Hey guys, I wanted to introduce myself, My name is Chris, and I just picked up a new (to me) 2001 ranger. I got it from a friend because the timing chain went and blew the engine. I just picked up a 4.0 SOHC with 106,000 miles from a local junkyard and before i put it in, was wondering what I should do to "freshen it up" a little bit. I didn't PLAN on tearing it completely down and doing rods/pistons so on and so forth, but maybe oil pan gaskets, head/valve cover gaskets, maybe the updated chain tensioner from the ford TSB. Ive also seen talk about the cam seals and other things, I was wondering if someone could run me through a pretty complete list of what should be done to make this engine last as long as possible before i put it in. Now the truck was givin to me, and the engine was cheap, so I wouldn't mind spending a little bit of money to insure reliability. I would like to keep it under 2 grand worth of work.

P.S - I've been a lurker for a few weeks now, so I've done my research, Im good when it comes to this stuff, I understand all the terms and such. I have never torn down this engine, but I do have some experience with engines, the inner and outer workings of it, and knowledge of how things are supposed to work.


Thanks in advance
-Chris

 

sohc or ohv. assuming ohv since u mentioned rods. check online for a gasket kit for a rebuild should be $300-400ish then tear down and use what you want. really noway to say what it needs while its together

 

I would put in new gaskets and chains as well as the updated tensioner, prolly run some seafoam in it to. Just to make it run a lil better and clean it out a lil bit. Thats really about all you need. Or at least thats what I can think of. Just make sure you have a really good torques set of tools. If i misspelled it my bad. And keep the engine out when you work on it sue to the chains being on the front and back of the motor.

 

sorry, its the SOHC

 

Go ahead and do the water pump, front and rear crankshaft seals, oil pan gasket, thermostat, plugs and wires, valve cover gaskets, intake gaskets if needed, timing chains or tensioners, and any old or damaged hoses or parts you might see. Mainly just give it a tune-up and replace whatever seals and gaskets are easy to get to now. At 106k, they are probably already seeping or leaking anyway. I would not touch the head gaskets though! When you pull the oil pan, check the oil pump intake screen for metal shavings.

It's going to cost you a good few hundred to do all these, but they'll add major reliability and cleanliness to your truck.

ES894x4, think he meant connecting rods lol.

 

ok, I've got that list, going to go to the stealership a little bit later and get prices. Now one thing that I forget to check with the place I got the engine from was if this was out of a 2WD, or 4WD truck, because the 4WD has the balanceshaft in it. (correct me if im wrong please) hopefully I have the correct one. Im going to cross my fingers and just do what you guys outlined here, Im terrified of getting this engine in the truck, starting her up, and finding out that it burns oil like crazy, because I have no idea what kind of shape this engine is it, thanks for all of your help though.

 

Yeah, its hard to test for compression and oil pressure with the engine out of the truck, one of those things you just have to install and cross your fingers. If it was bolted to the transmission, you could mount the starter and jump the starter solenoid with jumper cables to turn it over a few times to check the compression. Some salvage yards do this when they pull engines, most of the time this is about as good a test that they can do since many cars come in with no keys.

Not sure how much better the OEM gaskets are, but usually the Fel-Pro gaskets are good and can be found at most auto parts stores. Since you are ordering a bunch of stuff, check for specials on the Advance Auto web site, or order from rockauto.com they're usually pretty cheap.

 

yeah man you dont really have to go to the stealership at all. many other stores carry quality items.

 

I'd put new rod and main bearings in it while it's out, cheap insurance. That would give you a chance to look in there and see what the cyl walls look like to get a good Idea of it's condition.

 

Mains are not something you should just do in your driveway, too many things that can go wrong. Chances are the motor has maybe a 30-day warranty, opening it up will void it and possibly ruin a good engine.

 

All of what was said I noted, now I have another question, the replacement engine i got was out of an 03, i know they are both SOHC's but is there any little change in the model years that will prevent me from being able to just swap these engines into my 01?

 

No just drop it in. I think it's not till 04 where some things were slightly changed but even the. I think it's just wires

 

Since when....keep everything clean and go to town

 

Every junkyard or engine shop I have heard of has a 30 day warranty. By opening it up and replacing parts they do not have to warranty anything that goes wrong because you have been messing with the internals

 

yes, I actually think the guys I got this engine from gave me 90 days. I hope replacing general service items like water pump, thermostat, timing chains, tensioners, gaskets and seals don't void that warranty. I would hate to get the engine in and see it **** oil out or worse, blue smoke from toasted rings. I think I might just replace the above mentioned and toss her in with some crossed fingers.

 

Whats the point of replacing bearings if you cant pull the crank and machine/polish it? As soon as you start it, the crank will instantly damage the new bearings to the same condition as the old ones. It makes about as much sense as replacing wheel bearings but leaving the old races installed.

BTW I dont think these engines have rod bearings, just mains.