Completed Project Kirby's 1991 Ranger Build Up

[Josh P]

Your TB, is it original? I know at some point ford put a coating on them. Some people have reported a high idle after cleaning them. Air gets around the throttle plate when the coating is cleaned off. Someone on this forum had this high idle issue, he put tape over the hole on the throttle plate, idle dropped so he soldered the hole shut and drilled a smaller hole. Idle was normal after.

 

[Kirby N.]

Ok- no change when I plug it with my finger.



Well I was hesitant to celebrate. Took it for a drive tonight and got it up to operating temperature and the noise is back. I don’t know if it wasn’t getting hot enough the other day or what. I am completely out of ideas. I was ready to go tomorrow and spend 360$ on ford rockers. Now I don’t know what to do.

I am going to put in the old pushrods out of the junk yard and see what happens. If that doesn’t work I am completely out of ideas.

 

[BKennedy]

Stay the course my friend, keep the faith. It will get solved.

 

[410Fortune]

oh dang, geeze
get video of noise

I still think you should get adjustable pushrod and go through the process of checking proper length by hand
compare results to the pushrods you have
Basically you can mark the tip of the rocker and where it lands on the valve stem, bar engine over by hand several times and this will tell you if they are too long too short, etc. I have only done this on v8, but Im sure one of these dudes will chime in, cannot think of why it would not also apply to v6
The geometry must be correct!! or tick tick tick

@Brett would be my lifeline here he would be able to help me solve this if I was still in CO
stupid engine why wont you just work!!
I feel your pain!!

 

[Kirby N.]

Thanks Jaime. I guess the issue with measuring pushrods is the hydro lifters- do I collapse them to measure?

My dad wants to try .050 shims. Will probably do that today. I am also considering pulling the heads and taking them to the machine shop to have the recheck the valves and stuff. That’s a buttload of work.

It would be really tough to just drive it- at operating temperature it really sounds like a diesel. It’s loud.

 

[Kirby N.]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I feel hopeful tonight.

I shimmed the pedistals .050. no difference. Also ran it hot without valve covers, made a mess, but nothing learned.

I went by the ford dealer and got a coolant sensor. Also went to the junk yard and grabbed a throttle body. My dad cleaned the one I have on the rebuild and he said he was really aggressive with the parts cleaner tank and a wire brush- so wondering if that it my issue.

I also went by the machine shop that prepped my heads. I considered having them shave down the pedistals- to see if the pushrods are too short. They insisted that it wasn't a good idea and instead asked to see the heads.

So that was the rest of the day. Its nicer to work on when it is clean. Though it launched oil everywhere, the oil was clean oil, so it was nicer to work on.

got the intake and accessories off.

Pulled the heads. Here are some shots of the cylinders in case anyone sees anything concerning

The drivers cylinders:

and passenger cylinders

The head underside was interesting.

the 2 front cylinders on both sides had this char mark on the intake valve. Back cylinders on both sides did not. Does this look concerning?

Thanks everyone for the support on this. I am saying a prayer tonight that the machine shop will have some answers.

 

[Kirby N.]

The time has arrived. I got the heads back.

The machine shop had some peculiar things to say. Perhaps you can help me decipher them?

The machine shop said: everything was in spec. Everything from the total height of the heads, to the stem height, to the preload.

He said the marks on 4 valves in 4 cylinders indicated that the valves were not closing completely. I dont get why- but the machine shop said they think it is the lifters fault???

the machine shop said they pressure tested the heads with valves both last time and this time. Them they did another valve job. He said he laped them with a stone old school style and got them all really close to the same stem height.

I dont get why they need another valve job if they were in spec and tested? I also dont get why the valves would hang open due to lifters? They are new melling lifters.

SO I collapsed a lifter and measured the travel. It came out to about 180 thousands of travel. Next I installed the heads with new old stock ford lifters I purchased on eBay. That will remove the possibility that it was the lifters. Its unfortunate that the heads have to come off to swap lifters or I would have installed the heads with the melling lifters.

Next I used a pry bar wired to the rocker to collapse the lifters on the #4 cylinder because before install I put it on TDC. Then with my magnetic stand and a dial indicator I measured the lash with a collapsed lifter on the rocker on top of the pushrod. It came out to about 110 thou on both. Pretty close to middle travel.

I changed to motocraft platinum plugs since the others had likely been hot tanked. installed a new motorcraft coolant temp sensor. Cleaned and scarped all surfaces and put it back together.

I also changed the oil and filter because there had been water and some gasket scraping.

It started with a racket likely from the two collapsed lifter and the others getting pumped up. Thought I soaked them in oil for a week. Most of the racket quit nearly immediately. The two front lifters made a noise for maybe 30 seconds.

