SOHC Engine Removal/Rebuild/Install - Done!

[koda2000]

Well done, and your daughter will not mind being around that engine I bet. It's all nice clean parts, people aren't used to clean engine parts, and seeing them opened up is cool for most people.

Thanks. My daughter isn't afraid to get her hands dirty. She just says, "it's okay I'm washable".

 

[ptf18]

Koda... Cutting to the chase and forgive me as I have not viewed the Youtube vid you mention.

Do I have this correct? You build up both heads and then install the tools that "lock/set" the camshaft(s) in a specific location.

You build up the engine and then install the tools that "lock/set" the crankshaft in a specific location . Once that is done you "drape" the timing chains into place.

Then you place the heads onto the block and at the same time place the timing chains over the camshaft drive gears.

Once the heads are on the block you secure them in place.

Correct??? or am I waaaaay off base?

 

[koda2000]

Koda... Cutting to the chase and forgive me as I have not viewed the Youtube vid you mention.

Do I have this correct? You build up both heads and then install the tools that "lock/set" the camshaft(s) in a specific location.

You build up the engine and then install the tools that "lock/set" the crankshaft in a specific location . Once that is done you "drape" the timing chains into place.

Then you place the heads onto the block and at the same time place the timing chains over the camshaft drive gears.

Once the heads are on the block you secure them in place.

Correct??? or am I waaaaay off base?

Yes, I believe you have the gist of it. The crankshaft gets positioned and locked into place using a special tool. The timing components are installed in the engine block (front and rear). This includes the chains, chain guides, various chain tensioners and the chain cassettes. At this point all the chains are left loose and free spinning.

Next the 2 camshafts are timed using a another special tool, locked into place using a third special tool and the heads are installed on the engine block.

Once the heads are installed the loose timing chains and their drive gears are installed on the camshafts and the gears are bolted into place and torqued down. At this point the crankshaft and camshafts are "timed together". This is the only relationship that matters.

Please note that this is a complex procedure to explain in words. Watching the recommended videos will make it more clear, but there are no video's that demonstrate the exact way I'm doing this. In the end it doesn't matter how it's done as long as the crank and camshafts are properly timed.

The crankshaft drives all the chains (there are 4 on a 4WD balance shaft engine)
1) Crankshaft to balancer
2) Crankshaft to jack shaft
3) Front of jack shaft to driver side cassette/camshaft
4) Rear jack shaft to passenger side cassette/camshaft

 

[koda2000]

Do these torque specs for cassette bolts sound right? Seems like a lot of torque for those weird T30 headed bolts. The strike thru torques seem okay to me.

Timing chain cassette bolts: (E/MWM)
...Left: Lower: 14 lb-ft, Upper: 9 lb-ft
...Right: Lower: 13 lb-ft, Upper: 89 lb-in

 

[CDW6212R]

If the smaller bolts are about 5/16" or less, the 9lbft might be slightly too much. 9lbft is 108in-lb of torque, it's not much and some ratchets will malfunction at low torque settings. So a 1/4" TW is best for little bolts like that, up to about 25lbft if you trust the ratchet.

I learned on the small cam plate bolt of a 351 SBF, those can't take much torque. I turned one of those right off, and the torque spec was very low also, I think it would be similar to that 89inlb level, which is just over 7lbsft.

A lot of valve cover bolts are small like those too, pan bolts also. Anything under 3/8" is an easy to break off bolt with normal ratchets and effort. I use a very small ratchet for those, and wrist strength only(twist hand, don't use any arm force).

 

[koda2000]

If the smaller bolts are about 5/16" or less, the 9lbft might be slightly too much. 9lbft is 108in-lb of torque, it's not much and some ratchets will malfunction at low torque settings. So a 1/4" TW is best for little bolts like that, up to about 25lbft if you trust the ratchet.

I learned on the small cam plate bolt of a 351 SBF, those can't take much torque. I turned one of those right off, and the torque spec was very low also, I think it would be similar to that 89inlb level, which is just over 7lbsft.

