What did you do today?

[ebinmaine 80,053]

24 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

Yesterday I started into replacing the valve cover gaskets, plugs/wires, and thermostat on the Explorer. When I got the passenger side cover off I found the rear timing guide was broken (A known issue with this engine).

 

Today I started removing the engine to replace the timing cassettes. The front one isn't bad. The rear one requires removal of a bolt, that is behind an oil plug, that sits inside the footprint of the transmission bell.

 

 

 

 

Yeeeeesh.  

[adsm08 4,886]

2 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

 

Yeeeeesh.  

 

Well, this is what happens when you take a reasonable, reliable, pushrod engine and give it to the Germans and ask them to make it OHC.

[cleat 9,092]

58 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

Yesterday I started into replacing the valve cover gaskets, plugs/wires, and thermostat on the Explorer. When I got the passenger side cover off I found the rear timing guide was broken (A known issue with this engine).

 

Today I started removing the engine to replace the timing cassettes. The front one isn't bad. The rear one requires removal of a bolt, that is behind an oil plug, that sits inside the footprint of the transmission bell.

 

 

What year and engine is your explorer.

[cleat 9,092]

58 minutes ago, adsm08 said:

Yesterday I started into replacing the valve cover gaskets, plugs/wires, and thermostat on the Explorer. When I got the passenger side cover off I found the rear timing guide was broken (A known issue with this engine).

 

Today I started removing the engine to replace the timing cassettes. The front one isn't bad. The rear one requires removal of a bolt, that is behind an oil plug, that sits inside the footprint of the transmission bell.

 

 

What year and engine is your explorer.

[ineedanother 2,758]

3 hours ago, adsm08 said:

The rear one requires removal of a bolt, that is behind an oil plug, that sits inside the footprint of the transmission bell.

That sounds like a chapter in a day of my life 

[adsm08 4,886]

10 hours ago, cleat said:

What year and engine is your explorer.

 

Its an 04 with the 4.0 SOHC. This was a known issue with these engines which Ford didn't really get nailed down until 2005 or 2006.

 

I've owned this vehicle for 7 years and put 55 or 60k miles on it and have kind of suspected this guide was broken the whole time, but it hasn't been causing real issues, so I left it alone. I inspected it while doing valve cover gaskets and disturbed it. Now my technician brain won't let me put it back together broken.

 

 

I am also going to look at a Flex that's about 10 years newer next weekend to replace the Explorer. If I buy that I know two people in need of a vehicle right now who may either be given the Explorer outright or sell it to them very cheap, and I want to make sure its right if that happens.