It’s times like this that I really appreciate my 2000 4.0 OHV. It’s got less hp but there’s so much room to wrench in the engine bay, and it’s solid. Mine made it to 250k before it started to misfire, and that was 40k miles AFTER it overheated. New heads are on and it’s running smooth again. I want to swap for a 5.0 but I might just rebuild my 4.0 with a 420 cam instead.
Hi Ivan, at least you have video footage of all the struggles you have been through to show your customers you are a good mechanic (and an excellent diagnostician)
Not sure about this idea but......I would drop a auto gear box before I would pull an engine then I would put new seals in the gearbox solenoids ($35.00) tell the customer that you probably made his car bullet proof for another 150k miles and make a customer for life......you are doing a great job Ivan...I've been there and it's not easy!
Ivan- an ez method of holding "chains-to-sprockets" is to nylon zip tie through the bottom chain links, and squeeze the chain onto the sprocket. If you don't cut the end tail of the zip tie- it will also keep it from falling down.
Thank you so much for the hint of how to take the bolt off the cam sprocket! 16:00 I'm swapping the heads in mine right now and am at this point. Your video is invaluable to me right now.
Am I remember correctly that you are from Siberia, I guess that's why you are not afraid of a challenge it is like people like you Ivan that is great to knew at a place that is cold and you have to take care of things your self. Nice place you got there in the States. Keep up the good work this one is something not for a soft boy.
Great explanation of the engine components, I have a 2005 in the garage now of a friends with a tick in the left front. I'm sure it's the timing cassette. watching this video, by 10 min. in I was telling you, "dude you gonna end up pulling the motor". I've quoted the repair with a motor extraction to replace all timing components.
word to the wise - I've had a t-45/50 bit explode on Ford 2.9 heads and a chunk went down the intake manifold (unbeknownst). Ran great till the bit got ingested to the lower end and the racket started. I've learned to tape up the head/intake ports no matter what work i'm doing.
Well Ivan, I assume that the guys in white overalls at Ford designed this engine as a "Consumable" instead of a durable engine. But anyways you will get a lot more experience and in the end you might agree with my tutor who said; allways create enough room to work instead of trying to work and have to remove more and more during the jobl. I wish you succes.
My brother is on his 3rd engine in his 01 sport. lol he's gotten pretty good at pulling and dropping them in. I told him if it doesn't work this time were going LS!
I like Haynes manuals too, but I do find it a little scary at times when they seem to cut and paste info into some of the procedures without checking it first. I've had a Haynes manual for every car I've owned, and there have been times I've been left scratching my head at a procedure that clearly doesn't match what I'm trying to do!
You have to get pretty inventive when you work alone, pretty good trick getting that cam bolt off. The plot thickens... looking forward to the conclusion Ivan.
Great video, Ivan. And, we still don't know if it's a head gasket or worse. Well, you probably know by now, but we don't. I'm gonna go with "worse" as my guess based on what I've seen so far. But, hopefully it's not! Looking forward to the next video.
We have a ton of the explorer chassis with this engine in the fleet. We as I mean usps we do not do head gaskets on these because when you tear in to it you will find out that the heads will need more work when you send them off!!!!! Cost effective to put in a reman from jasper.
Hi, I Have a ford explore 2007 4,0 It has only 51,000 miles on it is from Florida. No rust clean on the outside and inside, it is a time machine. How long can it go before the timing chain going crazy. The oil is changed before 5,000 and it comes out clean. Filter is cut open and it is also clean. My question is do I get rid of it now, or drive it until it goes to shit? Any ideas. Grand father had it in Florida and ford care did the maintenance on the explorer. I was even thinking of changing the engine to the push rod year.
With all the rusted cars and trucks out there would it be better to get a junkyard motor out of a rusted truck? You can see how many miles on it and start it in the truck so you know its good?
Does anyone know what that capped off hose is @ 29:05. I watched the whole video to see that exact part because I have the same engine and can’t figure out what it is???
I'll get a reply in time but should the intake manifold be flush on both sides if you take a straight edge and put it on one intake and there be a slight gap on the straight edge on the other side? I wish I could send a picture
Hindsight is 20/20 but once you have the transmission out, you can easily reach the rear cassette lower bolt while the engine is in the car. But You probably figured that out once you removed the trans. Great video series though
I have a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac with that 4.0L SOHC motor. It has slightly over 250,000 miles on the original timing cassettes. Its build date was January 2004 and I bought it new. I've been waiting for the telltale sound of those timing chain guides giving up their ghosts since it had 150,000 miles on the clock, and it's still purring. At this point, if I had to pull the engine to do them, I'd just replace the engine. There is absolutely no way I'm going to the trouble to pull an engine with a quarter-million miles on it to do the chains. I guess I was just lucky. Although I'm obsessive when it comes to fluid and filter changes. I've done an oil change every 3k-4k miles, and I replace the PCV valve every year. I think those that experience early failures just differ oil, fluid, and filter changes.
You could also take the head and exhaust bolts off and twist the head so you can get a better angle at the rear cam shaft bolt then use a breaker bar from inside the engine bay and take the bolt out. You still can’t get to the back timing chain guide bolt. Until the engine is moved off the transmission.
+Jeff Blackwell I think in this case the heads are indeed identical castings. They just drill out a different spot for the chain tensioner. Good observation!
