4.0 SOHC timing chains, explorer/ranger

[Tiha]

Anyone do these before?
I have done 4 sets now and I have one that is killing me.
If you don't know, first they are stupid. 3 chains, primary, left and right secondary, unless you have a 4x4 then there is a balance shaft (4th chain) as well.

2 years ago, 20k miles, pulled the engine. (because you have to pull the engine to do the rear chain) Did all chains using cloyes set. It was "the best" available at the time.

1 year ago, 10 k miles. The left secondary chain breaks. Bent valves on that head. Cloyes warranties the chain and cassette but of course not the valves or head gasket or related damage. Upon their recommendation, replaced the main chain and tensioner again as well.

Last week, Main chain skips. Tensioner on primary chain is weak. Bent valves on Passenger side RH head. Upon further investigation LH secondary cassette (guide) is broken after only a year old as well.

10k between timing chain problems is unacceptable.

Can't get the cam gear bolt loose on RH head in truck, even if I could not sure I have enough room to slip it up over the cassette, going to have to pull engine again to remove head and replace valves.

Cloyes will warranty the parts again. But is this just cloyes? Or my bad luck?

I did two explorers before this one and used the cheapest engine tech crap off ebay (because I was going to flip them) and they are still out there running just fine.

I see melling makes a timing kit, I wonder if it is better quality than cloyes. I am so disappointed, timing is all that cloyes does. You would think they would be good at it.

Looking around at reman long blocks last night out of frustration they all advertise that they are using Cloyes timing components in their remans as well, they are offering 3 year up to 100k mile warranty.

What could I be doing wrong?

 

[4Eyedturd]

Done a set once in my sisters explorer, used Rockauto for parts with no issue. I’ll never own one of those and never plan to do that job again.

 

[billybob_81067]

Probably your shit luck. Don't feel bad I have similar luck when doing stuff like that.... BUT because of this I only buy the old tried and true fucking bulletproof OHV engines...

 

[TrikeKid]

What are you doing wrong? Opening the fucking hood instead of sending it to the crusher. The head can be pulled with the engine in the truck if you spend the $$$ on the big OTC timing tool set, not that I'd want to try getting the head in and out of the truck with the cassette in there. Haven't seen repeat failures, can't say I've ever had an issue with any Cloyes products at all and I've used a bunch.

Reman 4.0's are a crap shoot. The last one I did chains in had an AER (Ford dealer) reman in it, cam lobes had clearly had surface rust at some point, all pitted. They also apparently stuffed the left head on without any fucking dowel pins since the cassette I pulled out and the new Cloyes one wouldn't fit through the opening in the head/block due to the mismatch. Not sure I'd feel good spending money on one of them.

 

[[486]]

buy you a 5.0 or a 2.3/2.5 parts truck
swap that in instead

 

[Defecater]

I Aquired a nice 04 Sport track with a thrown timing chain about 4 years ago. Pulled an engine from a rolled explorer at the local u pull it yard and put a Cloyes set in that engine to replace the original. Was going to flip it for some profit but the girlfriend took a liking to it, so it ended up hers instead. Doing fine so far, but I seriously doubt I would go through that much trouble again(even already owning the special tools to do it) A few years before that, I swapped an explorer 5.0 into another Sport Trac with a bad OHC4.0. I would do the 5.0 swap again if I had to choose.