Removing timing cover on 4.0 OHV

[Dono]

Have you pulled the main pulley off yet?
What drove me insane was trying to get the bolts for the puller in the pulley by feel, since you cant get the right angle to see bold holes with the rad still installed.

Your right though, you need to stay relaxed.

 

[fast_dave]

Have you pulled the main pulley off yet?
What drove me insane was trying to get the bolts for the puller in the pulley by feel, since you cant get the right angle to see bold holes with the rad still installed. Your right though, you need to stay relaxed.

Hi Dono, I don't know how the hell you did it with the RADIATOR still in the Ex - that is some REALLY TIGHT work - especially when the crank pulley/balancer assembly is almost all the way off ;-)

OK - I am reporting from my garage, day 4 of the project - and yes, as of 5 minutes ago, I FINALLY got the crankshaft pulley/harmonic balancer assembly off of the crank. What some may not understand is that the Crank Pulley is part of the Harmonic Balancer (German over-engineering) and because of that you have to use LONG BOLTS to hook up to the (2) crank pulley holes. The long bolt issue also drove me insane trying to get the two M8 bolts squarely into the two holes on the crank pulley, as I didn't want them to get cross threaded - because then I'd be on the proverbial river with no conventional means of propulsion. You have to work slow methodically, and with no interruptions. Sad to say but this part is NOT a beer job ;-)

NOW here's the big tip - after breaking the crank bolt loose, you have to LEAVE IT IN and BACK IT OUT almost all the way! DO NOT REMOVE IT and try to use the "pointed" attachments that come with the HF Crank Puller Kit - use the flat/cupped one. Leave the crank bolt threaded in about 2-3 turns, and you'll be able to push off the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly about 2/3rds of the way off. You'll come to a point where the crank pulley is directly to the underside of the crank bolt, and because of that you won't be able to get the assembly off the last 1/3rd. I didn't want to go banging parts with a mini-sledge because the neanderthal route never gets you anywhere when "German OVER Engineering" is concerned. At this point I was stuck, and my wife had me throw in the towel and I ate dinner and watched TV.

So, last evening I went on the forum and found out the final tip needed to get the pulley/balancer off the final 1/3rd. Whip out a 6" long, 1/4" socket extension, and place the small end down the hole that the main crank bolt goes into, and place the flat/cupped crank puller over the big end of the 1/" socket extension, and wa-la - you're in like Flynn andthe pulley/balancer comes off the last 1/3rd of it's travel...

In all, I have about 3 hrs into getting the crank pulley/balancer assembly off w/o effing anything up ;-)

PS - just to keep things interesting - there are (3) holes inside of the crank pulley, BUT only (2) are threaded. You can feel behind the BACK of the pulley and feel that (2) holes are small, and (1) is SLIGHTLY larger. The (1) that is slightly larger is NOT threaded and god only knows why it's there ;-) The (2) small holes are DIRECTLY across from each other.

 

[snoranger]

That trick will also let you know if your drivers side motor mount is shot.

Fast_Dave.... You need to change your name. It should take 3-4 hours to complete this job, not days. :

 

[fast_dave]

That trick will also let you know if your drivers side motor mount is shot.

Fast_Dave.... You need to change your name. It should take 3-4 hours to complete this job, not days. :

Hi Snoranger -
Say man - How will the trick re: taking off the crank bolt with the starter motor also let me know if the motor mount is shot? ;-)

Re: Time - I'm not in a rush on this project ;-)

In short - I'm in between jobs, and thus the Hope & Change Depression Economy dictates that I'm in it for the long haul w/ my Explorer. I have 166K on her now, and figure from what I've read, she's just broken in. My friend has the same truck (4.0 OHV & 5 speed manual trans) BUT w/ 2wd and he has 350K.

So for the past 14 hrs, in addition to removing various assemblies, I've been cleaning off accumulated engine compartment crud & dust w/ a combination of compressed air and elbow grease. Also, I've worked on and instituted an idea to remove the engine coolant/antifreeze w/ compressed air so that when I remove the timing cover hopefully I won't get coolant in my oil (and all over the floor of the garage). I'm working slow and methodically as to ensure that I didn't strip the bolt holes in the crank pulley. I can't afford to throw money at this project to fix screw-ups caused by trying to just bust it out. On weekdays, like today, my wife is at work with the other car so I don't have any way out of a "F-Up/Oh Sheet" moment if I do screw up.

OK - so I've been reading up on ideas as to how to overcome what I think is the last hurdle - getting the crank pulley/ harmonic balancer back on the crank without a "proper" installation tool.

