How To: Install Camshaft & Rocker Arms

[section525]

E-303 Camshaft install on a '96 Ford Explorer 5.0L

Special Tools Needed:
Harmonic Balancer Puller
Spring Compressor
Air Hold Fitting (If you don't want to find TDC 16 times).

Parts Needed:
E-303 Camshaft FMS-M6250E303 $80
FMS 1.6 Roller Rockers FMS-M6564B351 $135
FMS Valve Springs FMS-M-6513-A50 $43
FMS Valve Spring Retainers FMS-M6514B50 $23
Assembly Lube $1.99
Timing Cover Gasket $10.99
Manifold Gaskets $9.95
Valve Cover Gaskets $11.99
Gasket Adhesive $3.99
Motor Oil $11.94
Antifreeze $6.46
Oil Filter $4.99

Total $343.30

Remove front bumper, grille, headlights, fenders (I highly reccommend).

Remove air intake, coil packs, plugs, and wires...

Remove upper intake...

Lower intake and valve covers...

Remove fan and water pump...

Remove harmonic balancer...

Remove timing cover and set cylinder #1 to TDC. There is a mark on the cam gear and the crank gear that will line up with eachother.

Remove old rocker arms and place stock pushrods into a piece of cardboard in order of the removal. So you can replace them in the exact same position they were in.

Mark where you Camshaft Position Sensor is at cylinder #1 TDC. Mark both the base of the sensor compared to the block, and the actual inside flange compared to the sensor housing, then pull the entire sensor out.

In order to remove the stock camshaft without hacking up my grille I had to jack the entire body up about 3". Luckily I had a body lift, otherwise it would have been 6". I'm not sure how you stock guys can get these cams out without cutting up the front end. I loosened the front four body mount bolts in order to jack the front half of the body higher.

Apply plenty of assembly lube on the new camshaft. Remove the camshaft plate. Slide the old cam out and the new cam in in exaclty the same position. There will be a pin on one side of the cam that the cam gear will line up with. Once the new cam is in, reinstall cam position sensor.

Find TDC one cylinder at a time to perform the valve spring removal procedure. Using a spring compressor, compress the stock spring. Use a small hammer to tap the top of the retainer, moving it down, so the locks will be removable. Install the new springs and retainers the same way. Reuse stock keepers.

It will be much easier to install the rockers if you remove the whole heater/blower box dealio. Three bolts on the outside, one behind the glove box, and a couple vaccuum lines and harnesses, and she'll come right out.

Now you'll have a clear shot at the heads to install the rocker arms. Replace the stock pushrods. Find TDC for each cylinder (in firing order) and install rocker arm. A trick to finding TDC is by looking through the spark plug hole, watching the piston travel up and down as well as the push rods moving up and down. TDC will be when the piston is at it's highest point and the two push rods for that cylinder are at their lowest.

Have the rocker arms submerged in a cup of motor oil before installation. Reuse the stock rocker arm trays (under the fulcrums) and using new hardware supplied with the rockers, finger tighten them down to 0 lash (meaning you can spin the pushrods in your fingers but you cannot move them up or down.

From there, torque the rocker arm bolts to 17 ft lbs. That should take anywhere from 1/4 - 1 full turn. If it take more than one full turn, than you'll need shims (I did not). Install vlave covers, and crank the motor and listen/feel for the rockers making contact with the cover. If nothing... keep going! Use plenty of motor oil or assembly lube where possible. Clean all your surfaces where gaskets are used, reassemble heater box, motor, electronics. Start her up and see what happens!


The entire project took about a day or so. Give yourself at least two days to complete this project. You may also
want to purchase a new timing chain and lifters if you have a lot of miles on your 5.0L. I only have about 8k.

Here is a sample of what the cam will sound/idle like with stock exhaust:
http://www.section525.com/xpage/ecam3.wmv

More info as I remember it!

 

[TAS98xlt]

Awesome write-up, section! This will come in handy someday.

 

[USAFEXPLORER]

Wow, how did you learn to do all this stuff all by yourself? Is it just that easy to install? Your my hero Section!

By the way, did you have any problems with rocker arm clearence and the stock explorer valve covers (which are significantly shorter than the 89-93 mustang covers)

 

[james t]

awesome right up.

so...... how does it run? what did it do to off-idle torque? upper hp? midrange?