A lot of valve cover bolts are small like those too, pan bolts also. Anything under 3/8" is an easy to break off bolt with normal ratchets and effort. I use a very small ratchet for those, and wrist strength only(twist hand, don't use any arm force).

I think I'm just going to just tighten those bolts by hand instead of following the specs listed. I've torqued non-critical bolts by hand all my life. I can't recall a bolt ever loosening up on me and I haven't broken a bolt (tightening it) in many years.

 

[CDW6212R]

Ditto, the little ones are sometimes more trouble to torque than any big bolts. You might add a drop of blue loctite to them, I think I did on those my first time.

 

[koda2000]

Ditto, the little ones are sometimes more trouble to torque than any big bolts. You might add a drop of blue loctite to them, I think I did on those my first time.

Agreed. I was also thinking about a bit of blue loc-tite to those little ones just to err on the safe side.

 

[koda2000]

Caught myself in an oooops today while rechecking yesterday's work. On the rear cassette there's that small upper bolt that you snap into a slot on the inside arm of the cassette's plastic chain guide. Then the bolt screws into the head.

Today I noticed that the "spool-shaped" sleeve over that bolt is supposed to fit into a slit on the arm. I'd missed that yesterday and that was causing the guide to be misaligned with the chain. This is why I also like to recheck my work the next day when possible. I figure a mistake isn't a mistake as long as you're the one that catches it.

My daughter was not able to help me with torquing the head bolts today, so maybe tomorrow for that. I noticed that there are 2 different head torque instructions depending of year. One says something like 26 FP + 90 degrees twice. The other says something like 24 FP + 80 degrees twice. I wonder what the difference is?

Took these pic in the sun today to replace the blurry ones from yesterday...

 

[koda2000]

Here's what the head bolt torque specs actually say...

Cylinder head bolts: (Haynes)
...Thru 2000: 8 mm bolts: 23 to 25 ft-lbs
...12 mm bolts: Step 1: 26 ft-lbs, Step 2: plus 90 deg, Step 3: plus 90 deg
...2001 & later: 8 mm bolts: 23 to 25 ft-lbs
...12 mm bolts: Step 1: 24 ft-lbs, Step 2: plus 80 deg, Step 3: plus 80 deg

As my engine is job 2, late production 2001 I guess I should go with the "2001 & later" specs. I've already done the initial 12mm head bolt torque to 26 FP (rather than 24 FP), but I don't think 2 FP will make much difference. I hope I'll be able to use my angle gauge, because 90 degree is easy to eyeball, 80 degrees not so much.

 

[koda2000]

Angle torquing head bolts:

Today I chained & tow strapped by engine stand between my Explorer and Mountaineer trailer hitches. Then I tried using my OTC 4554 angle gauge to begin the two recommended 80 degree final TTY bolt turns. The angle gauge worked okay on the first 3 head bolts, then, for no apparent reason, it stopped working on the 4th bolt. It's a really simple device and I even took it apart to see what was happening, but I don't see what the problem is. There are no instructions that come with this tool. This left me with head bolt #4 partially turned (I'm estimating maybe 25-30 degrees) and 12 more bolts (in total) to still tighten. This angle gauge is a piece of junk. Do to buy one! It may be too late for me to get my money back (around $14 on Amazon IIRC) but I'm gonna try, plus I'll leave a very bad review.

What do I do now? Well I switched from my 1/2 breaker bar to a 1/2 ratchet. Using a length of pipe with my ratchet handle in one end of the pipe and the handle of my 24" breaker bar in the other end I was able to start each remaining bolt at 3:00 and twisted the ratchet down to something less than 6:00 (approximating 80 degrees). I tried to approx another 50-55 degrees on partially tightened bolt #4. This was how I finished angle torquing all the head bolts to the approx 160 degrees in 2 steps. Later I'm going to figure out just how tight all the bolts are buy using my 1/2 torque wrench starting at maybe 50 FP and increasing the setting by 10 FP until the wrench clicks. I'm not looking for a particular torque setting, just equal tightness.