I've read on the forum that heating the entire crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly in an over for 1/2 hour at 250 degrees farenheight is the ticket. Supposedly the heated assembly will slip back on the crank snout like an easily fitting glove. So I've got my fingers crossed that this tip proves true as like I've said I don't have a "installer" tool. Also, from what I've seen when I Google "harmonic balancer installer" (results show pictures of the proper tool), I think that a "regular" installer won't work too well as they are set up to work with a flat-faced balancer (99% of the normal engines), and the "German Over-Engineed" 4.0 OHV has the "cupped" Crank Pulley attached to the face of the balancer. Anyways - Gonna try the oven tip and utilize the strap wrench w/ cheater pipe attached to the "sensor wheel" section of the harmonic balancer to keep the engine from rotating. Also gonna' go the poor man's route and re-use the old crank bolt.

OK - gonna; pour a fresh cup of Joe and get back at it - pray for me ;-)

 

[Dono]

Nice write up on pulling the harmonic balancer. I'm impressed.

First thing I noticed is how nice your balancer looks. Then I looked at your location.
Im so jealous.

Everything on my trucks all rusty.

 

[fast_dave]

Nice write up on pulling the harmonic balancer. I'm impressed.

First thing I noticed is how nice your balancer looks. Then I looked at your location.
Im so jealous.

Everything on my trucks all rusty.

Thanks for the Kudos, Dono -

Yeah - no rust in Kalifornia. All the collector car shows love the genuine, Kalifornia, rust free car.

BUT - here in the PRK we have what we like to call "Dry Heat" - and that 's the killer in the summer months (as well as what used to be called, up to 3 years ago, the Indian Summer months).

The PRK puts your cooling system up to a test like you won't believe.
Running your A/C puts your under hood temperatures up in the stratosphere.
Thus, I perform complete cooling system hose and radiator cap changes every three years as well as regular cooling system flushes. ;-)


OK - back at it - I'll report back!

 

[snoranger]

Hi Snoranger -
Say man - How will the trick re: taking off the crank bolt with the starter motor also let me know if the motor mount is shot? ;-)

Re: Time - I'm not in a rush on this project ;-)

I'm just bustin your balls about the time. take as long as you need to, just do it right.

I've been using that trick for almost 20 years now. In that time I've had 1 motor that "jumped" about 6"s when I cranked it. Turns out both motor mounts was totally shot and the owner didnt say anything until I told him, then it was "Oh yeah, I felt strange thump whenever I hit the gas".

 

[fast_dave]

Just sitting down for some lunch and then back to the project.

Before unbolting the timing cover, I utilized one last idea I thought up last evening to ensure I get every single drop of coolant/anti-freeze out of the engine block. My idea - using a HF mini wet vac to suck the remaining coolant/anti-freeze from the two passages on the timing cover. As I wrote earlier - I hate coolant/anti-freeze on me, in my engine oil, or on my garage floor work surface ;-)

So - I duck taped a molded section section of the old heater hose to the end of my mini HF wet vac hose(I used the section of heater hose that goes from the water pump outlet to the heater control valve). The end of the heater hose fit perfectly into the two water passages on either side of the timing cover. I made it a lil' tighter by winding a few turns of duck tape around the end of the heater hose, turned on the wet vac, and between the two passages it sucked out about 1 liter/quart of anti freeze!

The last step was to remove the bolts to the timing cover, and when I GENTLY pulled/coaxed it off, there wasn't a drop of coolant/antifreeze that came out!!!! Yeah baby - that's what I like!

The following is a pic of a Harbor Freight "female" standard air fitting. I used a female fitting because when placed inside of the heater hose, it offers more surface area, and provides a much better air seal than using a male air fitting. The heater hose has been disconnected at the heater control valve (in this case, the top line from the water pump outlet - the INLET hose). Do this AFTER you have disconnected the LOWER RADIATOR HOSE from the radiator. Point the LOWER RADIATOR HOSE DOWNWARDS so that the coolant/antifreeze will shoot into a catch pan when pressurized air is blown through the heater line. I blew air through BOTH of the heater lines that are connected to the heater control valve and coolant/anti-freeze came out of the lower radiator hose when the air pressurized each heater line

HF mini wet-vac with section of molded heater hose attached with duck tape.

Molded Heater Hose Inserted into a Water Passage on the Timing Cover.

The last of the Coolant/Anti-Freeze from both timing cover water passages.

Success - No coolant/anti-freeze in here ;-)

 

[fast_dave]

The timing cover is off of the engine block.

