the dr appointments and keep our jobs. We can't afford to be down a vehicle let alone be down 1 each. Without the explorer he only has a harley which isnt great for moving other people . My truck is not great for bringing her to her appointments she has trouble getting in and out so I used my volvo for that. If he has my volvo then either he has to miss work and drive her around or she has to struggle in and out of the truck.
We can do it for a week or 2 but long term its not good

used cars have been at a premium for a while now so fixing this one would be ideal but he may just need to buy another and then we can look for a motor or do the chains in this one and he will have a pair i guess.

assuming the one he is looking at isnt a spam listing or no good it may be the least bad solution

 

[Turdle]

Man, sounds like a plateful for sure. Sorry about your mother.

Maybe bro could sell the Harley for enough cash to get a real good reliable ride.

 

[Fix4Dirt]

jmo but if ya want something long lasting, either fix the timing stuff on your trac or the other trac ya lookin at, and some VB upgrades, and that drivetrain will last ya a good long while. or, the option i would go with is possibly: a 2nd gen trac (07-10 iirc, preferably 9/10 cause they have the 6r80 i think) thats if he uses the bed often. if not a 2nd gen v8 explorer or ohv manual X would be the next choice, both of these are bulletproof off the floor like the 6r80 tracs imo. the sohc will take some work to get there, but it can be done!

 

[mostly_broncos]

jmo but if ya want something long lasting, either fix the timing stuff on your trac or the other trac ya lookin at, and some VB upgrades, and that drivetrain will last ya a good long while. or, the option i would go with is possibly: a 2nd gen trac (07-10 iirc, preferably 9/10 cause they have the 6r80 i think) thats if he uses the bed often. if not a 2nd gen v8 explorer or ohv manual X would be the next choice, both of these are bulletproof off the floor like the 6r80 tracs imo. the sohc will take some work to get there, but it can be done!

He likes having the bed he hunts and fishes and moves his quad and also a kayak with it.

he likes my 77 f150! but now its harder to come up with older trucks on short notice. I thought mid 90's F series would be a good area but thats kind of a black hole too right now

 

[Fix4Dirt]

He likes having the bed he hunts and fishes and moves his quad and also a kayak with it.

he likes my 77 f150! but now its harder to come up with older trucks on short notice. I thought mid 90's F series would be a good area but thats kind of a black hole too right now

makes sense, who doesnt these older rigs are getting hard to find for a decent price, so theyre unobtanium!

 

[mostly_broncos]

makes sense, who doesnt these older rigs are getting hard to find for a decent price, so theyre unobtanium!

hes looking on facebook marketplace for F150's all post 96 garbage starting at 4000 and I can sense the exhaust leaks thru the screen even in a still image.

I'm looking at an 89 F150 right now listed for $2000 it obviously hasnt moved in years it has 8 foot tall weeds growing up between the cab and bed common sense would tell a seller to trim those before picture day. Thats just lazy

 

[Josh P]

hes looking on facebook marketplace for F150's all post 96 garbage starting at 4000 and I can sense the exhaust leaks thru the screen even in a still image.

I'm looking at an 89 F150 right now listed for $2000 it obviously hasnt moved in years it has 8 foot tall weeds growing up between the cab and bed common sense would tell a seller to trim those before picture day. Thats just lazy

Truth in advertising. I'd rather know how it actually lived the last several years than see a washed and waxed non runner.

 

[mostly_broncos]

Truth in advertising. I'd rather know how it actually lived the last several years than see a washed and waxed non runner.

I agree its the prices that shock me . I junk cars pretty regularly , I sell parts on Ebay from some of them I see value in old iron , but these people need to put down the pipe .

Who knew in 1989 you could buy an F150 with seats made solely from duct tape for instance , the skull shift knob obviously is a value add for sure . If only the stick it was screwed on would budge

Personalizing your ride is important of course, we have all been there

 

[Josh P]

Is the gun rack in the back window included?

 

[mostly_broncos]

Is the gun rack in the back window included?

ya but no gun just a busted 4 foot level

 

[Josh P]

I have to ask what state? I have an idea...

 

[pelagic1122]

If the motor ate itself, low mileage replacements can be found at junkyards.

That's what I did - I bought my 2003 Adrenalin trim from my neighbor for $500 with a blown engine at 90K - one of the timing chains let go. I went to a local junkyard and got an engine out of an Explorer with 80K miles for $1,300 with plans to swap it myself. The guy at the yard says he'll have his guys do it for $250, I said deal! The vehicle now has 166,00K miles and still runs great.

 

[mostly_broncos]

That's what I did - I bought my 2003 Adrenalin trim from my neighbor for $500 with a blown engine at 90K - one of the timing chains let go. I went to a local junkyard and got an engine out of an Explorer with 80K miles for $1,300 with plans to swap it myself. The guy at the yard says he'll have his guys do it for $250, I said deal! The vehicle now has 166,00K miles and still runs great.

You can't really go wrong for $250

My brother actually bought one of the other 2003 sport tracs he looked at on facebook. Its a twin of this one with the blown engine but in better shape. He paid 4000 which isn't ideal but he called around about junkyard motors and was looking at spending 1500+ and waiting for me to swap it in. I just don't have the time right now and I want my loaner car back

Realistically he would have waited a month for me to get it done and I really dont feel like doing it at all. Spare time is limited , I have projects of my own pipeline that are backed up and everyone needs to get to work.

The new one was owned by some rich kid who's parents dumped a ton of money into it tires brakes battery all new 128,000 miles and same year same color.
Beauty of that is we just stuck his plate on it and hes driving it already.

THe stupid DMV here in mass is so backed up it could take a month to get the swap settled. Those poor souls are still so scared of corona they barely let 1 person in at a time.


I buttoned the other one up , when I get a chance I'll pull the timing cover and see what exactly happened. Get it running as cheaply as possible and he can keep it as a back up driver just by illegally attaching plates back and forth at a moments notice

Reminds me of my old bronco days me and a few friends all had blue 78 broncos and we shared 1 license plate and registration for 2 years .

The easy swapping ended when detroit started putting the VIN on the dash of course

 

[410Fortune]

You should 5.0 the other sport trac