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Idea's? - 95 Explorer 4.0L OHV overheated

410Fortune

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95 Explorer overheated - Gets 97 4.0L engine - COMPLETE

OKay I have a friend who has a 95 Explorer 4 door 4.0L OHV, auto, 4x4.
He was driving on a road trip and his tensioner pulley failed.
Engine was running still, truck was driving (on battery power I assume)

Eventually he said he saw smoke/steam and pulled over, shut it off.
At this point the MIL was on the battery gage was at 1/4 and his temp was pegged.
Waited a few minutes and then bumped the starter. Would not run, says it did the same thing it is doing now:


Tensioner pulley put a hole in the radiator.

Had it towed to a local shop.
Shop replaced radiator, pulley belt, etc. Fan and clutch are still in place.
Engine turns over but does not fire.
Suggest new engine, $5500 :)
truck towed back to CO

Before we replace the engine I am going to do some testing so I looked at it breifly tonight:
Fuel pump comes on
The work they did looks good (belt, pullies, radiator, etc)
No puddles of coolant anywhere
Hissing sound (suspect vacuum canister leak) on drivers side behind headlight

When engine is cranked:
coolant flows
sounds good, wants to start but will not fire.
Hissing sound, fuel in rail and coolant flowing in radiator.
Truck has 130K on it, so new engine is not worth it with the automatic.

Found good replacement engine in town for a good price. 96, 90K miles.

But first I want to pull any codes, test fuel, spark, and vacuum
trans fluid smells burnt, likely original so not uncommon.

Looking for any feedback on what else to check, after an engine has been overheated. Of course the heads are suspect but would like to get it to turn over and idle so we can confirm further issues.

Thanks!
 



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compression test?
 






Indeed, the first step is a compression test. Check for spark. Check for fuel (if the exhaust smells like it and the plugs come out wet, it's probably getting fuel)

The compression test will show a blown head gasket if it has one. I'd suspect it's something much simpler then needing an engine replacement. I'd like to know how the shop came to the conclusion that the engine is blown. (did they do a compression or leak-down test?)

-Joe
 






As you pull plugs for comp. test, look at condition of plugs this can tell you a lot of thngs. What did the oil on the dipstick look like. Lot of bubbles or brown looking? Are two adjacent ones fouled?
 






the oil looked perfectly normal on the dipstick.


Compression test is no problem-o, well except for the Gen II trucks are a PITA to work around in :)

I'd like to know how the shop came to the conclusion that the engine is blown. (did they do a compression or leak-down test?)

Me too! They offered to buy the truck from him for the cost of the repair bill ($550) hahaha this is a nice 95! That made my friend think, "hua?, why do they want it so bad?"
Thats when they called me and said "what should we do?" I said "tow it home."
with the auto trans and 130K miles you gotta fix it el cheapo.
I'd rather spend $400 for a new/used OHV that runs and $1500 for a rebuilt trans, then $5500 for an engine that will blow up that trans in a year :)
I told him for $5500 I have a V8 and transmission we can install :) hahaha

Keep em comin! The hissing sound on the pass side is odd, after you crank and crank then stop it hissess. it was hard to tell if it was near the engine or near the vacuum canister ball. Maybe a broken vacuum line?

Fuel rail pressure was WEAK as far as I could tell just pushing in on the schrader valve, it barely dripped out just for a sec. I am used to a nice quick spray.


Also I left the rad cap off when I bumped the starter. For some reason the shop either only filled the system a bit, or it all leaked out, but when I hit the starter coolant shot out of the top of the radiator, I thought that was odd, but then I dont make a habit of cranking the starter with the rad cap off and the system not full.
 






Is it getting spark? I don't know where the ICM is on '95's, but on most 1st gen's, the ICM is right next to the radiator. If it's in the same place, it could be that the ICM got wet (and we all know how well water and electricity mix).

I would also look into why the fuel pressure isn't better. Do you have a pressure gauge to put on it?
 






Yes I do have vacuum, fuel, and compression testers.
I will be doing the tests this weekend weather permitting.
 






If it is firing water out the radiator when cranking---I would bet money the head gasket is blown.
 






Good point! I never thought of that, I did think it was odd that the fluid came out during cranking.

regardless today I did some testing on this truck.
I first checked fuel pressure, it got up to 38# during cranking, so the fuel system is fine.
I then pulled a plug to test for spart, it has spark
I then had him crank the starter and coolant came out the spark plug hole.

Cracked heads, fluid in combustion chamber, this sucker is fried.

