Bewildered1
Elite Explorer
- Joined
- March 19, 2024
- Messages
- 13
- Reaction score
- 1
- City, State
- Eugene, OR
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2014 Explorer Sport
I finally ran out of excuses for not doing the VCT overhaul. I was somewhat motivated by the increasing frequency of the start-up rattle,which started at about 135k and has increased in frequnecy ever since then.
I replaced:
Phasers + sprockets
Chains
Tensioners + guides
Solenoids (I also cleaned the filter screens for these)
Water Pump
Oil pump; I used a Melling HV with the stock relief spring. It's my feeling that VCT engines want plenty of oil volume to work correctly long-term, but stock pressure is fine. With more volume the VCT system can have all the oil it wants without robbing it from the bearings, lash adjusters, etc.
While I was in there I cleaned the intake ports/valves with Chemtool and a small brass bottle brush. They looked much worse in person than through the borescope.
The engine is a little quieter now and seems to have a little better throttle response. No more cold-start intermittent miss either. Fuel economy appears to be a up a little too, but I'll need more data to know for sure.
All things considered I think it was time + money well spent. And, with the ports and valves clean I'm ready to work on getting the tune refined.
The only dark spot is the fact that I bought most of the parts (all OEM Ford) as a kit on Ebay several months ago, and I neglected to look everything over before the end of the return period. Guess what? I was sold parts for a Gen II engine, so the only parts I could use out of the kit were the chains, one chain guide, the main chain tensioner, and the crank sprocket. Was I/am/I bummed? Yep. Lesson learned? You bet.
I'll have the Gen II parts for sale soon on the forum. Hopefully my mistake will benefit someone; I'll sell them cheap.
I replaced:
Phasers + sprockets
Chains
Tensioners + guides
Solenoids (I also cleaned the filter screens for these)
Water Pump
Oil pump; I used a Melling HV with the stock relief spring. It's my feeling that VCT engines want plenty of oil volume to work correctly long-term, but stock pressure is fine. With more volume the VCT system can have all the oil it wants without robbing it from the bearings, lash adjusters, etc.
While I was in there I cleaned the intake ports/valves with Chemtool and a small brass bottle brush. They looked much worse in person than through the borescope.
The engine is a little quieter now and seems to have a little better throttle response. No more cold-start intermittent miss either. Fuel economy appears to be a up a little too, but I'll need more data to know for sure.
All things considered I think it was time + money well spent. And, with the ports and valves clean I'm ready to work on getting the tune refined.
The only dark spot is the fact that I bought most of the parts (all OEM Ford) as a kit on Ebay several months ago, and I neglected to look everything over before the end of the return period. Guess what? I was sold parts for a Gen II engine, so the only parts I could use out of the kit were the chains, one chain guide, the main chain tensioner, and the crank sprocket. Was I/am/I bummed? Yep. Lesson learned? You bet.
I'll have the Gen II parts for sale soon on the forum. Hopefully my mistake will benefit someone; I'll sell them cheap.