The gasket between the timing chain cover and engine block was coated with a green coating, and the gasket easily peeled off of the timing cover in one piece. It was disintegrating around the outer edge of the water passages, the source of my coolant leak.

On the other hand, the water pump gasket had "welded" itself to the timing chain cover, and it turned as hard as a brick! NOTE: My Ex had the original factory water pump that has 166,000 miles on it, so this is more than likely what you will encounter if you live in a hot climate. It took about 2 hours to completely remove the water pump gasket with a thin steel gasket scraper and fine steel wire brush. You have to go slow or you can gouge the machined aluminum surface, thus setting yourself up for a coolant/anti-freeze leak in the future.

Tomorrow I will clean off the surface of the engine block that contacts the timing chain cover gasket. Then it'll be time to start buttoning everything up. & hours worth of work today so I'm up to 21 hrs so far. If you have any tips on how to get the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly on without the "proper: installation tool, please add your thoughts to the thread. So far, the best tip I've gathered from the forum search feature is to heat the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly in a over at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes.

Front side of timing chain cover gasket. The gasket had just started "weeping" coolant/anti-freeze leaking from the passenger side water passage a few weeks ago (left side on this picture)

Back/Engine Block side of timing chain cover gasket - The side of the gasket my coolant leak was emanating from the drivers side water passage (left side water passage in this picture).

 

[98Ranger4.0]

Put a little anti-seize on those fan threads. I did this job last weekend, didn't run into any snags. I made a pulley holder out of some 1" flat stock and two 1" pieces of round bar. Worked awesome! Put one side on the inside and the other on the outside, it held to loosen and tighten
the balancer bolt.

 

[Dono]

Was your front main oil seal weeping?
I didn't even notice mine was until I was pulling the timing cover off.
Everything looks so clean. I'm still amazed.

 

[fast_dave]

Was your front main oil seal weeping?
I didn't even notice mine was until I was pulling the timing cover off.
Everything looks so clean. I'm still amazed.

NOPE - no front seal leak. Dry as a bone. It even had me thinking for a minute "maybe I shouldn't replace the front seal?"
The boys in Cologne Germany built my particular engine on a Wednesday before the start of a Friday Oktoberfest ;-)

I have had to have the rear main seal replaced when I had the clutch replaced around 100,000 miles.
I was getting oil drips at the connection point where the engine meets up with the front of the transmission.
The crank output shaft on these engines can be TOO FINELY MACHINED, thus allowing oil to slip by the rear crank shaft and the oil seal.
I used the FORD mfg'd repair kit that has a sleeve with a "rough finish" that is slipped over the crank output shaft, and uses a "special" oil seal, and it cured the problem. The rough finish on the sleeve allows the sleeve and oil seal to "mate" = problem solved.

When I bought the truck it had 53,000 miles and I switched over to full synthetic oil and haven't looked back since. I change the oil & filter every 3,000 miles because as my old HS auto shop teacher taught me, "for all oil does - rust protection, friction prevention, heat dissipation, removing carbon with it's detergent package, - it's the cheapest thing you put into your engine." Maybe that has something to do with it - not having high carbon levels in my oil?!?! I was taught that high levels of carbon in oil contributes to main seals and valve guide seals breaking down. State of Kalifornia is trying to get us to stop changing our oil every 3,000 miles, they say it's too frequent - LOL - a big F-U to them ;-) I say they're trying to help the dealers to sell more cars, thus the state can collect more license fees as well as SALES TAX...

 

[fast_dave]

I was sitting around thinking last night about my next step in the project, which is installing the timing cover & it's gasket. So I removed the Fel-Pro gasket from it's box and inspected it. Hmmm - how strange, the Fel-Pro gasket was made out of black gasket paper/material, while the Ford Factory Gasket (that I had removed in one piece) was made out of something that seemed like it was Teflon coated green paper.