The it was quiet.

the idle still really high.

So I swapped to the junk yard throttle body. This fixed my idle issue. Back to 800-900 rpm idle.

Ran it for an hour or so. Ran it around the block. The oil pressure got down to 22 or so when it was hot- lowest I think I have seen it, but also the lowest it has idled.

No noise.

I am so thankful. I have prayed my tail off about this- so I can't understate that. But gosh, I was completely out of ideas. I didn't know what to do next if it didn't work. I am still reluctant to say, but I am pretty confident it is good to go. I am so relieved- this has been way more $$ and way more time than I had expected.

Tomorrow I am going to reinstall the a/c and charge it. I am also going to change out the front brake lines because I noticed they are split. And I am also going to flush the clutch master cylinder because I am concerned it may have got dot 4 or 5 fluid and that may have caused the failure on the other one.

I also figured out that the tranny was leaking oil- but it was due to the full level indicator bolt being loose. hope that is fixed.

One other thing- the poly mounts transfer more vibes and noise to the cab.

On to breaking it in starting this weekend. I have to return my dads truck- so I need to give it a cleaning.I also ordered a nos throttle body off eBay. Ford said they are obsolete. everything else is nos. prob should have one.

Thank you everyone for your help and support!

 

[410Fortune]

Ford lifters!!!
IF the valves were not opening fully and the pushrods are correct.......the cam is not worn, the only thing that could have caused it is the melling lifters and or issue with original install

PERSEVERENCE

Interesting about the throttle body coating possibly causing high idle.......you are not the first to chase that issue after a rebuild

Such good news!! A working operational 4.0 truck!

 

[donalds]

I have the instructions on how to set up your new throttle body so your idle is correct if you want I'll post them

 

[Kirby N.]

That would be wonderful

 

[Kirby N.]

I 1 by 1 took off the new motorcraft- non junk yard sensors and replaced them with the motorcraft ones I bought and the throttle body is it. Nothing else has changed.

 

[Kirby N.]

Ford lifters!!!
IF the valves were not opening fully and the pushrods are correct.......the cam is not worn, the only thing that could have caused it is the melling lifters and or issue with original install

PERSEVERENCE

Interesting about the throttle body coating possibly causing high idle.......you are not the first to chase that issue after a rebuild

Such good news!! A working operational 4.0 truck!

Thanks Jaime! I am over analyzing I think. I wonder if what the machine shop did fixed it because I don’t see how a lifter could cause the valves to hang up. A good friend told me it doesn’t matter- all that matters is that it is fixed. The only piece I see that matters is that I am going to try to return the lifters if they are truly the problem.

 

[410Fortune]

If lifter never pumps up then it will not push the pushrod far enough

 

[BKennedy]

Mine idles low, 650-700 when in gear and stopped. That's the only time I notice any vibration from the poly engine mounts.

 

[donalds]

@Kirby N.

 

[Kirby N.]

If lifter never pumps up then it will not push the pushrod far enough

It’s not that the valves were not epening enough- the marks indicated that they were staying open and firing with the intake valve still open. I just left autozone- they said they would refund me on the melling lifters if I brought them back. This is why I need to use rockauto less.

Rockauto sent me two different head gaskets- even though they weren’t different online where I ordered them. I wasn’t putting two different gaskets on so I bought some from autozone and returned the rock auto ones. I had to pay the shipping and it took a week to get my cash back minus shipping cost. They also sent the wrong clutch for my jeep- even though I ordered the correct one. So I had to deal with the hassle of shipping it back and waiting for the credit. Atleast on that one they paid for the shipping.

 

[BKennedy]

Are the valves still clicking on start up?

I used to get valve/lifter/rocker clatter on start up all the time. I get it less when using Castrol Magnetic oil. It also eliminated the knock I got on start up with the RV's 8.1 after it sits for more than two weeks.

I buy a three pack of one gallon jugs off Amazon. I can do the yearly oil changes on the Explorer and RV with enough leftover to keep them topped off for the year. Explorer has pan and main seal leaks but never drips on the floor, RV burns about a quart every 2,000 miles (been doing it since it was new, known issue with the 8.1).

 

[Paul]

Hope it is all sorted - - yours is my favorite Ranger, and I own a Ranger ! ! Worst case, consider all the knowledge gained from the process, and the time spent with your Dad during the rebuild. . .

 

[BKennedy]

I agree with Paul, as far as Rangers go, yours is my favorite. Clean and very offroady. All around capable rig.

 

[Josh P]

I've bought cylinder heads that had the valve spring retainer installed incorrectly. That is easy to overlook and would keep a valve from fully closing.