I have an '06 model with the same type of engine and I had the front tensioners go bad at around 175k miles. Rattled like a diesel until they snapped and destroyed the valve covers. Like many said, you have to pull the engine out to do the back chains. To time it, you just need to find cylinder 1 at TDC then mark the sprocket and chain. That's how I did mine. Same applies to the rear when #6 is at TDC.
+seriousNoodle Well replacing just the tensioners is a walk in the park...might be good preventative maintenance every 100k miles to avoid premature self-explosion lol
motoYam82 I agree, but man oh man is it a pain to take apart and work on! These Cologne V6s are over-engineered (thanks Germany) to the point that it's a better idea to junk the engine and get a reman unit.
I would say you are better off pulling the engine. The time you invest pulling it out will payoff in being able to turn wrenches freely once it's out of the truck. Worth the effort in my opinion. Anyway, the fact that I turn my own wrenches means that I will do some serious research before buying any other car. Some of these designs are so bad that they basically render the car trash at the first little bit of engine problems. I figure if you don't mind jumping from beater to beater it's ok. But I prefer to keep one car, get to know it very well, and maintain it.
Those head bolts must be designed for automated assembly. Porsche used an intermediate shaft in their early water cooled flat 6 with a chain on the back of one bank and on the front of the other. Look on RUclips for Porsche IMS bearing and some sweet video of pricy catastrophic engine damage
Damn those bolts were on tight. On bolts like that you get better leverage pushing then pulling. You can get your whole body behind the tool pushing it compared to just your arms and back when pulling.
+Pet Rock's Garage Well push with one arm and pull with the other. That way the net FORCE is zero, and all the effort is going into TORQUE to break loose the stuck fastener :) Can you draw a free-body force diagram to prove the concept?
+motoYam82, I haven’t done a free-body force diagram since Statics class my freshman year in college over a decade ago (Computer Science & Computer Systems Engineering double major). Its a bit difficult to do in text in the RUclips comments section too. What I was describing was you use one hand/arm (say your left for discussion) to steady the tool at the fulcrum, similar to how you were doing in the video. Then the other hand/arm (your right for discussion) to push on the outside edge of the lever. If you straighten/stiffen your right arm, you can push with your legs and the force applied to the bolt will go from the ground, through your legs, up your back and through your right arm, into the tool and down to the bolt as torque. Much more power since your legs are a lot stronger then your arms & back combined. Just sayin… Use whatever technique gets the job done though.
Yeah, my cassette exploded on me. You have to pull the motor to replace it. You also need to purchase a timing tool kit from Ford to lock the cams in place for timing and installation of the sprockets. You ALSO need to special order a few sprocket bolts and jack bolts because they are torque yielding and a one time use. It sucks.
That looks like a tough one. Great video though. I think I have a small leak in the head gasket but I'm not doing that. Is there a product you recommend that might get me a few more miles - some kind of stop-leak something? Thanks
i will NEVER own another Ford 4.0!!!! P171 and P174 has drove me nuts! at least i have the engine without the rear timing chain. i had to replaced both heads a few years ago due to slightly overheating and cracking both the heads between both valves. the metal is too thin. gotta love the engineers.
I have actually been looking to buy an06-08. Now I see why there are so many in nice condition for cheap. There are people even parting them out who have loans on them.
I feel the pain dude! I'm helping a buddy replace the head gaskets after his explorer overheated on his wife and discovered the same broken casset piece when I removed the head... engine is coming out today to replace it...
Had a friend who had his 4.0 swapped out, due to his Daughter overheated it. He found one in a salvage yard and apparently they installed it for him, thats the story I got anyway. So couple of weeks down the road and the engine started running rough, but only sometimes, sometimes it ran great. We pulled it into my shop (garage), and started looking at it and looking at it, and looking at it. You could start it up ran fine, then bam went to hell, then back to great again. He actually offered it to me for 2,000 dollars, he just didnt want it anymore, beautiful truck, all leather, Tommy Bahama interior, 4 wheel drive, and even a nice cassette player, tho it tried to eat tapes, esp country western for some reason. Well I finally did a compression test , and found perfect across the board, I let it run until it finally took a nose dive, shut it off and rechecked the compression, sure enough, 5 cyl great 1 cyl at 20, Went right out and bought a lottery ticket (wasted buck), well it turned out to be a busted valve spring, apparently when ever it kinda matched up it worked, and then when it didnt it failed. Had to corral a special valve spring tool, borrowed it from a friend when he wasn't looking , replaced the spring and its been running like a new truck now for over a year. And I could of bought it for 2,000, its a 2006. But it still eats tapes. So watch out for those busted springs, we could hear some ticking, but I thought it was the tape player messing up. Listen........... I hear the crowd chanting PULL THE ENGINE.......PULL THE ENGINE That a real deep rabbit hole my friend , watch out. When you mention a 4.0 to a Ford tech, they quickly change the subject, whats up with that ? I can see it now...........Part 3.........Part 4.........Part 5. Call a wrecker........... Great viewing esp when your Huffing and Puffing, your not a smoker are you. Didn't think so. Heard Eric smokes Cigars, probably a nasty rumor.
+Charles Miller Hah great story! Gotta tell you that Explorer gave me a great upper body workout...great winter cross-training for Mountain Bike season!
