2000 4 cyl 2.5L Ford Ranger Trying to remove cylinder head

[johnrhadfield]

To 4b316:

Thanks,

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

To steve63:

Thanks,

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

To the forum:

The weekend was a little slow, however, I managed to get just about everything removed. The only thing mostly left is the timing belt and what I am supposed to do with the camshaft. Am I just to remove the bolts going to the cylinder head? Do I need to remove the camshaft sprocket?

Should I practice turning the engine(with a socket on the crankshaft sprocket?) and looking at TDC? So that when I reinstall the camshaft, I have some sort of reference point of what it should be like to turn engine while looking at the camshaft/number 1 piston? I am told nothing should stop the turning of the engine or that I shouldn't hear unusual sounds.

John

 

[4b316]

No,you don't need to remove the camshaft bolt.(until you decide if you are getting a head or need your cam).I would loosen it now while the belt is on it to make it easier,hold the gear with a screwdriver in a hole to keep it from spinning.Looosen up the tensioner to slide off the belt.Yes get yourself familer with your timing marks so that when it goes back together,it won't be a problem.Non-interference motor.When you have the bottom pulley off,look at the bottom timing belt gear,there is a dot on it,this goes at 12 o'clock,this is true TDC and will reflect on the timing cover.Should be a dot (or might be a diamond) on the other gears that line up to a mark on the back of the cover.Get all the marks lined up and mark them with a white mark to make it easier later.

 

[johnrhadfield]

To 4b316:

Thanks,

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

Wow Having a tough time with removing the Harmonic balancer. I have it in 1st gear with emergency brake on. I think this will not damage transmission.

I am using 7/8 socket(a little loose) so I am going to Sears to buy some impact sockets: 21mm, 7/8, and 13/16. I am not sure of the exact size of the bolt into the Harmonic Balancer. So I'll buy a few close to 7/8. (I am using a 1/2 inch breaker bar). I am trying to NOT round-off the bolt.

I may just need to tow my ranger to a shop and let them use an impact.

Any suggestions?

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

Just curious. Is it absolutely necessary to take the Harmonic Balancer off?

John

 

[4b316]

A couple guys posted that you could but I would be worried about nicking the belt and starting a tear.Get a good 6 point socket to go on,are you putting the breaker bar under the frame and bumping the starter or do you have too much of the motor apart?Put it in 4th gear and have someone hold the brakes on or you might take it somewheres they have a air impact,can you rent a good electric impact?

 

[johnrhadfield]

To 4b316:

I tried just one time (because the battery went weak) to set a breaker bar with a 22mm(still a little loose) socket against the frame frail.

(I am a solar person so I have plenty of batteries to recharge the Ranger battery.)

Still not loose.

Engine from the front appears to rotate clockwise. So I need to rotate the socket opposite direction.

I will try to bump the 22mm against the frame rail a few more times. Then, I guess I will look for a shop or or an impact rental Saturday.

Thanks,

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

I found a shop to impact off the bolt. It took them all of 3 seconds.

I guess I'll need to go back there to reimpact Harmonic Balancer when it's time to reassemble.

I marked with whiteout all the diamond pointers that lined up the camshaft sprocket, oil pump sprocket, and crankshaft sprocket with the inner belt cover diamonds. Crankshaft has a tiny diamond or dot on it and it lines up with notch on engine. I had to rotate the engine a few times to get all 3 sprocket diamonds to all line up.
(Chilton says 2000 and later, that the oil pump sprocket diamond must be lined up too.)

Ok so now I am trying to remove the timing belt. Chilton says I need to loosen the belt tensioner adjustment bolt and the tensioner pivot bolt then apply a belt tension releasing tool on the tensioner and release the belt tension. Then tighten the adjustment bolt enough to hold the tensioner retracted.

To 4b316: Will you explain further about this?:

"I would loosen it now while the belt is on it to make it easier,hold the gear with a screwdriver in a hole to keep it from spinning".

It is probably simple.

Then I remove the timing belt, because this frees the camshaft sprocket?

Then I remove camshaft sprocket?

Camshaft stays with cylinder head to go to machine shop?

Then I loosen all cylinder head bolts in 1/4 turn increments? In reverse tightening sequence?