As I wrote earlier, the Ford 4.0 OHV engine is manufactured in Cologne Germany. And in the last 30 years of wrenching on my cars is that the Germans (and the Japanese for that matter) ALWAYS have a REASON for why the engineer their cars and engines in the manner that they do, and all it takes is a few corner cutting Americans to screw the whole thing up ;-)

Then I stated thinking to myself that the original Ford gasket peeled off really easily IN ONE PIECE from BOTH the engine block and timing chain cover after being subjected to 166,000 miles and 13 years worth of driving. Looking at the black Fel-Pro gasket I quickly came to the conclusion that there was no way in hell that in the future, if necessary, it would never come off as easily or in one piece. No doubt I'd have to scrape and wire brush it off of BOTH the engine block and the timing chain cover. Then it hit me why the Germans used the Teflon Coated Paper Gasket, and for confirmation I looked at the following picture:

Now I have no doubt that the Ford of Germany engineers were sucking down some company supplied suds on their hour long lunch break - talking about engineering ideas regarding the 4.0, when they came to the conclusion that when the timing chain cover was removed, the inside of the oil pan was exposed, and that could be a potential problem. If they took the cheap route by placing a "regular" paper gasket behind the timing cover (i.e. Fel-Pro), when the time came to replace it, someone would have to scrape the gasket off of the engine block, and that would risk getting gasket material into the oil pan of their finely engineered 4.0 engine - the mystery of the Green Teflon Coated Paper Gasket was solved ;-) Ford in Germany settled upon the Teflon coated gasket for a good reason, so this morning I went to my local Ford dealership, and purchased:
Ford Factory Gasket Part Number: FOTZ*6020*A for $11.84

This is the gasket that Fel-Pro sells. I have no doubt that it will "weld" itself to both the engine block and timing chain cover...

So after I got home with the Ford factory gasket, I stated buttoning up the engine.

Then I prepped the crank seal and crankshaft snout with Mobile 1 synthetic grease, in preparation for my "Oven Baked" Crank Pulley/Harmonic Balancer Assembly!

Last night I didn't sleep too well because I was thinking about getting the Crank Pulley/Harmonic Balancer Assembly onto the crank. I have to say, getting that damn thing off the crankshaft was a total bee-otch and it took about 2 1/2 hrs on my back. And through the years, I've learned that it's usually much easier to take things apart than putting them back together. So In short, I wasn't really looking forward to this nemt step in the reassembly process. Add to it that I didn't have a harmonic balancer installation tool so I was kinda' at the point of thinking that this is where the project was going to hit a brick wall. I spent a couple of hours on this forum using the search feature, and twice I saw a tip about heating the entire crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly in the kitchen over at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 30 minutes. Supposedly, according to the tip posters, after heating the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly, it was going to slide onto the crankshaft like a hand into a glove. All I kept thinking was "yeah, right - in your world BUT probably not mine." So after lunch, I readied my tools while I was heating the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly.

For good measure I smoked a good luck stogie while the I heated the assembly for 40 minutes. When done with my stogie, I put on a pair of leather work gloves, went into the kitchen, removed the assembly out of the oven, and brought it into the garage. I placed it onto the crankshaft, lined up the crankshaft key, and gave the crank pulley a good rap with a piece of 2X4 scrap wood. The assembly went onto the crank for about 1/2", and then it stopped. I grabbed the old crank bolt, coated the threads with thread locker, and spun it in until it bottomed out. I grabbed the ratchet, and started tightening the crank bolt, and lo and behold - the crank pulley/harmonic balancer assembly started to inch it's way towards the engine block really easily - waaaaayyyyy easier than it was to take it off!

Since I was on a roll, I cracked open a ceremonial beer, and then installed the water pump. The water pump uses a standard black paper gasket, and for good measure I coated it on both sides with Permatex Ultra Copper.

 

[Dono]

Beautiful!
Your all but done.

I used the cheap ass gasket for my water pump and timing chain cover without even thinking about it. I may live to regret it.

 

[fast_dave]

Thanks DONO!

I've had my hands on this engine enough over the past 5-6 years (i.e. Upper Intake Gaskets and Valve Cover Gaskets) that I've learned that there is a reason for every quirky engineering solution on this engine - and that requires me to slow down, walk away from it, and think it all over.

Yesterday was an 8 hr day, I wire brushed the threads on all of bolts to get true torque readings, and meticulously cleaned all of the gasket sealing surfaces with the hope to prevent any oil leaks. I've read of many guys experiencing oil leaks after this job was completed, most from the oil pan gasket area. I'm hoping to have this all settled and done by after lunch today (knock on wood). The information and experiences on this website has been a lifesaver for me.

 

[Dono]

I see you coat both sides of your gaskets with the permatex copper. Does that make removal difficult? You obviously find it works better than permatex black.

I think I'll try using it.

 

[GRNMACHINE]

Thanks for the pics, tips, writeups, etc! WoW that engine is clean and Rust Free!!!

 

[fast_dave]

I see you coat both sides of your gaskets with the permatex copper. Does that make removal difficult? You obviously find it works better than permatex black.

I think I'll try using it.

