Completed Project Kirby's 1991 Ranger Build Up

[410Fortune]

any evidence of them striking?

What was the fix? I read through both threads not sure he ever solved it!!


what are you looking for a Ford NOS rocker assembly? I could ask Brett he hoards parts LOL
I have a few OHV here, high mile blocks but late model if you need any parts

 

[Kirby N.]

I don’t see any evidence- but it hasn’t been run long. I stuck a feeler gauge under them last night and it slid in there but they weren’t tightened down and with the broke bolt I couldn’t tighten them down and check. Might be able to Monday.

Yeah, been looking for some nos rockers. There was an assembly on eBay with everything a few days ago but it sold I guess.

I have to work today but I am going to try to get to the yard- so no need to bug Brett. I remember seeing his parts stash or yours years ago. Seems like it was a crawl space or something filled up with cool stuff! Thanks for the offer. I’ll call the dealer too and give it a try.

 

[Kirby N.]

Oh- his fix was to slide them back on the pedestals and tighten them down. I think my fix would either be a nos ford set or a little grindage on the melling rockers.

 

[410Fortune]

Grind and push back!! Have you considered running two shims for .2? Maybe for now run the single shim push back and then put some paint on the retainers or arms the. Run it see if the paint gets nicked if the noise returns

Huge pita!! But this is wrenching. I had the trans out of my bii 4 times in one summer trying to get clutch just right… eventually went automatic then years later learned about the air bubble that gets trapped. When I first got my 7.3 truck I had the injectors out 4 times in one summer… now I’m learned and have not had to touch either in years!! Hoping once you get through this it will last forever!!

I have been known to keep some parts lol lol Brett has a special room just for parts too

 

[Kirby N.]

Oh yeah- the air bubble. I fought that for years on my exploder with the tranny I got from you. I had a technique to get it in gear from a stop even. Had to wiggle and jam. I tried everything until the bench bleed fixed it. A member on here- Joe- helped me power bleed it and it still don’t work. I tried new clutches, new flywheels. All the stuff. Ran it without a clutch that would fully engage for years.

I am older and more meticulous now- my budget isn’t as tight as it used to be either. That helps! This one has me perplexed, but I am hopeful this is it.

 

[Kirby N.]

Well, made some good progress today.

I went to the junk yard and pulled a ford rocker rail from a late explorer. Unfortunately, there was a ranger there that I had almost completely apart- but they hauled it off so I had to start over.

The ford vs the melling rockers are very different. The ford one has more clearance near the spring and spring retainer. It swoops way more than the melling one and the casting seems better.

They look similar in the pic but they are not. if I take them apart I will get some better pics.

I called ford and they can get me a full set of new ford ones- $30 a piece!!! Ugh. I dont know why i didn't do that before. It seems like ford told me they were discontinued. There is a guy at the counter that is really lazy- I think it is easier for him to say discontinued than to look hard. Maybe I cheeped out on the millings ones. I dont know.


Installed the ford rockers with no shims- tons of gap on the springs. Started it, warmed it up- it is way quieter. Still makes a little noise, but not like it was. I am using the new pushrods and used rockers- could be a part of the little noise it is making. I think the rockers were hitting the spring retainers.

Also, I compared my new pushrods with the set out of the junk yard- new ones are about .010 shorter??? I dont know how that happened. the old ones are about 5.475, new ones are about 5.36. might get another set of ford pushrods and see what the heck they measure.

also going to try a cts tomorrow and see if it cures the idle. i am out of ideas with that.

 

[Kirby N.]

Did you presoak your new lifters in oil before installing them? Did you compare the new Melling rocker rails to the ones you took off to see if the holes were the same, they had the plugs in the end of them and so on? Maybe they could be leaking pressure off somewhere in the oiling passages and not making it out to the rocker arm tips or as you may be thinking some of the oiling holes are misaligned in the rocker assembly. I don't remember a notch in the shaft, I reused my rocker rails after popping the plugs out to clean them and then reinstalling them very carefully in the same orientation I took everything apart. Also measure the pushrods and see if they are around 5.475-5.480" to rule out the possibility of getting pushrods that were boxed wrong or made incorrectly, etc.

This- the new pushrods are 5.36 long. Maybe that is part of the problem too. I only measured one. Plan to measure more tomorrow. Although decking the heads .009 would compensate.

 

[410Fortune]

WELL DONE!!!!!!
So would you call the ticking solved?

Factory parts always so much better

Idle is still way too high? How much have you driven it?

 

[Kirby N.]

Yes, hesitantly I am saying it is solved. I am not 100% sure on how I will proceed- new ford rockers or used, another set of pushrods or keep these. I want to measure all the pushrods. I only measured one last night.

Idle is still stupid high. It has the junk yard iac and maf on it now. When I unplug them nothing changes- except the maf shows a check engine light. I can’t imagine a vac leak- I chased all the lines down and there just isn’t much there. I’ll try some propane next to confirm. I am also going to try a coolant temp sensor- I checked the on in it,m, with a volt meter but for $20 I can’t help but swap it.

 

[410Fortune]

does the butterfly close 100% when at rest?

suspects:
TPS, IAC, IAT, CTS, throttle body, canister purge valve, EGR valve
and of course the PCM

May try disconnecting battery for a few after each part you inspect or change to see if it re learns base idle

 

[Kirby N.]

Ok. Thanks. I did clean the crap out of the throttle body when the engine was apart- but it definitely closes completely. Maybe there is some soft parts in there around the tps that I could have screwed up? I’ll look at that. Haven’t messed with the purge valve at all. Can check that.

What made me think it might be the cts is that it seems to start a little hard warm.

 

[410Fortune]

I AGREEE CTS can do this for sure
With OBD2 you would be able to watch it LOL LOL LOL live data
time and money!!
My trucks need work, I've been fixing everyone else's and beating the snot out of mine
You are getting closer to having your baby back!

 

[Kirby N.]

I have still only driven it 45 miles. It has probably ran an hour on top of that too while I have been messing with the valves

 

[410Fortune]

Plenty of time for idle to settle

 

[Josh P]

Try disconnecting the pcv and plug the hose.

 

[Kirby N.]

How should it respond if I disconnect the pcv and plug it?

 

[Kirby N.]

I did replace the pcv with a motorcraft unit when a did the rebuild.

 

[Kirby N.]

I unplugged the brake booster last night and it almost died. Plug with with my thumb and it went back to high idle

 

[donalds]

I unplugged the brake booster last night and it almost died. Plug with with my thumb and it went back to high idle

I had trouble with a mototcraft pcv one time worth a look
Try your old one
Won't hurt

 

[Josh P]

How should it respond if I disconnect the pcv and plug it?

If your source of idle issue is somewhere else, no change.