Ivan, I think CB Tech comments below hit the nail on the head. Its the Radiator Cap , Mal Malfunctioning, the vent is sticking, causing major problems . The 4.0s that I have seen that had overheated, they was no real reason for it. Might sound funny but I Think thats the problem, a 2.00 Rad cap . Guess we will see as this Saga unfolds. Cancel above..........Forgot about the oil in the coolant...carry on. Truck is probably already back together and driving down the road, must be nice just sitting back and laugh as the rest of us just Flip/Flop all over the place trying to guess the actual cause, when by now you already know. You deserve the Laugh............You did the work....those are the written rules my friend. Enjoy !! Our Pain.
Charles Miller Do you think a 2005 Ford Explorer V6 would have similar problems like this video or what you mentioned? I've looked up common problems on 2002-2005 Explorers and the transmissions seems to be problematic according to reviews. It has 92,000+ miles. It's in good condition.
I know this is an old video and I hope by now you've learned that if you use a shorter extension IE the shortest possible one that can reach your work you'll maximize the amount of torque you can apply to the fastener your trying to loosen .Rather than going to a larger ratchet or breaker try using a shorter or no extension if possible .This is especially true when your dealing with fasteners that are stuck which is pretty normal when your dealing with dissimilar metals .
Man that sucks, to replace the timing chain guide or timing chain the motor needs to come out as well as separating the transmission from the motor. I have 06 ford explorer 4.0L engine and i hope i don't have to do a head gasket replacement on it but i do need to do a valve cover replacement thats why i came to this youtube video. Theres not a video of anyone on RUclips that does a valve cover gasket replacement on the 06-10 for Explorer 4.0L. So Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics what year is this explorer you're working on in this video?
It's hilarious seeing u struggle on this project because I'm currently rebuilding the whole motor. And simple things like the cassette bolt behind the trans also pisses me off.
Ivan my hat is off to you. I have turned everyone of those jobs on those 4.0 . I think that engine was assembled in France. can you swap the engine from the other explorer? it would be cheaper for you and the customer. If not the tool kit is about $ 200 . Well worth it b/c if you are going to work on those engines it will pay for itself in frustration alone. Good luck. Hope all goes well.
I'm tearing into my 2003 Ranger 4.0 right now. Just got down to the heads and your trick for getting the sprocket off will prove invaluable. When I put the new head on, is it good enough to just align that slot on the front of the cam parallel with the surface? I noticed the slot is off center so you can tell whether it's 180 degrees off. The sprocket has a small post which keeps it aligned with the cam. So I'd guess that if you're one tooth off of the same index as the original, there will be a noticeable difference of the angle of the slot compared to the surface of the head?
Future reference, when you broke all of the others loose you caused it to pinch the rear two bolts. Next time tighten them back a little to relieve the stress on the others so you can break them free. Once done you can take the others out.
+stuzman52 Actually I was more amused how un-serviceable this engine design was...kind of felt bad for the owner since she really liked the truck, but the repair bill was getting out of hand rather quickly!
I'm pretty sure you'll need that otc cam holder kit so u can lock the cams in place. I did headgaskets on a a 4.o stang and had to do that. you probably have figured it out by the time I see the whole video. I'm Guna Look this job up on shopkey.
I did a oem full timing kit on a 2000 at 119k miles by just dropping the trans. you dont have to take the engine out. you do need the engine lock down tool kit. but to do these heads you might as well do the timing too. i still have the 2000, 145k on it now still like new and runs like new. but i can tell you this i never want to do this again LOL
Face it, you're pulling the engine. I've watched the videos and trying to get everything lined up and working is actually EASIER with the engine out. Even accounting for pulling the engine. Also, remember that with the broken guide cassette, you're going to have to get the plastic out of the engine, otherwise it WILL block the pump, starve the engine of oil, and kill the motor...
If you get near a HF store grab one of the LONG breaker bars they have. I've had one for years and they make life easier. For non-routine work you might want to look at Mitchell1 DIY, 17 bucks for a months access for one vehicle could save a lot of headaches. Haynes loves to include "Typical" and "others similar".. On many of their books they try to cover an entire model run, irregardless of the changes made. For instance the S Series GMs They cover 94-04 in one thin book. BUT there were at least 4 different transmissions, 3 transfer cases, and 6 different engines in that run. Hard to cover that when you do a tear down of one truck.
+Blazer02LS The Haynes manual was right on the money with this engine...three pages of priceless info on head removal. I thought they were kidding about the need for engine removal until seeing the design first hand...not the most service-friendly design huh?
Wait till you get a Ford SDuty in there, The first thing you do with engine repair ? Remove the entire cab ! A lot of vehicles get designed with no thought of serviceability, just "how can we build it faster and cheaper" That was the reason for the GM Vortec intake design, they calculated out the time difference between the older angled intake bolts and the "improved" vertical bolts. It saved a total of 2:31 seconds per engine. BUT the new design is also why the gaskets fail. The intersection of the intake/head and the intake bolts puts force onto the bottom edge of the gasket and locks it in place while the rest tries to move as the engine temps change. The result is gasket failure. Has nothing to do with Dex as a lot of folks seem to think.
