Girlfriend spewed coolant and oil all over engine bay, now wont start.

[Shaxy]

2002 XLT 4.0 4WD. 151000 miles. Long story but it's important to troubleshooting.

So, I just dropped $1500+ in parts for my ex. See list below. Car ran fine after I completed all work with no noticeable engine noise. About a week after, the timing chain started to rattle again after replacing the "left" (larger) timing chain tensioner to fix that classical rattle problem. To be honest, when I first replaced it I cross threaded the fitting, but I repaired with a tap and die and it ran fine and fixed the noise.

Yesterday I took the new tensioner out and it was no longer primed/holding pressure from oil just like the one I replaced. I thought it was odd, but also thought the part was bad because it was a returned part I bought from Autozone. I reprimed it, it held pressure, and I popped it back in to see if it would fix the rattle....big mistake. I guess the crush washer/gasket didnt hold and oil spewed everywhere....like over a quart of oil from the engine running less than 5 seconds. Well ****.

So I removed the tensioner again to replace with a fresh one and gasket from autozone, and in doing so disconnected the electrical plug to the coolant thermostat housing (yes a little coolant came out as expected. I removed the the entire plug, not just the electrical clip) to get the tensioner out and in correctly without cross threading again .....Now the bigger screw up. With the tensioner out and thermostat housing connector unplugged, I asked my girlfriend to turn the car to on but not start it, and put it in neutral so i could push it into the garage for the night...She cranked the engine. It roared, caught, and spewed both more oil and now coolant everywhere. I yelled at her to turn it off and had to walk away for a few moments to re-compose myself.

I came back, I stared helplessly at my engine bay soaked in coolant and oil. Welp, at that point I thought just reassemble, replace the lost oil and coolant and see if it at least runs. I wipe the electrical components off the best I can, replace the new tensioner and coolant thermo plug. I thought I would try and start it before moving on to carefully cleaning the bay to ensure no more damage can be done. Car cranks but wont start.....no other symptoms present. No electrical problems, no codes. Coil pack is still giving a spark, plugs and wires don't appear to have any penetration or moisture from the oil/coolant. No fuses blown, fuel pump working and has pressure.

Where do I even begin? Yes theres oil/coolant all over the brand f***** new alternator but it should still start, right?

New part list below for reference. Again the car ran fine for 500 miles this past week on a road trip to the beach before it developed the rattle again after replacing all the listed parts below. Thanks all.

4WD Control Module
Battery
Alternator
Serpentine Belt
Left Timing Chain Tensioner
Power steering Pump
Struts X 4
Pads and Rotors X 4
Calipers X 4
Wheel Bearings X 4
Front Sway Bar Links X 2
Upper Ball Joints X 4
Tires X 4 (bought used but good condition)
Left rear tie rod
Transmission Fluid Pan and Fluid
Oil and Filter
Airbox Filter
Spark Plugs

 

[MrQ]

Hmmm, bet there was quite an apology from her over that one...

If I had to guess, with the tensioner out and already being problematic, you *might* have jumped timing.

But before I would go there, I would finish cleaning and inspecting the engine bay and then I would pull the spark plugs and check for damage.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Turn the engine manually with a ratchet or a breaker bar while the key is in the ignition in the run position. Don't crank it with the key. Listen for the fuel pump priming every time you turn it a few degrees.

 

[Shaxy]

I'm afraid you're probably right. Jumping timing makes the most sense here. It sounds like my old 92 ranger after I got the timing wrong. I'll also inspect fuel injection more closely. Was hoping for an easy hail mary fix before I write this thing off on my taxes and go put myself in debt for a turbodiesel Colorado.

 

[MrQ]

On another note, you might also have a weak oil pump which is why your tensioner may not have stayed primed. Dealing with a similar issue on an '00 SOHC Limited.

 

[Shaxy]

Update: Bought me a Tacoma but decided to keep the Explorer as a project. We make a lot of beach runs and it be nice to have around and keep the Tacoma clean.

Fuel system checks out. My definitive theory now is that the driver side camshaft jumped timing. However, I did not know the 4.0 SOHC was an interference engine. Question is, is it even worth trying to retime the engine if the valves are bent? How do you test compression without risking further damage? I would think that after my several attempts to start it, if the valves are bent, they're bent-turning it over anymore couldn't do any MORE damage, right? I've seen and read some stuff online about removing the driver side valve cover and re timing without removing the engine so it doesn't seem overly involved. One guy had a smart way of doing it without a retiming kit. Thoughts?

 

[MrQ]

The SOHC is indeed an interference engine. The biggest problem that you could have if you continue to turn over the engine is snapping those valves and sending them into the cylinder. After that point you just turned your engine into a grinder, destroying pistons and the cylinder walls in the process.

You would need to pull the head and replace the valves, then retime the cam to get the engine running properly again. A good timing tool kit for the SOHC is about 200-300 on ebay.

 

[Gary Crist]

Be easy on the girlfriend, {A good wife is hard to find! I've had 2 bad ones so far)!

Take an old spark plug, beat out the old porcelain and weld an
air fitting to it. Hook up to a regulated air source. Turn engine by hand to
TDC and listen for an air leak..

I'll pray for no air leak!!!