hello i have a 2001 ford ranger 4.0l sohc. my rear passenger side spark plug is striped out and i would like to know how hard it is to remove the head and what parts i should replace while i have it open. any help appreciated.

 

If the timing chains have not been replaced then you would need to pull out the engine.

Rear timing chain can only be replaced with engine out of the vehicle.

Google: ford 4.0 sohc timing chain replacement procedure

Explorers got the SOHC engine in 1997, Rangers got it in 2001, the old design and materials used in the timing chains/cassettes were faulty, the newer design and materials are better, they were installed starting in about 2005 on the 4.0l SOHC engines
Explorer how-to will be the same as Ranger how-to

As far as just fixing the spark plug threads
Google: spark plug helicoil thread repair kit
and
Google: time-sert spark plug inserts

This can be done with head in place, although you will need to remove(or cut out) inner fender and maybe remove exhaust manifold on that side for best access.
If you cut out part of the inner fender you can go to a wrecking yard and cut out a larger section from an inner fender there and use it as a patch

 

thank you i didnt realize that the slight rattle i had was that i think im going to just pull the engine to fix it all i intend on keeping this truck for a while

 

The newer design timing chains and cassettes have been great, so once that is done engine should be fine for many years.

Replace front and rear main seals(crankshaft) when engine is out, that applies to any engine.
Also replace Knock sensor, under lower intake, the wires tend to get brittle and break, and it is hard to get to once intake is back on.

Check upper and lower thermostat housing, these tended to get brittle and crack as well.
If they look good then don't change them, it is obvious if they are starting to leak somewhere.

Good how to on that one here: How To Replace the Upper and Lower Thermostat Housing on a Ford 4.0L V6 SOHC Engine

 

sweet thats what i was hoping.
whats a knock sensor?
i was going to change the whole thermostat housing any way but maybe ill just check if the housing is still good and replace just the thermostat to save a little money.

 

The 4.0l SOHC engine runs 9.7:1 compression ratio, this is how Ford got most of the extra horse power from this 4.0l, the older 4.0l OHV had 160HP(9.0:1 ratio), SOHC 200HP.

When compression ratio is 9.4:1 or higher an engine can start to ping/knock when using regular gas(87 octane).
Compression adds heat, Octane is a heat rating, lower octane number means a fuel will self-ignite at a lower temperature.
Pinging or Knocking is when a fuel self-ignites just before spark plug fires, the noise is caused by the 2 or more "explosion" wave fronts meeting inside that cylinder.
This will cause damage to a gasoline engine, valves and pistons are not built to withstand this.
Google: piston damage from pre-detonation images

Diesel engines are built to withstand this, they don't use spark plugs, the heat of compression(often 20:1 ratio) ignites the diesel fuel, and it often ignites in more than 1 place in the cylinder, this is why diesel engines sound "pingy".

Anyway since most people prefer to run Regular gas, and 4.0l SOHC will ping/knock on Regular gas Ford had to add a Knock sensor to prevent engine damage.
The Knock sensor can detect ping/knock before you even hear it, when it does the computer will advance the spark timing so fuel is ignited by spark plug BEFORE it can self-ignite.
This change in spark timing does reduce engine power, so not optimal, but better than engine damage, lol.

 

ok i will change those as well i looked up the location on line and thats defiantly something i want to do now opposed to later.

do i only have 2 of them on this engine?

 

Just 1 on the 4.0l SOHC, or any engine I have seen, metal of the engine block conducts sound quite well, so "ping/knock" is easy to detect.

Diagram of location here: http://www.autozone.com/repairinfo/r...96b43f8036de4d

 

order all the parts thank you for all your help

 

I need more help I got to the last stages of removing the engine all I have left is unbolt the trans from engine but it is impossible to get a wrench on the bolts. What are you supposed to do to get access to the bolts? Does the trans have to come out with the engine?

 

Hard for sure but not impossible

Couple of way mentioned here: 1 SOHC V6 Engine Removal Procedure | Page 2 | Ford Explorer and Ranger Forums - Serious Explorations

Lots of pictures in that thread.

I have long extensions so I use that method on most vehicles

On some vehicle you can lift engine off motor mounts then remove motor mounts to lower engine down a bit more for clearance.
You want to loosen and remove the hardest to get at bolts first, then loosen the easier ones.
If an automatic, make sure to disconnect torque converter from flexplate before separating engine and trans

 

Does any one know the name or part number for the rear timing chain guide bolt that's in the head? not the bolt that holds the guides in but the upper bolt that gets cradled by the guide.
Also what bolts need to be replaced (other than head bolts) like camshaft sprocket bolts and harmonic balancer bolt?

 

What I ended up doing to get motor out was take off intake and valve covers then I was able to reach top bolts