Found a 96 4.0L OHV in town with under 100K, $375.
Will be swapping engines next week.

Thanks for the help! I am was relieved we found the issue for sure, no more guessing.
 






bummer, :( im sure your buddy will be keeping a closer eye on those guages next time he takes a road trip. haha

your one hell of a friend to swap some motors for him. :thumbsup: :) as if u dont have enough projects going huh? haha :D ;)
 






OKay well the truck is now in my possession, it was towed up to my "shop" this afternoon. I will be starting on ripping out the blown 4.0L this weekend.
It is friggin cold here in CO right now and snowing, always makes things interesting.
I plan to have the new engine in and running, filled with fluids, with some new tune up parts within one week. Help Frank get his truck back on the road!!!

Wish me/us luck!

this stuff is like second nature now, however I cannot say I work on alot of stock trucks, you actually have to jack these things up to get under them! hahaha 35" tires make it so much easier.

plan is to pull the engine and trans together, swap parts over to the new 96 engine. New plugs, thermostat, filters and fluid. Bolt it back in and GO!!
 






Allright here it is, the swap is complete as of today.

1995 Explorer 4 Eddie Bauer 130K miles. 4x4, 4.0L OHV, automatic.
Truck was overheated as run until the engine seized (hydrolocked), cause was a failed tensioner pulley, the pulley took out the radiator..

I replaced the engine with a running take out unit from a local junk yard. The donor was a 97 Explorer 4.0L with 100K miles (approx), compression test yielded 125 psi in all cylinders. Engine was run before pulled, no issues.

This write up will cover all the things encountered when using the later model OHV into the 95 truck (93TM 4.0L block vs 95TM block).
I ran into a few un-expected issues during this conversion, there are a few changes that must be addressed in order to run this long block with the 95 computer and truck.

The truck got a brand new radiator, tensioner pulley, and belt before it was in my hands.

At the beggining, notice the leaves in the airbox and 130K worth of dirt:
95enginebefore.jpg


I started by removing the 95 engine (obviously)
I left the transfer case, transmission, drivelines, exhaust, and trans cooler lines in place during this swap.
this saved me alot of work.
When I drained the oil I found more coolant then oil. A tear down of the 95 block is coming, we shall see how far the damage goes..

Bare bay:
95noengine.jpg

Engine out:
95engineout.jpg

95 block stripped of intake, accessories:
95stripped.jpg


The 97 Engine was stripped down to the lower intake and fuel rail. All accessories and brackets were removed. the exhaust manifolds and fuel rail were left on the block.

Things to note:
the 97 flywheel uses an 8 bolt pattern (same as SOHC), the 95 uses a 6
The 97 camshaft position sensor uses a different wiring plug from the 95 sensor, the 95 sensor will not fit the 97 block.
the drivers side engine mount plate on the 97 block uses a reversed bolt pattern from the 95, the 95 plate mounts up no issues.
the 97 uses a different crankshaft position sensor
the 97 has different coolant tempature sensors
The EGR is the same
the 97 upper intake maifold is different from the 95
the long block is the same otherwise, externally

97 Engine
97donor.jpg

97 stripped:
97stripped.jpg

97 cleaned and In place:
97fit.jpg

97 bolted in stabbed to trans:
97bolted.jpg

By removing the mounting plates on the side of ths 97 block I was able to aling it to the transmission and stab the block, tighten all the bellhousing bolts. Then the assembly was lifted 2" and the engine mount plates were installed, then dropped onto the engine mounts. INteresting note is the 95 drivers side engine mount plate was required as the 97 mounting holes are reversed.

I retained the 95 upper intake plenum, TB, IAC, coil pack, EGR sensor and vacuum switch, vacuum plumbing, alternator, AC compressor, power steering pump, and starter.

First wiring harness installed AFTER 97 camshaft position sensor wiring plug was soldered to the 95 computer harness (fun times, soldering in the truck):
wiringin.jpg


First problem I ran into was the flywheel. My 97 engine from the junk yard did not come with a flywheel/spacer and bolts. I had to buy these parts from Ford, $98
Here you can see the 97 block vs the 95 flywheel:
flywheelwrong.jpg

new flywheel/spacer/bolts installed:
newflywheel.jpg


Next was the camshaft position sensor, here you can see th e95 vs the 97 sensor. As you can see the 97 sensor is deeper into the block, so it MUST be used with the 97 engine, requiring me to swap out the wiring plug on the harness:
camshaftsens.jpg

(Earlier versions of the OHV (91-94) do NOT have this sensor, it can be deleted and the block off plate installed on the 95 TM block if you are putting this engine into an earlier model)

the 95 cooling fan was showing its age, you can see the typical nylon cracking, The 97 fan/clutch was used as it had no cracks:
fancrack.jpg


the 97 block got new Autolite double platinum spark plugs:
newplugs.jpg

A new Stant 195 thermostat was also installed in the block.
the 95 coolant sensors and crankshaft position sensor were also required to swap onto the 97 block.