GRNMACHINE - Thanks for the kind remarks - much appreciated!!!!

DONO -

Just like with Painting - 80% of this job/projects success will be proper surface preparation.
Actually you can modify what I just wrote to fit many situations in life ;-)
On this project, I used (4) cans of Gumout Carb Cleaner and countless old (clean) socks turned inside out so as to expose the "nap" to clean off accumulated grease and oil. OIL hides in a lot of the cracks and crevices, and no matter what sealer you use, ultimately it WON'T stick to oil, and you'll have leaks. So when I read about other people's experiences with this repair, and go on to read that they ultimately have oil leaks, that tells me that I have to pay extra attention to this or ultimately I'll be in the same boat. Look - when you're in it this deep, it's well worth it to spend some extra tie w/ proper surface preparation.

As far as why I have chosen Permatex Ultra Copper High Temp RTV - you can use it on EVERYTHING on your Explorer. It is High -Temp AND Sensor Safe. I use it on my rear differential cover, valve cover gaskets, thermostat housing, water pump, oil pan. Sure it's an extra $2 a tube over Black, Blue, and Red - BUT - if you standardize on it you'll invest/use only (1) tube rather than have (3) tubes. It's about $7-8 a tube in auto parts stores, and cheaper on Amazon. I've had great results with Ultra Copper - it's the only sealer I have in my tool box. As far as ease of removal of parts that have been coated with it, I've had no problems.

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[joe doe]

i been following your progress dave .way to go .alot of work though .i am so glad my mechanic done mine for 200 bucks ...:and that included slapping in new timing gears .

of course i provided all the parts .he just charges me labor .

so you done now?

 

[fast_dave]

I've used my Strap Wrench on this project more than on any other project, and boy has it been a lifesaver - especially when disconnecting the fan clutch from the threaded nose of the water pump. OK - this AM I started with wrapping the strap wrench around the water pump pulley, and low and behold - the handle of it was long enough that it rested UNDER the automatic belt tensioner pulley. This allowed me to use two hands on the ratchet and to torque down all four bolts effortlessly with no skinned knuckles that commonly occur when using a pry bar to hold down the pulley with one hand, and using the other hand to operate a ratchet.

When done, I put some Mobile 1 Synthetic Grease on the threaded nose of the water pump, in preparation for the fan clutch to be threaded on.

Then, I put some Mobile 1 Synthetic Grease on the threads inside of the mounting end of the fan clutch.

OK - so here's another situation that the strap wench is great for. Wrap the strap wrench around the water pump pulley, and let it come to rest under the automatic belt tensioner. The threads on the nose of the water pump are "regular" threads, or in other words - "righty tighty, lefty loosey." Because the water pump pulley is secure with the strap wrench, you can now, by hand, easily spin on the assembled fan/clutch to the RIGHT, and it will thread itself onto the water pump effortlessly. Tighten the fan clutch to the water pump with your wide-jawed Crescent Wrench.

OK, now is the time to remove the protective cardboard that has been covering the Air Conditioning Condenser throughout the project. I learned this back in the day from my old HS auto shop teacher when he got it into my head that "A little extra time spent up front on the details saves you from a lot of potential headaches in the end"

OK - you might me in a rush to finish but SLOW DOWN! You need to place the fan shroud over the fan FIRST, before you put your radiator in! If you put the radiator in first, you can't get the fan shroud in. Well, I take that back, there are probably some guys that can accomplish this - but the end result probably isn't pretty ;-)

Now it's time to put in the radiator, hook it up to the fan shroud, connect the top and bottom radiator hoses, and the air intake connections & sensor/MAF wires. Fill the radiator with coolant/anti-freeze, make one last check that everything is hooked up, and then the moment has arrived to bring your Explorer back to life!!!

So my Explorer fired right up, and after a few minutes settled into a steady slow idle. It was good to hear the sound of the 4.0 fill the complex I live in ;-) I turned the heater control knob into the red zone, so as to allow coolant/anti-freeze to circulate completely through the system, and to push out any air bubbles. After about 20 minutes of slow idling, I saw there was no oil or coolant leaks, and took the Explorer out for a drive around town, and all has been well. No more smelling "wiffs" of coolant/anti-freeze when I have the window rolled down, and I'm sitting at a stoplight. It's good to be back in the saddle again ;-)

Ive enjoyed sharing my repair project experience with you, as well as fielding your PM's and questions to the thread If you have any questions about this procedure, please don't hesitate to ask!

Thanks and best regards,
fast_dave in the PRK/North