That my problem my timing chain guid broke I haven't seen the full video but if u end up showing me how to fix it without removing the engine I'll be so happy
I would go ahead and build a small doghouse lean to on the outside and banish that noise maker. And I'd make use of the extra tank for more storage. THAT was the quiet one? - WOW.
wouldn't be so bad with a hoist I don't think I would ever do that kind of job on the ground too old for that plus the shop i work at has got lots of hoists makes things so much easier. You definitely need to hit the snap on truck for one of their breaker bars. I like to see how other techs approach things always willing to learn a new trick or two
if you had taken the extension out it would have made it easier to pull the head bolts.. the twisting of the extension takes away from the rotational force.
nice video i would suggest to bolt a mast to the car and make a sailing boat. and because the vehicle will not swim as a result of it a submarine with a mast. job done.
all the ford engine having small tool for crank shaft to put it on you will see it will fix timing by the way ford use timing on crank shaft only other camshaft will go with but in ford timing will fixed on crank shaft with special tool which is available
James Barcellano what was it in I had a 94 taurus wagon that needed the oil pan revealed and all I had to do was move the down pipe for the exhaust about 6 inches right and I was able to do it.
Great Videos! Watched part 1 and that was doctor strangelove for sure. I had no idea where that was going until later in the #1 video. Now, oh my gosh... This is nutzoid for sure. If anyone can get'em - Mr. Ivan can get'em done.
+kkovler1 Too late now haha! Personally I would have drilled some small holes in the thermostat to help purge that air bubble during warm up...no turning back at this point :/
the last time I did heads on a Ford ranger I went through 6 bits they kept snapping on one bolt it happened to be the back bottom I said the hell with that break out the air gun
Had a 02 worst Ford vehicle I've ever owned had all chain guides broke sounded horrible on start up and had a consistent misfire got rid of it now I have a 99 Eddie Bauer with a old school 5.0 👍🏻
Oh man! If I were owning this heap o'Junk, I would have used it for target practice. Vehicles like these, and suddenly you start appreciating the Japanese vehicles
+TGsrao1989 Even Japanese vehicles can get a bit over-engineered, but at least they don't break down as often haha! To be fair, it seems like the Germans had something to do with this Explorer SOHC design. Even the transmission doesn't have a dipstick...just that annoying VW-style double drain plug where you have to pump the fluid up from the bottom...ugh.
It’s times like this that I really appreciate my 2000 4.0 OHV. It’s got less hp but there’s so much room to wrench in the engine bay, and it’s solid. Mine made it to 250k before it started to misfire, and that was 40k miles AFTER it overheated. New heads are on and it’s running smooth again. I want to swap for a 5.0 but I might just rebuild my 4.0 with a 420 cam instead.
This is the calmest mechanic ive ever seen.
Hi Ivan, at least you have video footage of all the struggles you have been through to show your customers you are a good mechanic (and an excellent diagnostician)
Not sure about this idea but......I would drop a auto gear box before I would pull an engine then I would put new seals in the gearbox solenoids ($35.00) tell the customer that you probably made his car bullet proof for another 150k miles and make a customer for life......you are doing a great job Ivan...I've been there and it's not easy!
Ivan- an ez method of holding "chains-to-sprockets" is to nylon zip tie through the bottom chain links, and squeeze the chain onto the sprocket. If you don't cut the end tail of the zip tie- it will also keep it from falling down.
Thank you so much for the hint of how to take the bolt off the cam sprocket! 16:00
I'm swapping the heads in mine right now and am at this point.
Your video is invaluable to me right now.
Good luck. watch out for those snapped plastic camchain guides!!!
2 Fords headed to the scrap yard.....Priceless
Why do I enjoy watching others struggle?? Anxiously awaiting part 3.
Am I remember correctly that you are from Siberia, I guess that's why you are not afraid of a challenge it is like people like you Ivan that is great to knew at a place that is cold and you have to take care of things your self. Nice place you got there in the States. Keep up the good work this one is something not for a soft boy.
Great explanation of the engine components, I have a 2005 in the garage now of a friends with a tick in the left front. I'm sure it's the timing cassette. watching this video, by 10 min. in I was telling you, "dude you gonna end up pulling the motor". I've quoted the repair with a motor extraction to replace all timing components.
word to the wise - I've had a t-45/50 bit explode on Ford 2.9 heads and a chunk went down the intake manifold (unbeknownst). Ran great till the bit got ingested to the lower end and the racket started. I've learned to tape up the head/intake ports no matter what work i'm doing.
Well Ivan, I assume that the guys in white overalls at Ford designed this engine as a "Consumable" instead of a durable engine. But anyways you will get a lot more experience and in the end you might agree with my tutor who said; allways create enough room to work instead of trying to work and have to remove more and more during the jobl.
I wish you succes.
My brother is on his 3rd engine in his 01 sport. lol he's gotten pretty good at pulling and dropping them in. I told him if it doesn't work this time were going LS!
How is he on his 3rd one?! Is he hot rodding the $hit out of it? Not keeping daily maintenance on it?
Great series so far Ivan, gotta love the backwards engineering!
I like Haynes manuals too, but I do find it a little scary at times when they seem to cut and paste info into some of the procedures without checking it first. I've had a Haynes manual for every car I've owned, and there have been times I've been left scratching my head at a procedure that clearly doesn't match what I'm trying to do!
