The front tensioner is longer than the rear tensioner and the spring is stronger when starting the threads. You have to push to compress the spring and start the tensioner by hand until it rotates at least 3 times. I suggest that you chase the threads with something before trying again. A tap may be difficult to find but probably worth the effort because once the bore is cross threaded too far you'll have a mess. Maybe you can extract the piston from the old tensioner and use it with some cutting oil to chase the threads.
I was thinking it might be possible to just pull the piston out of the tensioner bore. I don't know what prevents it from extending too far. I recall that the piston is hardened steel which would be difficult to drill or saw. A tap would be fairly expensive because of the large diameter, fine threads. It might be worth towing the vehicle to a machinist and having the threads chased professionally. There cuttings would be minimal - just enough to clean the started cross threads. If the valve cover is removed, the threads could probably be back flushed so they don't even enter the engine.
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How do i get it in the whole? i dont believe its cross threaded i just cant put it in. the tention is too tight, i see videos of it and it looks like people are just spinning it in and no problem. why wont mine just spin in? what can i do to releave some of the pressure. ive tried oil and having on person apply presser and one spin no matter what we do it wont go in straight.
Compressed valve springs create tension on the chain. You might rotate the crankshaft by hand with a socket and drive attached to the harmonic balancer retaining bolt to relieve some of the tension.
Slowly compress the piston by hand first to make sure it isn't full of oil and can compress far enough. If you still can't get it to go in, chances are that the guide broke apart and dislodged when you removed the old tensioner, and the mis-located parts are blocking the new tensioner. You could verify that by removing the valve cover. If that has happened there is no alternative to doing a full timing replacement. Whatever you do, don't let those threads strip out or you will be looking for another head.
Mingram97, I just did my tensioner {twice , new one was bad so i put the old back in , {go figure , tiawan parts being bad rattled like a diesel motor} last weekend , its a pain getting it to go in straight with the limited room you have for your fingers for sure , dab just alittle grease around the threads first , you can look inside where the cassette is with just a flashlight and push on the cassette with your finger to see if its broken or not {sure a sure thing buy you can get an idea} going in you will have to press hard to compress the piston just try alittle at a time so it doesnt cross thread, it'll spin with just your fingers for afew turns if you get it right .. go slow and dont get frusterated , save that tuition $$ try this guy on youtube hes pretty good has alot of how too videosI dont have the tools to Open the valve cover due to me being in school. I dont believe it is broken due to the noise just occurred and the truck does have a rebuilt motor in it approximately 30,000 freeway miles ago. i do beleve the threads do need to be chased and i have ordered a bolt that fits it. I hope Something works or eles im going to be forced to take it to the dealer and spend more tuition money on this truck....
. . .From what I've read, it doesn't sound like this engine is one that the valves get damaged (non interference). Can anyone confirm?
Hello folks.
I've been reading the posts about the timing chain issues for a couple of weeks trying to get my arms around all this. I haven't seen any references to 2004 engines. I have an 04, the engine was sounding horrible and finally quit. I've torn it down and found the Primary, left, and right cassettes in pieces. Preparing to take the engine out. Are there any specific threads relating to the 2004 4.0 SOHC that I may have missed? From what I've read, it doesn't sound like this engine is one that the valves get damaged (non interference). Can anyone confirm?
A filed primary (crankshaft to jackshaft) chain tensioner often creates a rattle at that engine range. However, the tensioner was significantly ruggedized in the 2002 and later models and shouldn't have failed at your mileage. Does your vehicle have all wheel or 4 wheel drive? If so, then your engine probably has the balance shaft and the tensioner for the balance shaft chain is pretty flimsy.My wifes 2008 Explorer Eddie Bauer edition has the 4.0 V-6 engine and we have a similar noise to what CA stated up above in post 53. The engine is quiet when we start it up but when we give it gas, we notice the noise that sounds like marbles in a metal coffee can being shaken. The noise is only present between 2000-3000 rpms. The noise is more noticeable when giving it gas at more rpms when the engine is cold but after the engine warms up, it seems to completely disappear sometimes. Most of the time it likes that 2500-3000 rpm range to have the noise when under light throttle, even under a load going up a hill.
Does this sound something like what a guide / tensioner issues would be? From what I have read up on, it is primarily noisy when it first starts up and at idle which ours does not do. Our car now has 106,000 miles on it and of course is out of warranty. We are taking it tomorrow on a long trip and I'd like to have a piece of mind that the engine isn't going to give out on us a long ways away from home.
On a side note, the top plastic tank on the radiator I noticed is starting to crack outward. Almost like there is too much pressure inside the radiator. The cracks are straight across where the reinforcing ribbing is too, in two spots. (one spot on each reinforcing rib in the center of the rad.)