94' 3.0 Valve Lifters Major Failure, ADVICE NEEDED

[94' Ranger]

Yeah, that what I was referring to..small flakes of material separating from the lobe, they have to go somewhere & that usually is the pan & then sucked up into the pump & then on to the filter where one can hope that's as far as they go (but don't bet on it). also seeing some corrosion/pitting in there as well. Has this engine been sitting unused for some time? Seeing as you're in Cali I would not have suspected moisture corrosion.

I worked on my truck inside my garage for about 8-9 days in mostly dry weather (just some morning dew), I would be very surprised if moisture corrosion was the culprit here.

Since my oil and coolant are mixed I need to clean everything out as much as I possibly can anyways, should get the metal debris out of there. Once it running again I plan on doing 2 oil changes within the first two or three days of running, maybe another a week later just to be safe.

 

[94' Ranger]

Got another opinion from a friend/mechanic, Does anyone here disagree with the following as the root cause of my issues?


~An overheated motor caused a pre-detonation, maybe at the same time as its neighbor was firing. Head gasket fails, 2 of the driver's side cylinders sucked in coolant, then hydralocked. The motor didn't run long with coolant mixing in with the oil, but it likely wasn't thoroughly mixed. The head gasket was the failed part that allowed coolant into the cylinders.~



This theory would imply that somehow I didn't have enough coolant in my system, such as air pockets somewhere in my coolant system (which I heard is common with rangers) OR the head gasket failed which caused most of my coolant to be lost into the oil, then I overheated.

Although I never saw my temp gauge peg red, but if there was little or no coolant in my system the temperature sensor might not have been able to give me an accurate reading.

I'm just trying to find the totality of the damage sustained and also find the root cause so it does not happen again.

My cam looks functional, the crank still spins freely, the pistons all reach their predesignated positions, and I bought new rockers, pushrods, lifters, and guides. Is there anything else to check/clean before I put her together again this weekend?

 

[Uncle Gump]

I don't think you ever hydro locked. If it did... the engine would not rotate.

You have two problems... coolant in the oil... and busted up valve components.

Your first post said a head was cracked... did you replace the head?

 

[Uncle Gump]

Also... why didi you have the head off in the first place?

 

[19Walt93]

I would absolutely not reuse that cam, that is not minor damage. All the metal grindings went through your oil system so I'd strip the engine down and have the block boiled out at a machine shop. The oil pump is too cheap to gamble on reusing it. The only way those dog bones broke is if the lifters galled into the cam and twisted. It's time for a major overhaul or another engine. If the coolant was low, the temp sender would be in air instead of coolant so the gauge would read much lower than the actual temperature. Somedays you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant. We've all been there and it sucks.

 

[94' Ranger]

I don't think you ever hydro locked. If it did... the engine would not rotate.

You have two problems... coolant in the oil... and busted up valve components.

Your first post said a head was cracked... did you replace the head?

I had a small crack on the intake valve of my 456 head, I had consistent bubbles in my radiator for over a year. I decided to do everything included in the head gasket kit in one big job, including the timing chain + front engine cover gasket, and oil pan gasket.

 

[94' Ranger]

I would absolutely not reuse that cam, that is not minor damage. All the metal grindings went through your oil system so I'd strip the engine down and have the block boiled out at a machine shop. The oil pump is too cheap to gamble on reusing it. The only way those dog bones broke is if the lifters galled into the cam and twisted. It's time for a major overhaul or another engine. If the coolant was low, the temp sender would be in air instead of coolant so the gauge would read much lower than the actual temperature. Somedays you're the dog, some days you're the hydrant. We've all been there and it sucks.

Well, I would be willing to replace the cam if that's what needs to happen but I do not intend on removing the block. I've replaced my clutch before, separating the block from the trans is not a job I want to do again anytime soon. I plan on doing the best cleaning I can with the oil pan + front engine cover off, some compressed air, and a whole lot of oil. I will open up the oil pump again and clean that out, I'll replace it if I see any damage whatsoever.