+Adrian Kingsley-Hughes At least they provide some decent B&W pictures...still a great DIY guide :)
You have to get pretty inventive when you work alone, pretty good trick getting that cam bolt off. The plot thickens... looking forward to the conclusion Ivan.
Great video, Ivan. And, we still don't know if it's a head gasket or worse. Well, you probably know by now, but we don't. I'm gonna go with "worse" as my guess based on what I've seen so far. But, hopefully it's not! Looking forward to the next video.
We have a ton of the explorer chassis with this engine in the fleet. We as I mean usps we do not do head gaskets on these because when you tear in to it you will find out that the heads will need more work when you send them off!!!!! Cost effective to put in a reman from jasper.
Joshua Palmer jasper engines are trash
Hi,
I Have a ford explore 2007 4,0
It has only 51,000 miles on it is from Florida. No rust clean on the outside and inside, it is a time machine.
How long can it go before the timing chain going crazy.
The oil is changed before 5,000 and it comes out clean. Filter is cut open and it is also clean.
My question is do I get rid of it now, or drive it until it goes to shit?
Any ideas.
Grand father had it in Florida and ford care did the maintenance on the explorer.
I was even thinking of changing the engine to the push rod year.
With all the rusted cars and trucks out there would it be better to get a junkyard motor out of a rusted truck? You can see how many miles on it and start it in the truck so you know its good?
When installing cam and rocker arms is it just torqued to specs or valve adjustment necessary?
Does anyone know what that capped off hose is @ 29:05. I watched the whole video to see that exact part because I have the same engine and can’t figure out what it is???
Wonder if you can remove everything except lower sprocket, if the chain has a link you maybe could thread it
I'll get a reply in time but should the intake manifold be flush on both sides if you take a straight edge and put it on one intake and there be a slight gap on the straight edge on the other side? I wish I could send a picture
Looks like back cylinder on the drivers side is the one leaking. The intake looks much cleaner compared to the others.
i own a 2006 model, do i need to remove the engine from the seating to replace the engine valve top gasket?
that back driver side runner is super clean , wonder if it had a leaking injector or something
Just got to love those engines .
hate the engineers- wish they could try to work on them
I bought one of those Job Smart upright compressor from tractor supply 10+ years ago and she still runs good. Gave 199 bucks for it.
Hindsight is 20/20 but once you have the transmission out, you can easily reach the rear cassette lower bolt while the engine is in the car. But You probably figured that out once you removed the trans. Great video series though
I have a 2004 Ford Explorer Sport Trac with that 4.0L SOHC motor. It has slightly over 250,000 miles on the original timing cassettes. Its build date was January 2004 and I bought it new. I've been waiting for the telltale sound of those timing chain guides giving up their ghosts since it had 150,000 miles on the clock, and it's still purring. At this point, if I had to pull the engine to do them, I'd just replace the engine. There is absolutely no way I'm going to the trouble to pull an engine with a quarter-million miles on it to do the chains. I guess I was just lucky. Although I'm obsessive when it comes to fluid and filter changes. I've done an oil change every 3k-4k miles, and I replace the PCV valve every year. I think those that experience early failures just differ oil, fluid, and filter changes.
You could also take the head and exhaust bolts off and twist the head so you can get a better angle at the rear cam shaft bolt then use a breaker bar from inside the engine bay and take the bolt out. You still can’t get to the back timing chain guide bolt. Until the engine is moved off the transmission.
I think of it as two three cylinder engines with a shared crank. Does that allow the heads to be identical castings?
+Jeff Blackwell No, if you line them up facing the "same" way they have the chain housings at opposite ends.
+Jeff Blackwell I think in this case the heads are indeed identical castings. They just drill out a different spot for the chain tensioner. Good observation!
I have an '06 model with the same type of engine and I had the front tensioners go bad at around 175k miles. Rattled like a diesel until they snapped and destroyed the valve covers. Like many said, you have to pull the engine out to do the back chains. To time it, you just need to find cylinder 1 at TDC then mark the sprocket and chain. That's how I did mine. Same applies to the rear when #6 is at TDC.
+seriousNoodle Well replacing just the tensioners is a walk in the park...might be good preventative maintenance every 100k miles to avoid premature self-explosion lol
motoYam82 I agree, but man oh man is it a pain to take apart and work on! These Cologne V6s are over-engineered (thanks Germany) to the point that it's a better idea to junk the engine and get a reman unit.
I would say you are better off pulling the engine. The time you invest pulling it out will payoff in being able to turn wrenches freely once it's out of the truck. Worth the effort in my opinion. Anyway, the fact that I turn my own wrenches means that I will do some serious research before buying any other car. Some of these designs are so bad that they basically render the car trash at the first little bit of engine problems. I figure if you don't mind jumping from beater to beater it's ok. But I prefer to keep one car, get to know it very well, and maintain it.
Absolutely. I haven't sold a single car I have bought...and I've only had two haha
smithraymond09029 Words of wisdom my friend. I Couldn't agree more with you!👍😀
Engine out best option!
you can do it ivan,we know you can.
On head bolts - what a royal PITA. Use short extension between torx socket and breaker bar. Extension acts as a toque limiter - spring.
