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Do I need to replace cam chain adjuster ?


DILLARD000

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Can put the tensioner in a vise & squeeze oil out
 


Mike92STX

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Well I think we finally got it. Got a tap and my son had the idea to drill and tap a small piece of aluminum so when I was running the tap into the head I could tell it was straight because the block was tight against the head. We threaded the old tensioner in and it went all the way in easy. We installed the new tensioner and I finished putting it back together. When I started it it sounded good so I was refilling the coolant and noticed some smoke, when I looked there was oil running under the motor, the left wasn't tight enough we did torke it but were scared to tighten it to much with the reworked threads. I took it most of the way apart and tightened it to 60 ft lbs. When I got back together again no more leak. Going to change oil and make sure nothing in the oil. Glad it's finally done. Not as easy as the guys on YouTube videos made it look.
 

Mike92STX

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I changed the oil yesterday and it makes a little noise at startup but after it warms up it's pretty quiet. Later in the day I parked it and decided to rev it up to the 2 or 3000 rpm and there was quite a bit of rattling noise so my guess is I need to replace the guides. With the problems I had with the tensioner I'm going to check out how much it will cost to have the guides done. I thought I read something about the Ford mechanics can change guides without pulling the motor, I think it said they move the motor forward enough to get to the back of the motor?? I doubt it is practical. Anyone else know anything about this?
 

DILLARD000

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Changing V6~4.0L~SOHC TimingGuides without completely pulling the motor has been done, though may not be possible with 4WD vehicles.
Here's a thread with some detail on this:
 

Mike92STX

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That's the video I saw about changing the guides without take the motor out of the truck. Mine is 4wd and has 46000 more miles so I kinda doubt it could be done that way on mine.
 

Mike92STX

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A update: I don't really have a update other than I took it to a local repair shop and he agreed the guides a bad said labor would be $2200.00 plus parts but did say I could order the parts if I wanted. He also suggested I think about a rebuilt motor because I have 246000 miles. I checked a few local parts places, NAPA was $3200, Carid was $2900.00 and Ford from a dealer was $3500. Right now I'm waiting for a friend of my neighbor that does a lot of jobs on the side to see what his price is.
 

RonD

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Yes, the 250k miles calls for a decision the rebuild/swap vs the timing chain repair difference is what you need to think about

I would ask that cost of pulling and re-installing the engine be separate, either repair requires this
Then the cost of rebuild vs timing chains

1980's and up Engines are usually good for 400k average, so you have 150k left, minimum
Whats the condition of the vehicle?
If its good then another 400k possible and you want to keep it then rebuild might be the way to go
If vehicle is already "worn out" then another 150k might be the way to go

In either repair the cost needs to be averaged out over the expected length of time vehicle will last

If cost of repair is $3,500 and you drive 15k a year thats 10 more years to 150k, 120months, so $30/month for the repair

Its never about the value of the vehicle as far as repairs go, its about the cost of driving a vehicle per month
 
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Mike92STX

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RonD, I saw another post that you used the same math to explain why it made more sense to do the repair instead of replacing the motor. That is why I'm waiting for the guy to give me a price on the repair. Your figures aren't the same for me because I retired 8 months ago and with the restrictions I haven't put very many miles on it, even when I was working my commute was 3 miles each way. I do appreciate your expertise though. If I ever get it fixed I will post another update. Thanks 😊
 

RonD

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Well if you don't drive that much so say 10k a year thats 15 years to 150k more miles, so 180 months
$3,500 / 180 = $19/month :)
 

G8orFord

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I had this choice to make when I got my '01. I knew the chain guides were shot at 260k miles. It still ran pretty good, despite the blown headgaskets, but I knew it was only a matter of time. My plan was to do a refresh on the engine while I had it out. However, I soon realized that a refresh wasn't going to cut it. At tear down, I found that coolant had been sitting in a couple of the cylinders and had ruined those bores. (The truck had sat for about 3 years when I bought it due to overheating from the leaking t-stat housing, which was the root cause of all the problems, except the chain guides.) There was also a lot of rust from condensation in the rest of the engine, cams, oilers, etc. My options were a complete rebuild or a reman engine. I chose the rebuild, since I could do it myself and would know exactly what I had. The only moving parts in my engine that weren't replaced with new parts were the crankshaft, jackshaft and rods. All in, I probably had around $3000 in the rebuild, including machine work and all of the new parts. I never actually added it up though. Could have been a little less, possibly a little more, but that was before adding the supercharger. LOL I did buy forged pistons in anticipation of the SC.

My truck was in pretty good shape for the mileage and the age, which is why I chose to give it new life. Had it been a rust bucket or beaten up otherwise, I might have scrapped it or just found a decent used engine. As it is now, I would have no problem driving it across country if I needed to. Luckily, though, I have other more suited vehicles for that trip, both in comfort and fuel mileage.
 

Mike92STX

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Well my latest is, I have twin sons that said if I get a reman motor they can swap it in a weekend and that would cut my labor cost down a lot. They just have to finish a few other projects like their stepfathers diesel Chevy that has a lot of problems, some of them are wiring. Maybe get to mine after Christmas??
My other problem is my wife's Nissan Murano rear subframe is rusted and has to be replaced, part is supposed to be here next Wednesday. MORE 2020 PROBLEMS !!
Can some tell me if I get a reman motor, they will put new guides in it so the year won't matter because everything is new? Correct?
 
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RonD

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You just need to replace the 2 long chain tensioners in a used 4.0l SOHC.................unless you know for a fact it had a "rattle" before it was removed
The timing chains and guides were not the issue, but they would break or stretch when a tensioner failed, so should be replaced at that time
 

Mike92STX

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Well it has been a while and I still haven't finished getting it fixed. I decided to get the reman motor because with the high mileage I would have better piece of mind with all newer motor. The only problem is my sons have issues with their own stuff. I picked up the motor earlier this week and ordered new water pump and metal thermostat housing. The next problem is the studs on the exhaust manifold are they going to come out or break. I've looked and haven't found any to replace them if the break. WTF?
 

Mike92STX

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I still haven't gotten it fixed, my sons are going to do it but they have had problems with their own cars.
My question now is what is the best way to prime the remanufactered motor when we put it in since it doesn't have the distributor to use a tool to turn the motor over.
 

RonD

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Wait to install spark plugs, or if they are already installed disconnect coil pack
Have oil in the engine and oil filter installed
Crank engine over 3 times at 5 seconds each time, oil system is now primed
 

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