I already have some junkyard rockers, pushrods, lifters, and dogbone lifter guides, but taking the camshaft out of a junkyard car won't be so easy (especially considering the only 3.0 at a junkyard near me is a 1994 3.0 Aerostar, no space to work with, everything takes extra time/work).

Any idea where the best place to buy a new camshaft would be?

 

[Uncle Gump]

So you had a cracked intake valve and bubbles in the radiator?

I'm not sure how that works. Did you replace the head? Did you have it pressure checked?

 

[94' Ranger]

So you had a cracked intake valve and bubbles in the radiator?

I'm not sure how that works. Did you replace the head? Did you have it pressure checked?

The crack in my head was about 3/4in long but it was mostly on my valve seat, it carried over like a 1/4in into my head.

I brought my heads to the most reputable machine shop around and they did a great job. Cleaned inside and out like brand new, replaced all valve seats, did a good job welding the crack, resurfaced everything, rethreaded an exhaust manifold bolt hole that was stripped out, and painted it all for 392$.

When I had the oil and coolant mix and lifter damage, I brought my heads in and they checked its surfaces for warpage and did a compression check for free, wouldn't accept my money.

 

[dmb2613]

you need to replace that head

 

[94' Ranger]

you need to replace that head

What makes you say that? Nobody else mentioned my head needs replacing including the machine shop that verified my head is not warped and it holds compression perfectly.

I showed up half an hour before they closed and they ran those tests in front of me, I saw the straight edge test and watched the compression gauge while they tested the valves. Looked perfect.


Here is the crack they welded, I trust this machine shop. They have been in the business for over 25 years and everyone I asked told me they were the best around.

 

[94' Ranger]

Lower intake manifold has coolant flowing thru it, if its gasket fails then coolant can go into the valley and oil pan
And it could "wash" the lifters of oil causing overheating and failure
Although I have never heard or even read about that type of failure of the lifters, the leak yes, but not that type of failure
Check lower intake for cracks as well, on the under side

I inspected the bottom of my lower intake today, no cracks or major damage but it does look like the intake on valve #5 took a couple of hits. My lower intake still appears to be functional, this damage does not warrant a replacement, correct?

I finally have some free time to work on my truck this weekend. I'm going to take my front engine cover and oil pan off today and if all goes well, start the intense cleaning process tonight. I am still unsure what to do about my camshaft, anyone know where the best place to buy one would be in terms of price + shipping speed? Does anyone have a good website they've used in the past or is a junkyard my best option? Come Monday morning I'll ask my boss if he can order one to his shop, might come same/next day if I'm lucky.

 

[O No 3.0!]

There is a melling factory replacement cam on ebay for $129. Free 3 day shipping. New with warranty. Fits 92-2000 3.0. It says nos. I seached 1997 ford ranger 3.0 camshaft.

 

[RonD]

Was looking for cracks, or signs, in lower intake that could leak coolant into the valley(into the oil) so at the 4 corners where coolant flows thru lower intake from head to head

Because its an aluminum intake bolted to cast iron heads, it means the aluminum will get eaten away if the coolant PH drops too low, call Galvanic corrosion
So look at the 4 corners where coolant is present to see if there is any pitting or signs of corrosion

 

[dmb2613]

What makes you say that? Nobody else mentioned my head needs replacing including the machine shop that verified my head is not warped and it holds compression perfectly.

I showed up half an hour before they closed and they ran those tests in front of me, I saw the straight edge test and watched the compression gauge while they tested the valves. Looked perfect.


Here is the crack they welded, I trust this machine shop. They have been in the business for over 25 years and everyone I asked told me they were the best around.

View attachment 75165View attachment 75164

They welded the top of the crack, I expect there is a crack on the lower side., as cheap as you can pick up those heads, I would have never had one welded, JMO