Jim Jermain
Active Member
- Joined
- February 20, 2006
- Messages
- 73
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Madison, WI
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 00 XLS
Please excuse the longer post. I want to provide a little background.
I have a '00 Explorer with the 4.0 OHV. I pulled the engine out to fix a freeze plug leak and few oil leaks at the lower intake, rear seal and oil pan. I removed the lower intake, oil pan, and cam position sensor, but did not touch the mechanicals (heads, valve train, timing chain, etc). I did accidentally move the crank when the CMP was out, but I set the engine to TDC on the compression stroke and used the alignment tool to reinstall the CMP. Now the engine will fire and run, but only if I give it a lot of gas. It runs incredible rough and will not idle. I put a vacuum gauge on the engine and I get zero vacuum at 1500 RPM. I only get vacuum it I rev the engine to about 2500 rpm. Thinking it was a CMP alignment issue, I've pulled it twice now to realign checking each time to make sure the number one cylinder is at TDC by putting my thumb over the spark plug hole and waiting for pressure and then zeroing the harmonic to the mark on the engine (which by the way it appears there is a 10 degree and 0 degree mark if I am reading it correctly, I set it to 0). I've also tried using the balloon trick on my compression gauge adapter again to confirm I was on the compression stroke. I am totally stumped. When it's running it shows no codes. I have newer plugs and wires.
There is one strange thing I found. When I pulled the oil pan I notice a three inch long hard plastic tube in the pan about 3/8 inch in diameter. I've had one of the pistons out previously and I think the tube I used to protect the crank from the connecting rod bolt threads may have fallen into the oil pan. This seems very strange to me, but I can't think of anything else. I assume this is not some part of the internal engine that fell out when I pulled the CMP. Even if it was I can't see how it would impact the performance.
Please share any advice. I'll take anything at this point.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Jim
I have a '00 Explorer with the 4.0 OHV. I pulled the engine out to fix a freeze plug leak and few oil leaks at the lower intake, rear seal and oil pan. I removed the lower intake, oil pan, and cam position sensor, but did not touch the mechanicals (heads, valve train, timing chain, etc). I did accidentally move the crank when the CMP was out, but I set the engine to TDC on the compression stroke and used the alignment tool to reinstall the CMP. Now the engine will fire and run, but only if I give it a lot of gas. It runs incredible rough and will not idle. I put a vacuum gauge on the engine and I get zero vacuum at 1500 RPM. I only get vacuum it I rev the engine to about 2500 rpm. Thinking it was a CMP alignment issue, I've pulled it twice now to realign checking each time to make sure the number one cylinder is at TDC by putting my thumb over the spark plug hole and waiting for pressure and then zeroing the harmonic to the mark on the engine (which by the way it appears there is a 10 degree and 0 degree mark if I am reading it correctly, I set it to 0). I've also tried using the balloon trick on my compression gauge adapter again to confirm I was on the compression stroke. I am totally stumped. When it's running it shows no codes. I have newer plugs and wires.
There is one strange thing I found. When I pulled the oil pan I notice a three inch long hard plastic tube in the pan about 3/8 inch in diameter. I've had one of the pistons out previously and I think the tube I used to protect the crank from the connecting rod bolt threads may have fallen into the oil pan. This seems very strange to me, but I can't think of anything else. I assume this is not some part of the internal engine that fell out when I pulled the CMP. Even if it was I can't see how it would impact the performance.
Please share any advice. I'll take anything at this point.
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Jim