Those head bolts must be designed for automated assembly. Porsche used an intermediate shaft in their early water cooled flat 6 with a chain on the back of one bank and on the front of the other. Look on RUclips for Porsche IMS bearing and some sweet video of pricy catastrophic engine damage
that job is an official PIA!
Damn those bolts were on tight. On bolts like that you get better leverage pushing then pulling. You can get your whole body behind the tool pushing it compared to just your arms and back when pulling.
+Pet Rock's Garage Good way to hurt yourself, always pull
+Pet Rock's Garage Well push with one arm and pull with the other. That way the net FORCE is zero, and all the effort is going into TORQUE to break loose the stuck fastener :) Can you draw a free-body force diagram to prove the concept?
+motoYam82, I haven’t done a free-body force diagram since Statics class my freshman year in college over a decade ago (Computer Science & Computer Systems Engineering double major). Its a bit difficult to do in text in the RUclips comments section too. What I was describing was you use one hand/arm (say your left for discussion) to steady the tool at the fulcrum, similar to how you were doing in the video. Then the other hand/arm (your right for discussion) to push on the outside edge of the lever. If you straighten/stiffen your right arm, you can push with your legs and the force applied to the bolt will go from the ground, through your legs, up your back and through your right arm, into the tool and down to the bolt as torque. Much more power since your legs are a lot stronger then your arms & back combined. Just sayin… Use whatever technique gets the job done though.
Yeah, my cassette exploded on me. You have to pull the motor to replace it. You also need to purchase a timing tool kit from Ford to lock the cams in place for timing and installation of the sprockets. You ALSO need to special order a few sprocket bolts and jack bolts because they are torque yielding and a one time use. It sucks.
That looks like a tough one. Great video though. I think I have a small leak in the head gasket but I'm not doing that. Is there a product you recommend that might get me a few more miles - some kind of stop-leak something? Thanks
i will NEVER own another Ford 4.0!!!! P171 and P174 has drove me nuts! at least i have the engine without the rear timing chain. i had to replaced both heads a few years ago due to slightly overheating and cracking both the heads between both valves. the metal is too thin. gotta love the engineers.
I have actually been looking to buy an06-08. Now I see why there are so many in nice condition for cheap. There are people even parting them out who have loans on them.
Would that 2002 motor fit the 2004? you have all the parts.
I feel the pain dude! I'm helping a buddy replace the head gaskets after his explorer overheated on his wife and discovered the same broken casset piece when I removed the head... engine is coming out today to replace it...
+Sean Duggan Good luck man....good luck.
Had a friend who had his 4.0 swapped out, due to his Daughter overheated it. He found one in a salvage yard and apparently they installed it for him, thats the story I got anyway. So couple of weeks down the road and the engine started running rough, but only sometimes, sometimes it ran great. We pulled it into my shop (garage), and started looking at it and looking at it, and looking at it. You could start it up ran fine, then bam went to hell, then back to great again. He actually offered it to me for 2,000 dollars, he just didnt want it anymore, beautiful truck, all leather, Tommy Bahama interior, 4 wheel drive, and even a nice cassette player, tho it tried to eat tapes, esp country western for some reason. Well I finally did a compression test , and found perfect across the board, I let it run until it finally took a nose dive, shut it off and rechecked the compression, sure enough, 5 cyl great 1 cyl at 20, Went right out and bought a lottery ticket (wasted buck), well it turned out to be a busted valve spring, apparently when ever it kinda matched up it worked, and then when it didnt it failed. Had to corral a special valve spring tool, borrowed it from a friend when he wasn't looking , replaced the spring and its been running like a new truck now for over a year. And I could of bought it for 2,000, its a 2006. But it still eats tapes. So watch out for those busted springs, we could hear some ticking, but I thought it was the tape player messing up.
Listen...........
I hear the crowd chanting PULL THE ENGINE.......PULL THE ENGINE
That a real deep rabbit hole my friend , watch out.
When you mention a 4.0 to a Ford tech, they quickly change the subject, whats up with that ?
I can see it now...........Part 3.........Part 4.........Part 5. Call a wrecker........... Great viewing esp when your Huffing and Puffing, your not a smoker are you. Didn't think so. Heard Eric smokes Cigars, probably a nasty rumor.
+Charles Miller Hah great story! Gotta tell you that Explorer gave me a great upper body workout...great winter cross-training for Mountain Bike season!
+Charles Miller This post is almost as entertaining at Ivan's video...! :)
Ivan, I think CB Tech comments below hit the nail on the head.
Its the Radiator Cap , Mal Malfunctioning, the vent is sticking, causing major problems .
The 4.0s that I have seen that had overheated, they was no real reason for it. Might sound funny but I Think thats the problem, a 2.00 Rad cap . Guess we will see as this Saga unfolds.
Cancel above..........Forgot about the oil in the coolant...carry on.
Truck is probably already back together and driving down the road, must be nice just sitting back and laugh as the rest of us just Flip/Flop all over the place trying to guess the actual cause, when by now you already know.
You deserve the Laugh............You did the work....those are the written rules my friend. Enjoy !! Our Pain.
Charles Miller ccscs
Charles Miller Do you think a 2005 Ford Explorer V6 would have similar problems like this video or what you mentioned? I've looked up common problems on 2002-2005 Explorers and the transmissions seems to be problematic according to reviews. It has 92,000+ miles. It's in good condition.