97 block in with 95 upper intake, EGR, wiring, fuel lines plumbed, etc:
97with95intake.jpg

the 95 alternator, power steering pump, ac bracket, tensioner pulley and belt installed:
9795brackets.jpg

All plumbed and wired, TB and IAC cleaned, MAS cleaned. Fan/ clutch, fan shroud, intake, new air filter, radiator and heater plumbed, AC compressor plumbed, etc (almost ready to run)
97radiator.jpg

97donedirty.jpg


Leftovers :D :
97parts.jpg



I then dropped the trans pan and replaced the filter.

The truck required 5 quarts of cheapo 10W-30, FL-1A Motocraft filter, power steering fluid, 5 quarts of Mercon, 2 gallons of antifreeze/ 2 gallons water (approx), 2 cans of Gunk foamy engine brite, silicon, teflon tape, die-electric grease, thermostat, new air filter, trans filter and gasket (yes Glacier Microfelt filter :D ), etc:
fluidfilters.jpg


I also cleaned the MAS wires while I was in there and added a bottle of red line fuel system treatment.

This morning I fired it up, after a VERY long process of replacing the engine.
I ran into quite a few unforseen issues (including weather, one bad donor engine, a broken exhaust bolt, strepp throat!, swapping cam shaft sensors twice AFTER the engine was stabbed, etc) during this swap and it took longer then expected.
I would like to thank Keystone Light and Colorado weather for allowing me to finally get this project done after a long month of work. thanks to Brett and Dave for helping me work through problems over the phone, Matt at Courtesy Ford for getting parts and shooting the sh*% with me for an hour about my BII and conversion, and Jeff at Colorado Auto Salvage for a great deal on a perfect 97 donor engine.

This write up can hopefully save the next person from running into the same issues unexpectedly....

It runs perfect.
At first it POURED out white smoke. I monitored coolant temp, oil pressure, fluid levels, leaks, etc when I ran it briefly for the first time.
I figured the white smoke was coolant in the exhaust from the previous engine......It was!!! (was worried about a cracked head!)
after 10-15 minutes of getting it up to temp it cleared, SLOWLY.

I drove it a bit, checked fluids, leaks, etc eventually it was perfect, no codes, runs smooth, shifts perfect, no leaks all fluids are fine.
Bled the power steering, cleaned the engine bay thuroughly (the block was cleaned before being installed) installed hood, new battery hold down (was missing) and all is well

97doneclean.jpg


Breathed new life into this explorer for well under $1000 (engine/parts) with a full tune up, new trans fluid, all new filters and fluids, cooling, etc

Parts (approx)
97 engine, $400
Flywheel & parts: $100
Fluids: $80
Filters/gaskets: $50
Misc: $50

I bought some new tools for this project as well, many of mine were worn out from pulling engines! :D

The AC needs to be charged of course, I also recommend a trans backflush and fluid chage in 1500 miles or so. This 95 is not equipped with an external trans cooler, only the Radiator cooler for the trans. I will install a factory aux trans cooler if the owner agrees as well (what do you know! I already have the parts needed!)

I washed and waxed the truck today, also detailed the interior. The owner is a friend of mine and since I am proud of my work I would not have it leave my shop any other way.

More pictures of the completed project tomorrow...

The truck needs shocks, alignment (torsion bar sag), and ball joints. Other then that it is in perfect shape.
In 1000 miles I will see it again for a oil change and to check on things. I plan to switch to synthetic oil and change the transfer case and rear diff fluid at that time.
 






Bumpitity for April fools :)

Mornin!!!!
 






I know this thread is old, but I am hoping that "410" is still around and can answer a question for me since it looks like he has been through the wringer with the 4.0L camshaft position sensor.

I have a '95 Explorer that is giving me a 214 "cylinder identification failure" code. I figure that it is either the Crank sensor or the camshaft sensor.

The crank sensor is a piece of cake to get at and replace, however my plug on the wiring harness has a broken locking tab, so I probably have to go to the wreckers to get a new plug and solder it to the harness.