When I have the time I'm going to try to determine why the stupid angle gauge stopped working. Basically the dial with the degree numbers is locked down/immobilized and the clear piece with the indicator line on it turns with the bolt. What could go wrong???

 

[donalds]

I think you will be fine with your torque procedure

Looks good

I never used a Angel gauge I mark the bolt and part with a marker and then torque till the marks line up

 

[koda2000]

I think you will be fine with your torque procedure

Looks good

I never used a Angel gauge I mark the bolt and part with a marker and then torque till the marks line up

Yeah, I think it should be okay. It just annoys me that I went thru the trouble and expense to buy a tool that was supposed to make this process fool-proof and instead it caused me problems and I had to resort to guess work. I'm fairly comfortable with the two turns to approximate 160 degrees, it's the #4 bolt that I'm guessing at. Hopefully it will all be okay.

BTW - I found out that I able to return to tool to Amazon and get my money back. I have until June 1st to return it. When I took the tool apart I expected to see a hole in the clear plastic part (with the indicator line) to be of a shape that would lock into the part of that ratchet/breaker bar attaches to. This not the case. It was just a round hole. How the heck can that work? You'd expect that part of the tool to move with the breaker bar and bolt and the other part to remain still. When it failed the bolt part moved, the part with the degree numbers on it remained still, but the indicator line part did not move. I don't see where anything is broken.

IDK if the image will show, bit if not you can look it up on Amazon or eBay (OTC 4554). The "L" piece is the thing that holds the base still.

 

[koda2000]

Last few jobs of the day...

I took my new, accurate 1/2 torque wrench to my head bolts. I started at 50 FP and following the recommended torque sequence I checked all 16 12mm head bolts, in 10 FB increments, until I reached 150 FB. At that point 2 bolts (both the same bolt on both heads, bolt seq #5) moved a tiny bit, but all the others clicked the wrench at the 150 FB mark. That was about all the strength I had left in me today and I'm satisfied that all the bolts are tight enough and are exerting about equal clamping force. I'm calling that job done.

Next I moved on to torquing my new TTY front and rear jack shaft bolts to spec + 90 degrees. Then I released my camshafts and crankshaft from the OTC 6488 timing kit tools, liberally squirted oil on all the chains (cams/valve train have assembly lube on them). Then it was time for the acid test, with the spark plugs out I spun the crankshaft 4 full revolutions. Everything is smooth with no binding or weird noises. Then I rechecked the timing one last time and it was still spot on. Calling that job done.

Finally I reinstalled the valve covers and oil dip stick and I quit for today. Tomorrow I plan to install the front timing cover with my new harmonic balancer (centering the new front crankshaft seal) and my new TTY harmonic balancer bolt, then I can torque the front cover down. Unless I'm forgetting something, I think that will just leave re-installation and torquing of the flex plate and a few minor pieces and the engine should be ready to stab back into the truck. I have to remember to get some fresh gasoline.

I need to start thinking about the handful of remaining parts and materials I need to purchase (Simmons aluminum t-stat housing, a new battery, engine oil, antifreeze, Mercon V for the power steering system, and a pre-oiler system, but that can all wait until after I get the engine back in and hear it run. Exciting stuff!

There's going to be about 4-5 days of bolting parts back on the engine, and reconnecting stuff. I'm not going to bore you with that stuff. So, next time you hear from me hopefully I will reporting on the first engine start.

 

[ptf18]

Fellows: Perhaps this is answered ....somewhere.... Any idea why these bolts are not simply installed and torqued....USING A TORQUE WRENCH..... instead of this micky-mouse angle of the dangle stuff? Using a torque wrench has been the mainstay of securing hardware since the dawn of (modern) time. In avaiation, some bolts are "tightend" to a certain length (as the bolt stretches when it is tightend) BUT those bolts go thru nuts and are not "blind" as head bolts are.