Cut a hole in the firewall to make room for the bolt and tack weld in a patch when your done.
I know this is an old video and I hope by now you've learned that if you use a shorter extension IE the shortest possible one that can reach your work you'll maximize the amount of torque you can apply to the fastener your trying to loosen .Rather than going to a larger ratchet or breaker try using a shorter or no extension if possible .This is especially true when your dealing with fasteners that are stuck which is pretty normal when your dealing with dissimilar metals .
Man that sucks, to replace the timing chain guide or timing chain the motor needs to come out as well as separating the transmission from the motor. I have 06 ford explorer 4.0L engine and i hope i don't have to do a head gasket replacement on it but i do need to do a valve cover replacement thats why i came to this youtube video. Theres not a video of anyone on RUclips that does a valve cover gasket replacement on the 06-10 for Explorer 4.0L. So Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics what year is this explorer you're working on in this video?
It's hilarious seeing u struggle on this project because I'm currently rebuilding the whole motor. And simple things like the cassette bolt behind the trans also pisses me off.
Ivan my hat is off to you. I have turned everyone of those jobs on those 4.0 . I think that engine was assembled in France. can you swap the engine from the other explorer? it would be cheaper for you and the customer. If not the tool kit is about $ 200 . Well worth it b/c if you are going to work on those engines it will pay for itself in frustration alone. Good luck. Hope all goes well.
+George Heri Trust me this was my first and last time tearing into one of these 4.0 SOHC contraptions...learned my lesson!
I'm tearing into my 2003 Ranger 4.0 right now.
Just got down to the heads and your trick for getting the sprocket off will prove invaluable.
When I put the new head on, is it good enough to just align that slot on the front of the cam parallel with the surface? I noticed the slot is off center so you can tell whether it's 180 degrees off.
The sprocket has a small post which keeps it aligned with the cam.
So I'd guess that if you're one tooth off of the same index as the original, there will be a noticeable difference of the angle of the slot compared to the surface of the head?
Future reference, when you broke all of the others loose you caused it to pinch the rear two bolts. Next time tighten them back a little to relieve the stress on the others so you can break them free. Once done you can take the others out.
I have an 02, Ranger 4.0 sohc with 190,000 miles on it, thankfully it's still rolling down the road.
What would it cost to do this job on a 5.7 Hemi Ram 1500?
just started watching pt.2 looks like its going to be a good one
george bonney90 this is giving me anxiety. You’d expect better from a German engine :(
A co-worker is on her second Explorer engine! Same overheating symptoms both times.
Do you have to remove the transmission?
great video Ivan. you need a much longer breaker bar or more trips to the gym
What happened to the compressor?
My old Craftsman stopped working also. I found out the rear plastic beauty cover helps and initializes the starting of the compressor. It's fixable.
how do you keep the rear chain in time is there marks
There are timing marks on the cam. You need special Ford Tools to replace the timing Chains.
I can feel your frustration Ivan as I would be doing a lot of cursing. Take care...
+stuzman52 Actually I was more amused how un-serviceable this engine design was...kind of felt bad for the owner since she really liked the truck, but the repair bill was getting out of hand rather quickly!
Enjoyed the video series. Very nice work.
It appears those head bolts weren't evenly tightened to begin with. That might have caused the head gasket failure.
I'm pretty sure you'll need that otc cam holder kit so u can lock the cams in place. I did headgaskets on a a 4.o stang and had to do that. you probably have figured it out by the time I see the whole video. I'm Guna Look this job up on shopkey.
+Joshua Herion I get a lot of satisfaction by NOT using "special tools"...or making my own in a pinch. Fight the system, man!
I did a oem full timing kit on a 2000 at 119k miles by just dropping the trans. you dont have to take the engine out. you do need the engine lock down tool kit. but to do these heads you might as well do the timing too. i still have the 2000, 145k on it now still like new and runs like new. but i can tell you this i never want to do this again LOL
Face it, you're pulling the engine. I've watched the videos and trying to get everything lined up and working is actually EASIER with the engine out. Even accounting for pulling the engine.
Also, remember that with the broken guide cassette, you're going to have to get the plastic out of the engine, otherwise it WILL block the pump, starve the engine of oil, and kill the motor...
She said "Fix it!" ok thats what she said lol.. great case study Ivan
+gbowne1 I bet when she said fix it, in his head he was like, awww dang this is gonna be difficult.
If you get near a HF store grab one of the LONG breaker bars they have. I've had one for years and they make life easier. For non-routine work you might want to look at Mitchell1 DIY, 17 bucks for a months access for one vehicle could save a lot of headaches.
Haynes loves to include "Typical" and "others similar".. On many of their books they try to cover an entire model run, irregardless of the changes made. For instance the S Series GMs They cover 94-04 in one thin book. BUT there were at least 4 different transmissions, 3 transfer cases, and 6 different engines in that run. Hard to cover that when you do a tear down of one truck.
+Blazer02LS The Haynes manual was right on the money with this engine...three pages of priceless info on head removal. I thought they were kidding about the need for engine removal until seeing the design first hand...not the most service-friendly design huh?
