So i have concluded that I will get whatever engine I can get for the best price and go from there, whether its a 2wd or 4wd engine. Some of the people on another forum say that the noise and vibration is next to nothing, and some have even taken the balance shaft chain off. I'm going to try and find a 03+ engine as I've been told they have the better tensioners/guides for the timing chain.

Sounds like your on the right path good luck.

Thanks for the pictures, and good luck with it! Let us know how it goes.

sicktight722 said:

...........I'm going to try and find a 03+ engine as I've been told they have the better tensioners/guides for the timing chain.

Click to expand...

I researched this a issue a little over four years ago and came to the same conclusion. I also like that idea of removing the balance shaft chain too, nice time saver.

*Out of curiosity, why are you looking into an engine replacement? I thought you only had 125K on the one you've got now.

CowboyBilly9Mile said:

I researched this a issue a little over four years ago and came to the same conclusion. I also like that idea of removing the balance shaft chain too, nice time saver.

*Out of curiosity, why are you looking into an engine replacement? I thought you only had 125K on the one you've got now.

Click to expand...

Well actually I might not be doing the engine swap now, I found a guy that offer to sell me the parts he bought for his 99 4.0L SOHC engine (Jackshaft Chain Kit and the front timing cassette plus the tools kit needed to do everything) for cheaper than I could buy them elsewhere. Something about bend valves stopped him from using the parts (threw in a newer motor). My original reason for doing the swap is that it seemed to be better(cheaper) than replacing everything. It also seemed like once I started fixing one thing, something else would pop up (pretty frustrating when the vehicle is 100 miles away and you can only work on it on the weekends). When I pulled the valve cover on the driver side, dad hit it with a rubber mallet to break it lose and put a inch crack in it, then there was a piece of the chain guide sitting on top of the head, and the rest was being eat up by the chain. No telling whats in the oil pan and I was worried about ground up plastic blocking oil passages and such. Also, when I tried to pull the senors off of the thermostat housing the pieces that hold the nut that the sensor screws broke and fell into where the housing goes into the head. I tried to vacuum out the pieces, so hopefully none fell to far down to be reached. At the time I was worried about problems down the road with these things (blocked oil and water passages, etc), plus the engine may have been one of the dirtiest I have ever seen (intakes and valve covers had an horrible amount of sludge and dirt on the inside of them. I also had a line on a 01 explorer engine with 18k on it, and a ranger engine 02/03 with 59k. both for $500. There is no telling what the other guides and tensioners look like, so the plan right now is the pull the motor when i get a chance and check everything out.

**it is so frustrating not getting to work on something when/how you want to when all you want is to get it running again.

part numbers

figured i would post up some part numbers and pics as a couple of ppl have showed interest

LadderFrame Assembly Gasket- F77z6710AA
Oil Pan Gasket- 4L2Z6710AA
Front Cassette- 7U3Z6A257A
Rear Cassette- 4L2Z6M290AA
Harmonic Balancer Bolt- E7RY6A340B
Jackshaft Kit- 2U3Z6D256CA (Manual that came with kit shows 2U3E6D256AB for balance shaft engines and 2U3E6D256BB for non-balance shaft engines)

Tensioner Lower- FU3Z6K254A
Balance Shaft Chain Guide- F77Z6K297BC
Balance Shaft Chain Tensioner-1L2Z6L266AA
Jackshaft Plug- F77Z6026AB
Timing Cover Seal- E6TZ6700A


2002 Sport-trac upgrade
Thermostat housing lower-2L5z8592bb or RH-144
Clips-w706800s303
Temp Sender-SW6146 or 3F1Z-10884-AA
Temp Sensor-DY-1004
Water outlet gasket-RG-614 or 1L2Z-3255-AA

00M12 Kit- YL2Z-9E473-AA

Valve covers, head gaskets, head bolts, water pump gasket, were all purchased at the local auto parts store.

Now for some pics
Jackshaft Kit- 2U3Z6D256CA

Rear Cassette- 4L2Z6M290AA

Front Cassette- 7U3Z6A257A

00M12 Kit- YL2Z-9E473-AA

Balance Shaft Chain Guide- F77Z6K297BC

LadderFrame Assembly Gasket- F77z6710AA

Balance Shaft ChainTensioner-1L2Z6L266AA

Thermostat housing lower-2L5z8592bb or RH-144

what the sensors look like for the different thermostat housing



**the reason for the 2002 sport-trac lower thermostat housing upgrade is that the stock one has one of the sensors that screw into a nut that is held by the plastic on the inside of the housing. The plastic breaks when you try to take the sensor out and ford wants like 130 for the stock housing, when the sport trac housing is only like $60-$70. The upper part of the housing will work if you pop out the metal bushings. you also have to buy new sensors as the new ones that just push in and are held in with clips.

Pretty dang cool. If you don't mind me asking about how much did all it set you back?

about $700-$750 including the timing tool kit and misc tools I had to buy. Bought most of parts from certain ford parts suppliers online.

Always if in doubt tighten in a circular of star pattern

sorry wronge discussion