John

 

[4b316]

The top gear,when you are loosing the bolt,I stick a screwdriver or punch thur one of the holes to hold it from spinning.If you do it right,you can just put a box end wrench on it and bang on it with your palm and it will come off.The tensioner,I loosen the retaining bolt,pry it loose with a bar and tighten it back up and pull the belt. Loosen the head bolt(reverse tighting sequence)1/4-1/2 turn at a time.Don't reimpact the balancer back on,just tighten with a socket.Did the balancer come off alright?You can pry on it LIGHTLY to get it off.Check the head gasket good when you get it off for a bad spot and check between the valves for a crack

 

[johnrhadfield]

The top gear,when you are loosing the bolt,I stick a screwdriver or punch thur one of the holes to hold it from spinning.If you do it right,you can just put a box end wrench on it and bang on it with your palm and it will come off.The tensioner,I loosen the retaining bolt,pry it loose with a bar and tighten it back up and pull the belt. Loosen the head bolt(reverse tighting sequence)1/4-1/2 turn at a time.Don't reimpact the balancer back on,just tighten with a socket.Did the balancer come off alright?You can pry on it LIGHTLY to get it off.Check the head gasket good when you get it off for a bad spot and check between the valves for a crack

To 4b316:

Yes balancer was easy.

I spoke to machine shop today(even though I am not 100 % ready yet), they said they could "fix" a crack in the head if they could find both endpoints?

Thanks!

John

 

[johnrhadfield]

I finally had enough time to remove the cylinder head. I haven't removed the cylinder head gasket so I haven't completely inspected the cylinder head.

A sidenote. I had left the lower intake on because I thought it might help me loosen the cylinder head. It did but I had left the fuel rail intact and loose. I started to remove the 2 screws on a disc shaped object on the fuel rail thinking I could disconnect it there. No luck I was starting to have to force it so I stopped and put the 2 screws back. So finally I had to remove 3 injectors out of the seats on fuel rail and wind and turn the fuel rail so it would slide into and out of a rib of the lower intake. I finally got it to do that(it took some doing). I guess I can remove and clean up the fuel injectors with brake fluid? Any suggestions on what I should use to clean out pistons, manifolds,injectors etc...?
Compressed Air? Brake fluid?

In any case I will take the cylinder head to a machine shop after work tommorrow. There doesn't appear to be any damage except for a bit of a rough area on the gasket between 2 cylinders but it doesn't appear completely broken. I haven't inspected all of the cylinder head. It might be warped however it doesn't look like it. I haven't applied a straight edge yet nor have I removed all the gasket. I thought maybe someone at the machine shop would need to take a look at the old gasket still on.

The original symptom was I replaced a thermostat and filled radiator up with radiator fluid and my Ranger started burning radiator fluid. I turned my truck off and green radiator fluid poured out of the exhaust.

I have the camshaft with cyl head sitting on cardboard in my car waiting to go.

Pistons were very close to perfectly flush with the top of the block(not quite though)

Wow I have learned a lot.



John

 

[johnrhadfield]

I guess I should go ahead and remove the gasket and look at it better once I get to the machine shop? I also thought keeping the gasket on would help protect the gasket surface setting on the cardboard. So I know I am getting mine back, I heard marking the cylinder head before it's turned into the machine shop is wise. Any suggestions?

My only mistake (if it turns out to be one) is not disconnecting the fuel line with a fuel line tool.
Due to other circumstances, I could not go buy a fuel line disconnecting tool. I had forgotten about the fuel line. Everything else is labeled with duct tape, permanent marker, and colored zip ties.

John

 

[4b316]

If you would have pull the complete manifold,you wouldn't of had to mess with the fuel connectors but now thats neither here nor there.Take a good look between the valves to make sure you don't have a crack there.I would clean the gasket off of both surfaces to check for cracks.Anything you clean or check will save you money at the machine shop.Get a spray can of brake cleaner to clean surfaces.Clean around the rail and injector ends.A little vasiline on the O rings when they go back in.You can get a crack detector kit to help check yourself,it is two spray cans,one of penatrator and one of detector,You just spray it on see if a crack appears.Not a 100% but might save you from taking it to a machine shop if you find it yourself.Do you have any prices on the work yet?fixing the crack?Where do you live?You didn't see any antifreze on top of any piston?Spend extra time looking at that place.