4.0 SOHC head gaskets/timing chains

[85_Ranger4x4]

You don't want your flywheel bolts to break off, that's for sure.

I don't understand their fascination with TTY bolts either. Sure you probably only need to buy them once or twice in the life of a truck...but still... it's just one more thing. I don't like that things are designed to be too expensive to fix or impossible to find parts for when they need repairs. Planned obsolescence at its best.

It is probably to encourage techs to replace them every time they pull a flexplate since per warranty they are probably supposed to replace them anyway... but nobody ever did until they were made single use.

 

[JJMaine]

Can't go having your techs saving your loyal customers any money now can you?

Got home late from work tonight and my cylinder heads arrived. Packaged separately and the boxes look in good shape. I just put them out in the shop. Didn't dare open them tonight in case I find something wrong with them I'll be up all night steaming haha. New harmonic balancer bolt is due to be here tomorrow and the flexplate bolts on Saturday. Those I think are the last pieces of the puzzle. I have tomorrow and maybe Friday off (as well as the weekend). If I could get the engine just sitting in the truck and bolted to the transmission this weekend I'll be ecstatic.

 

[JJMaine]

Absolute bullshit. Gouge right where the head should seal around the cylinder. What now? Bring this to a machine shop and see if they can skim it? Do I need to have both heads skimmed evenly? Just bring my original heads and have them resurfaced but then I won't have new a new valve job or stem seals and I DONT want to pay any more money for these things than I have to. I need my truck back

 

[JJMaine]

Brought it to a local machine shop and he told me to wait 10 minutes and skimmed it for $100. The eBay seller told me to send a photo of the receipt and he will reimburse me. Back on track! Now I'm hoping having one lower than the other won't cause a problem. The machine shop said in extreme cases it can cause a problem with the intake not sealing good but I should be fine?

I forgot to ask how much he had to take off but the scratch wasn't too deep so I'm sending it!

 

[JJMaine]

And that's why I didn't open them last night

 

[sgtsandman]

Depending on on deep the gouge was, it probably won't be an issue. I'm sure there is some tolerance allowance since even when they are new, nothing is 100% identical as far as measurements go.

You might have even been able to sand that out and got away with it, as long as you blended things well and not just sanded the immediate area.

 

[JJMaine]

It crossed my mind but I didn't want to risk it. I may have if it was the weekend with no shops open to fix it. It wasn't that deep but the edge was raised up enough to easily catch a fingernail and I measured on my old head and the deepest part of the scratch was directly in line with the cylinder sealing ring. Also there was a other scratch not as bad about 180 degrees from the one on the same cylinder

 

[sgtsandman]

Yep, somebody didn't lay down a protective mat or towel and slid the head instead of a straight lift.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Yep, somebody didn't lay down a protective mat or towel and slid the head instead of a straight lift.

The owner at the dealer my brother used to work at picked up a set of heads at a head shop about 30 miles away. They looked really nice after pinballing around in the back of a no bedliner pickup the whole way home.

 

[JJMaine]

They did package the heads good but I agree, I think these scratches happened before it was even put in the box. They'd have to know that that is the one thing someone is going to gripe about on a refurbished head. As long as they pay the bill I'll be happy but it is what it is either way.

Next time, now that I have my old heads I'll send them off for a refresh well in advance and not have to worry about shipping.

 

[JJMaine]

A bit of progress so far this morning after that mino setback

 

[JJMaine]

And just for anyone's info (and mine in the future) because I couldn't find this info anywhere and had to order an assortment of o rings. A good viton o ring for the rear cassette bolt is a 2.62x17.86mm. it fit the most snug without being too snug and should seal perfectly.

I'll update this post with the best size I find on the front cassette when I get to it later.

 

[JJMaine]

Do you guys think I should bolt my cams and roller followers into these new heads or am I fine to just use what they gave me? The cams look ok, I'm just not convinced that they made any effort to keep the roller followers in their proper places and I hear this is critical?

I made sure to keep my old ones labeled in order to put them back exactly where they came from. What would you guys do? Thanks!