Anyone know if these "angle gauges" are used elsewhere in the automotive industry?

 

[koda2000]

Fellows: Perhaps this is answered ....somewhere.... Any idea why these bolts are not simply installed and torqued....USING A TORQUE WRENCH..... instead of this micky-mouse angle of the dangle stuff? Using a torque wrench has been the mainstay of securing hardware since the dawn of (modern) time. In avaiation, some bolts are "tightend" to a certain length (as the bolt stretches when it is tightend) BUT those bolts go thru nuts and are not "blind" as head bolts are.

Anyone know if these "angle gauges" are used elsewhere in the automotive industry?

I have not researched this, but the following is my understanding/opinion on the use of TTY bolts...
The use of TTY bolts on automotive engine applications is nothing new. The use to TTY technology became popular when modern engine designs went to overhead camshafts and more aluminum components over cast iron. The benefit of TTY bolts is that they provide elasticity in clamping force, rather than simple tightness applied with only torque. This is probably useful when dealing with metals with different expansion rates (for example, aluminum heads and cast iron blocks). On the Ford 4.0L SOHC engine there are many TTY bolts used. This is not unique to Ford engines, or other manufacturer's engines. I'd say it's commonplace today. I'm sure the more technical people here will add their knowledge on this subject, but you could always Google it. Another change in automotive sealing technology is the now common use of MLS gaskets (multi-layered-steel).

benifits of TTY fasteners - Google Search

 

[ptf18]

Thanks Koda.... At 66y.o. Im just a "ol' fashion" kind of guy....... Time for a change up I suppose.

 

[CDW6212R]

All bolts stretch some tiny amount, the TTY bolts are just supposedly more elastic. I think it's about making use of that special bolt attribute, and applying a larger torque amount than an old kind of bolt would be intended to take. Then it evidently provides a very strong clamping force, though it is expected that the bolt it to never be used again. I think that should mean the TTY bolts have a lifespan which is much shorter, we just hope they survive until the parts come off. Old Ford head bolts were very large and intended to last ages, I recall torque figures in the 125-150lbft range, and those were very large bolts compared to the modern head bolts, they look to be about one size smaller for the given usage.

 

[koda2000]

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Well, my mother of an engine is back between the frame rails! It was quite a battle, but on the 3rd try it finally bolted up to the transmission. The first issue (my first two attempts) was that using the bolts on the front and rear of the heads for pick points (as recommended by fordtechmakuloco) will not allow you to get the engine back up against the firewall. It worked okay to get the engine out, but to reinstall it I went with Ford's recommended pick points, which are on the sides of the heads. Using these locations allowed me to get the engine back far enough so that I had a reasonable chance of reconnecting the engine and trans.

Trying to get the snout of the torque converter into the center of the flex plate was the next hurdle. You can't see what you're doing and the only way to know you're in is when the trans bolts line up. Using 3 jacks I was finally able to get 4 of the trans bolts caught into the engine block by a thread or 2. At that point I knew that the snout of the torque converter was beginning to go into the flexplate, but I know that you can not attempt to draw the trans in using the bolts, because you now have to get the 4 torque converter studs to line up with their holes in the flexplate. Once that was achieved (no small feat) I was able to tighten 2 side trans bolts and the 2 bottom-most trans bolts. With the engine and trans mated I was able to reinstall my engine mount plates, remove the engine hoist and the 3 jacks I was using.

Enough for today. Tomorrow I plan to begin reconnecting the bare minimum things necessary to start the engine (fuel, wiring, senors, headers) to check for any noises or oil leaks. The weather is supposed to stay super nice all week, so I should be able to get a lot done.

If you're wondering why all the blue tape on everything and why every hole is stuffed with paper towels, just look at the mud wasp nest behind my windshield wiper motor...

 

[donalds]

Is that a piece of foam in the engine valley?