Tizona
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- October 17, 2024
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- City, State
- FENTON
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 2002 Explorer XLT
Hello Ford Country, wrapping up 'winterization' of one of eight units in my fleet and thought I'd share this finding.
This (original Owner, @ 72K, I am the sole Tech since warranty expiration) task was triggered by an intermittent P0302 that had NONE of the normal/ordinary secondary ignition symptoms, and last driven, ran well over 100 for over a half hour on a standard day.
FDRS-scanned ALL systems and Everything works as intended. Idled on 6 on a cold start and would make 200 hp on demand warm, but after a few minutes from cold driveaway would only hit on 5 below ~1900 rpm, with an occasional rattle triggering an intermittent and a rare random misfire.
Techron user since new. Never seen E85. Fuel pump and Filter at 61K. Castrol EDGE 5W-40 A3/B4 every 10K with FL-820-S, Synthetics in all the boxes. Coolant flush and fill 10 months back. Oil consumption roughly 15 ml/1000 miles.
Thinking I'd an intermittent injector (we've mice liking the olefin harness' insulation), the #2 OE plug needed to come out of it first. Had been parked hot after a 200 mile run so I waited a day. Gapped at 57 but the electrode was floating inside the ceramic nose. Replaced that and all of the behavior remained (a fourth party had suggested something else like a broken valvespring, but that'll wait for a different remark-opportunity). Off comes the tight intake and vacuum harnesses. PCV clear, connections tight, OE all, pulse modulator not bleeding, EGR not hung, injectors all at 16 ohms cold, runners in head could be eaten off of. Flip the manifold before pulling the #1 rocker cover (thinking a proud or weak hyd slack adjuster) and all except runner #2 look normal for the mileage and use (very light oil film) but number two is heavily sooted with a coating of diamond hard carbon deposits about 3mm thick all around all the way up to the plenum. (That is the middle one on the passenger side). WTF! Right cam cover off, check timing and chain and tensioner, all good, #2 EXHAUST valve down about .15". Brass drift and mallet tap the tip and heard the sand-sized cinder "snap" and the valve came up. After this, all 6 check at 150 repeatedly.
Soaked that CC and ports with a couple ounces of Liquid Wrench and MMO for a weekend. Discovered that the Zytel cannot stand any of the ordinary solvent cleaning procedures (the book actually states NOT to solvent-hose out the butterfly area due to some "coating") and I fear softening the bonds in this irreplaceable manifold. Walnut blasting declared too aggressive by the Vendors, who recommended crushed corn cob and four hours of gun time and vacuuming and a washout.
At any rate, the follower and spring are good, have yet to pull the head but am reassembling it this weekend for test, having coated the inside of that runner. Won't yet say with what, as I am only hoping to prevent any more pieces from ending up downstream and getting stuck. That runner is potentially run a touch hotter than the rest due both to its location above the valley and its proximity to EGR feed. and perhaps some sort of alignment with the distant PCV port.
This guy had been a Sunday driver for most of its first 50K, then considerably abused for another 15K for 12 years (biweekly 600 meter trips to a pharmacy by a Senior), and is now, finally for the last 7K or so finally being used "normally", on Class "A" 87.
I understand that I may have a valve face and/or seat issue, but this may suffice for a deep snow winter runner, and then have at it., as it is a 90-per-center right now, but if a black bear or big doe gets poked this'll all be moot. I'll update this with an image once wrapped.
This (original Owner, @ 72K, I am the sole Tech since warranty expiration) task was triggered by an intermittent P0302 that had NONE of the normal/ordinary secondary ignition symptoms, and last driven, ran well over 100 for over a half hour on a standard day.
FDRS-scanned ALL systems and Everything works as intended. Idled on 6 on a cold start and would make 200 hp on demand warm, but after a few minutes from cold driveaway would only hit on 5 below ~1900 rpm, with an occasional rattle triggering an intermittent and a rare random misfire.
Techron user since new. Never seen E85. Fuel pump and Filter at 61K. Castrol EDGE 5W-40 A3/B4 every 10K with FL-820-S, Synthetics in all the boxes. Coolant flush and fill 10 months back. Oil consumption roughly 15 ml/1000 miles.
Thinking I'd an intermittent injector (we've mice liking the olefin harness' insulation), the #2 OE plug needed to come out of it first. Had been parked hot after a 200 mile run so I waited a day. Gapped at 57 but the electrode was floating inside the ceramic nose. Replaced that and all of the behavior remained (a fourth party had suggested something else like a broken valvespring, but that'll wait for a different remark-opportunity). Off comes the tight intake and vacuum harnesses. PCV clear, connections tight, OE all, pulse modulator not bleeding, EGR not hung, injectors all at 16 ohms cold, runners in head could be eaten off of. Flip the manifold before pulling the #1 rocker cover (thinking a proud or weak hyd slack adjuster) and all except runner #2 look normal for the mileage and use (very light oil film) but number two is heavily sooted with a coating of diamond hard carbon deposits about 3mm thick all around all the way up to the plenum. (That is the middle one on the passenger side). WTF! Right cam cover off, check timing and chain and tensioner, all good, #2 EXHAUST valve down about .15". Brass drift and mallet tap the tip and heard the sand-sized cinder "snap" and the valve came up. After this, all 6 check at 150 repeatedly.
Soaked that CC and ports with a couple ounces of Liquid Wrench and MMO for a weekend. Discovered that the Zytel cannot stand any of the ordinary solvent cleaning procedures (the book actually states NOT to solvent-hose out the butterfly area due to some "coating") and I fear softening the bonds in this irreplaceable manifold. Walnut blasting declared too aggressive by the Vendors, who recommended crushed corn cob and four hours of gun time and vacuuming and a washout.
At any rate, the follower and spring are good, have yet to pull the head but am reassembling it this weekend for test, having coated the inside of that runner. Won't yet say with what, as I am only hoping to prevent any more pieces from ending up downstream and getting stuck. That runner is potentially run a touch hotter than the rest due both to its location above the valley and its proximity to EGR feed. and perhaps some sort of alignment with the distant PCV port.
This guy had been a Sunday driver for most of its first 50K, then considerably abused for another 15K for 12 years (biweekly 600 meter trips to a pharmacy by a Senior), and is now, finally for the last 7K or so finally being used "normally", on Class "A" 87.
I understand that I may have a valve face and/or seat issue, but this may suffice for a deep snow winter runner, and then have at it., as it is a 90-per-center right now, but if a black bear or big doe gets poked this'll all be moot. I'll update this with an image once wrapped.