My problem is accessing (make that even seeing) the camshaft position sensor on the back of the block. How do I get at this sensor with the engine still in the truck? Will I have to do any timing adjustments, or will the sensor just bolt on since I am not removing the whole drive unit?

Which sensor in your pictures is for the '95? Is it the top one or the bottom one? I haven't even been able to see mine yet due to all the wiring in the way.

Thanks for any advise that you can offer.
 






the top sensor in the pic is the 95, as I said the 97 sensor is longer (brown tip)

You dont need to solder a new plastic connector on, instead you can actually take it apart and put your wires into the new plastic plug piece.

Many times one locking tab is enough to keep it seated

I would replace the crank sensor first for sure, they are more prone to failure

Getting at the cam sensor with the engine in the truck is no picnic at all,
I was BARELY able to access it with the upper intake still in place, but there was also nothing else on the engine at that point, no cooling, wiring etc.

If you need a new cam sensor you will probably need to remove everything down to the lower intake manifold, dont be scared I can do this in about an hour max.


214 is:

214 (M) Error in Cylinder ID (CID) circuit or signal -

Have you tried clearing this code to see if it returns instantly?
How is it running?
Did this code appear during the KOEO and KOEO tests only (meaning was it present prior)?

Dont replace anything yet I would think some wiring checking is first.
 






Well, good evening!

I didn't expect to hear from you so soon. :)

I am experiencing an intermittent no-start. The truck starts every time when cold, but will give me problems about once a day after it has been run up to operating temperature. When I get back in and try to start it immediatly after shutting down (like after filling with gas, or a short trip into a store) it will start. If I give it 15-20 minutes to partially cool, then this is the time when it will most often give me a problem.The truck kind of pops and misfires while cranking. If I am persistant enough it will eventually "clear" and run like nothing was wrong.Unfortunately this makes me think of the cam sensor first as it is probably more prone to heat dwell being protected near the firewall and not out on the front of the engine like the crank sensor. It's also a b*tch to find because it is intermittent and has never happened when I am near my house with a meter and manuals handy to do a diagnosis of some type.

The fact that it starts every time cold also tends to lead me away from wiring... but hey, who knows, mebbe.

The crank sensor plug is held up at the moment by a piece or tye-wrap. It is bending the wires at a nasty angle, so I'm not sure that I trust the wire to just take the pins out of the shell. I was thinking of getting a connector from a wrecker and soldering it up a few inches so that I know (or can be maybe more confidant) of the wiring to that sensor. The crank sensor is only 25 dollars, so I am going to try it first.
 






sorry, I forgot to answer a couple of your questions.

I found the code during KOEO tests. I have cleared the codes, but have not tried to read them again until after I have experienced a no-start again, and then of course, the 214 is there.

The truck usually runs great, right up until the time I try to re-start it hot. Then it may....
1) Start, and run fine.
2) Start momentarily and stall, then be really hard to start again.
3) Start and run, really rough, but I can keep it going if I feather the throttle up to 1500 to 2000 rpm for 10-20 seconds, then it will idle down and run OK. It may also have a hesitation or bog for a short while after this condition.
 






well the code def points to the no start condition being due to one of those sensors or wiring I believe. I have never dealt with this code so lets do some checking on the forum with people who know.

I can tell you that the cam pos sensor is only used during start up

But I hear more no start/ running rough, issues on this forum with the crank sensor, the cam sensor is rarely talked about unless installing engines.
Have you searched for these sensors/problems on the forum?

When the no start condition happens I would be curious to see if you can jumper the starter solenoid, truck in P or clutch depressed, key on, then jump the solenoid.

I would also be curious to check for spark, I assume because of the code that fuel pressure is fine and this is indeed an ignition issue
 



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Hey, good evening. :)

When I get the no-start, the engine is cranking, but cranks really rough because there is a mis-fire. I'm not getting any fuel codes, and the fuel pump is 3 weeks old (Ford parts not jobber) so I am not suspecting a fuel pressure problem or spark.

I picked up a crank sensor today ($150.00) and will put it in during the next couple of nights if I get time (busy schedule doing volunteer work this week).

I hope that it is the crank sensor, as the cam sensor is so bloody hard to get at, and expensive. If I ever buy another explorer I am going to be sure that it is 96 or newer!! All of the sensors and parts are much cheaper! A crank sensor for a '95 is $150.00 and the '96 is $28.00. The cam sensor is $45.00 for a '96 and $600.00 for a '95.

I this does end up being a cam sensor, do you still have that one left over from your conversion?? :D
 






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