Wait till you get a Ford SDuty in there, The first thing you do with engine repair ? Remove the entire cab ! A lot of vehicles get designed with no thought of serviceability, just "how can we build it faster and cheaper"
That was the reason for the GM Vortec intake design, they calculated out the time difference between the older angled intake bolts and the "improved" vertical bolts. It saved a total of 2:31 seconds per engine. BUT the new design is also why the gaskets fail. The intersection of the intake/head and the intake bolts puts force onto the bottom edge of the gasket and locks it in place while the rest tries to move as the engine temps change. The result is gasket failure. Has nothing to do with Dex as a lot of folks seem to think.
I don't think a SuperDuty would fit in my little shop so hopefully will never have to go through that experience lol
Without the cab it might ! You should build a bigger shop. Looks like you have the room for one, or is that a future thing?
awesome video , I love explorers, they must be paying you a ton of money to fix this though, I would only do this for myself
Hey Ivan, you going to Vision in KC this year?
+busjockey1 What is Vision in KC?
It is a training and tool expo for auto and light/med Diesel. Look it up, well worth your time to go.
That my problem my timing chain guid broke I haven't seen the full video but if u end up showing me how to fix it without removing the engine I'll be so happy
dam ivan i seen those muscles popping ...nice work
YEY!!! I'm so glad to hear you're getting a compressor that'll make working on cars easier for you.
I would go ahead and build a small doghouse lean to on the outside and banish that noise maker. And I'd make use of the extra tank for more storage. THAT was the quiet one? - WOW.
wouldn't be so bad with a hoist I don't think I would ever do that kind of job on the ground too old for that plus the shop i work at has got lots of hoists makes things so much easier. You definitely need to hit the snap on truck for one of their breaker bars. I like to see how other techs approach things always willing to learn a new trick or two
Techman 48917 easier to drop sub frame whenever possible
Once it needed the chain guide it needed the cassette, with that you should change them both and at this pont the motor has to come out.
Is part 3 going to be the customer towing the car to the scrap yard?!!
+Ian O'Riordan Close...
if I remember right probably the kit locks the cam so u can break loose that rear sprocket.
You crack me up lol. I'm liking your videos. I have a ford 4.0 and a Rogue.
loving the double hitch!
Should have went on ExplorerForum. They would have told you to junk it and save yourself the trouble.
Motor looks like something out of a WWII fighter plane.
+James Last But less reliable I imagine HAHA
if you had taken the extension out it would have made it easier to pull the head bolts.. the twisting of the extension takes away from the rotational force.
damn I was afraid you were gonna crack a rib loosening that bolt!
Hey where you located?
Ford engineering, have to pull the engine to get the passenger side head out OMG
+331sbf those lifters go like oil filters
+331sbf Not so...
CR2504life Yeah the Rangers have the same exact design. Its a great pair with the weak ass tensioners/guides for the chains in that design.
Omg rofl I left that comment before i got to the snapped guide! LOL
@stoney renegade Dunno, I haven't seen it in ages. Running ok when sold.
That was a very smart way of doing that great job.
nice video
i would suggest to bolt a mast to the car and make a sailing boat. and because the vehicle will not swim as a result of it a submarine with a mast. job done.
21:14 The time it took to crack the bolt my only thought was "Oh man he has to be hurting". Also, can't you push harder than you can pull? ;)
all the ford engine having small tool for crank shaft to put it on you will see it will fix timing by the way ford use timing on crank shaft only other camshaft will go with but in ford timing will fixed on crank shaft with special tool which is available
Ivan the best way to get them head bolts out is to feed em taters
Talk about crappy ford design. On the Ford 3.8, I had to pull the engine for an oil pan seal...
James Barcellano what was it in I had a 94 taurus wagon that needed the oil pan revealed and all I had to do was move the down pipe for the exhaust about 6 inches right and I was able to do it.
This was in a 02 mustang I believe.
Great Videos! Watched part 1 and that was doctor strangelove for sure. I had no idea where that was going until later in the #1 video. Now, oh my gosh... This is nutzoid for sure. If anyone can get'em - Mr. Ivan can get'em done.
should of tried the blue devil head gasket sealer first, nice cheap fix! Maybe it was just a minor leak and it would of worked.
+kkovler1 Too late now haha! Personally I would have drilled some small holes in the thermostat to help purge that air bubble during warm up...no turning back at this point :/
+motoYam82 There could be a mysterious fire....LMAO
the last time I did heads on a Ford ranger I went through 6 bits they kept snapping on one bolt it happened to be the back bottom I said the hell with that break out the air gun
Helped tremendously. Thank you
Had a 02 worst Ford vehicle I've ever owned had all chain guides broke sounded horrible on start up and had a consistent misfire got rid of it now I have a 99 Eddie Bauer with a old school 5.0 👍🏻
chad harmon 02’ is the worst model year on record www.carcomplaints.com/Ford/Explorer/2002/
Oh man! If I were owning this heap o'Junk, I would have used it for target practice. Vehicles like these, and suddenly you start appreciating the Japanese vehicles
+TGsrao1989 Even Japanese vehicles can get a bit over-engineered, but at least they don't break down as often haha!
To be fair, it seems like the Germans had something to do with this Explorer SOHC design. Even the transmission doesn't have a dipstick...just that annoying VW-style double drain plug where you have to pump the fluid up from the bottom...ugh.
What kind of air ratchet is that