Timing chain. | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Timing chain.

dm55448

New Member
Joined
May 30, 2010
Messages
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City, State
Anoka, MN
Year, Model & Trim Level
2001 XLT
Hello all, found this site looking for answers to my kids 2001 explorer 4.0. It died this winter here in Minnesota, wouldn't run. Well I went and tried to get it started and heard the dreadfull sound of an engine turning over with no compression.

With 20 years as a mechanic before I traded my wrenches for a computer and spreadsheets, I knew immediately I had a valve timing issue. Little did I know what I was about to expierence in my quest for answers on this engine.

This forum has been a great tool to find those answers, not that I liked the project they told me I was getting into, but never the less have led me to a clear path for repairing this beast.

Well I finally got time to tear it down and look it over, what a mess. Thankfully I had read enough posts to get it apart with a minimum of effort. I was overwhelmed by what I found. Being my kid bought it used a year ago I thought maybe it had the upgrades done by ford over the years, NOT!

What I have found so far is ugly to say the least, but with 13600 miles I guess it isn't too bad.

When I pulled the timing cover I found the guide and tensioner intact on the primary(crank to jackshaft)chain. Both looked relatively good but the tensioner was week. On the other hand the balance shaft tensioner was wedged in the ladder frame, not even touching the chain. I decide at this point to pull the valve covers and see how far off the cams were.

I pulled the right(facing the engine) cover first and put the crank at TDC (crank key key facing directly up). The cam lug for the cam sensor and flats next to it were in perfect position ( there is a good post on identifying this feature) sensor lug up and adjacents flat parallel to the cam cap. Tensioner and guide were intact, good news right? Wrong!!

I pulled the left valve cover and found the cam out of time by about 30 degrees. Easy to indentify when the flats toward the gear are not parallell with the cam cap. Also the notches on the back of the cam( facing you on the left head) were not even close to parallel with the head. I checked the cam followers for loosness and guess what, all three exhaust valves are bent. Yes it is an interference motor. Even more interesting was the chain guide on the left head. It had broken free and is wedged between the head and the chain.

Next step is to pull the motor and begin the repairs, what fun!! A couple of comments regarding my research of these posts. Have seen several that say ignore the balance shaft tensioner, DONT. Some say the left ( rear cassette is usualy ok) not in my case.

Lastly the information I gathered here was great and my fear of tackling this beast is gone. The complex valve timing issue I read about are not that bad if you understand the engine. Thanks to those that posted the information on how to time the cams without the ford tools. After looking at the posts and the cams and engine it is apparent that you can time the valves with a minimum of effort and without the tools(can make your own realatively simple).

Thanks again to all who posted here.
 






Engine removal

I don't know how similar your 2001 is to my 2000 but you may find My Helpful Thread SOHC V6 Engine Removal Procedure worth reviewing. Don't hesitate to post questions as you proceed. You will receive assistance from forum members.
 












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