 

[xploda01]

is that tin foil covering up your valley and intake ports on your heads?

 

[james t]

yes. keeps junk out while working on the motor (rags will work too).

 

[section525]

Originally posted by USAFEXPLORER
Wow, how did you learn to do all this stuff all by yourself? Is it just that easy to install? Your my hero Section!

By the way, did you have any problems with rocker arm clearence and the stock explorer valve covers (which are significantly shorter than the 89-93 mustang covers)

Yeah, Asp84 and I tackled this project. It was our first time doing something this deep into the motor. And believe it or not we actually did it without blowing the motor up!

I had to take an air hammer to the drivers side valve cover (inside front) because I wasn't quite clearing it. I was thinking about getting some aftermarket FMS covers.. but since you can't see them anyways.. it wasn't worth the $150 for pretty ones.


The foil was supposed to give me 15HP, but I think it's clogging something in the motor now. The exhaust sounds funny.

I haven't really got a chance to open it up yet. I looove the idle though. Once you get her up to 2800rpms she really wants to take off. But I'll get her out on the freeway and backroads and see whats up.

 

[BeauJ]

Section, do you think the idle would sound mean with the E cam and one chamber flowmasters ?

 

[section525]

It would sound baaaad. Did you ever hear Rockets 5.0? He had dual Flow 40s I think.

http://www.section525.com/rocket5979/

 

[BeauJ]

Yea, ive seen the video before but I didnt know he had the E cam. Now that I listen you can really tell. Did you have any computer/stall problems? Ive had an E cam and 1.6's for about 3 months now just haven't really had time to tear it down and do it

 

[james t]

rocket had 1.7's on his, hence the slightly lumpier idle. i would steer clear of the one chambers if you want to be able to think inside the truck. actually, the 2 chambers sound better to me. the ones sound like a redneck straight pipe. but, exhaust note is all in what you prefer.

 

[section525]

Everyone once in a while it won't idle when I put it into gear. That happens about 1 out of 10 times maybe. Plus, I only have about 5 miles on the new cam. I've read a lot of threads on mustang sites where they say the cam won't idle for 500-1000 miles. So I think it's just breaking in.

But the computer loves the cam as much as I do. Everything seemed to go smoothly and I took the truck out yesterday to romp around the hood and it was great. Even with my 32" MTs the Explorer really liked to get up and go when I got on the gas. I think once I get my Baumann shift kit and maybe some exhaust she'll be perfect. But I love the sound even with stock exhaust. Nothin like pulling up next to a Toyota 4runner at a stop light and your truck is all lumpy and shaking.

I too had my cam and parts for about 5 months before finally installing them. All I can say is get off your ass and do it! Oh yeah, do you have a chip yet? I never ran mine without one (installed it along with the cam) but Drew said his chip made a world of difference.

 

[BeauJ]

Ive got the Delta 40 series and they just aren't loud enough. Ive heard one chambers on a 94 GT and it sounded mean, but indeed, very loud. Personally, I don't like the sound of the original 40 series, it's just too played out. But i especially hate them on any Dogde Magnum motor, where the bark is way meaner than the bite

 

[section525]

I could listen to Rocket's idle all day long!

I'm torn between wanting something nice and quiet (well, not quiet....) or something like a Marine 351W. I think I'll leave my stock exhaust on.. but have a valve where I can turn it to open up the Flows or something.

 

[BeauJ]

Yep my next thing is an Apten chip. But with cam the is the shake agressive ?

 

[section525]

Its not reeeally aggressive. Its noticable both inside the truck and out. I'll try and get some decent video here in a minute...

 

[V8BoatBuilder]

Excellent!! One day I may do the same thing... eventually

Question: Did you have to discharge the A/C?

 

[section525]

A/C?! Hot rods don't have A/C!

Actually I never charged it up from when I did my swap over a year ago. But I think you can get away with not doing it my removing the AC compressor and pulling it out along with the radiator.

 

[Fusion213]

Just make sure to run a muffler.
Mine sounds like a boat and you can hear me from a mile away. I liked the exhaust tone I had with the dual non-delta flowmaster 40s.

 

[section525]

[update]

Truck flat gets it on.

[/update]