Ford'due south four.vi 3V, typically simply referred to as a "3V" in the Mustang community, is a bit of an oddball in the modular engine family unit and definitely has its pros and cons. On the upside, they sound great and the actress valve and variable cam timing provided by the phasers on the camshafts provided more usable torque and horsepower in a street friendly range then the 2V information technology replaced. On the downside, it also introduced more complexity into the system while falling well short of the benefits that a DOHC 4V pattern would take provided.
For the most part, though, 3Vs are tough and reliable engines (provided that you go along the power under effectually 450 to the wheels), but there are a few issues that are going to pop up eventually. The most dreaded ones revolve around the timing assembly. The cam phasers can go out (usually a ticking audio gives this abroad), which isn't a terribly difficult swap since information technology tin can exist accomplished by just pulling the valve covers. Still, everything else timing related—including the infamous chain tensioners—requires significantly more time to resolve.
In the case of our project—burdened by 116,000 miles of SoCal traffic mixed with lots of autocross and track days—nosotros had a few things going on. We knew the chain tensioners were failing thanks to a concatenation rattle upon showtime up. The cam phasers were ticking on both sides. And we knew something was going on with the chain guides when the chain's movement of a sudden became more than audible one forenoon. When y'all hear any of these, don't ignore them for long—they'll definitely get worse apace.
That's when we parked it and decided information technology was time to accept the plunge.
The somewhat good news when information technology comes to changing the timing assembly on a 3V is that it really isn't that difficult of a job, technically speaking. If you can follow instructions closely, you tin do this and relieve a bunch of money. The bad news is that it is really time consuming, which is why it tends to cost quite a bit at shops that tend to pecker by the hour. We'll be honest; we didn't want to do it ourselves. However, even working with an experienced shop you lot're looking at a minimum of 8 hours labor, and here in SoCal, that'southward at least $900 at near shops, parts not included. Most quoted us around $1,200-$1,500.
Fortunately, since these are known issues, upgraded versions of all of the parts are readily available through Ford Racing Functioning Parts, and are in stock at Meridian Racing for the best prices. Yous tin can find off-make/unknown brand kits available through other outlets online, but we strongly suggest merely using Ford parts for this swap since the quality of other sources has been very doubtable, and this is not a chore yous want to do more than once.
There are tutorials on YouTube that show total valvetrain disassembly and cam removal to do this timing upgrade, and while that'south fine, we're going to show you lot the quickest and easiest way to knock this out. While those experienced shops may take 8-9 hours, we suggested budgeting a weekend for this job if you're not a Ford tech.
The Parts You Need
Ford Operation Parts Camshaft Drive Kit
Some boosted resources that will assistance you during this project:
For total torque specs on this project, check out this database.
Step-By-Step
Our GT had a Chiliad&N cold air induction, then this first step is a bit different if you lot have the stock box, simply non dramatically so. Once you remove the stock filter element, you should see the screws belongings the box to the inner fender. With those loose, remove the two connectors on the throttle body and the 4 basics securing it to the intake manifold and the whole associates will come out every bit a single unit of measurement.
Speaking of connectors, the majority on the 3V engine looking like these two. Slide the reddish lock back to release the lever on the blackness function of the plug. Both of these parts can break pretty easily, so brand certain each locking portion is disengaged before you pull. If you do manage to mangle one, don't fret; NAPA carries generic replacements cheaply.
While most 3V timing concatenation tutorials will tell you to pull the radiator and fan assembly (or at to the lowest degree the fans), we prefer to detach just what is needed, and then ours volition be staying put, fluid and all. Afterwards removing 2 10mm bolts, you can shift the coolant reservoir over above the ABS module. Besides, it'southward a skillful idea to tape off the intake manifold or stuff a rag in it.
Before nosotros get to the front end cover, the valve covers need to come off. Unfortunately, that means we demand to pull a bunch of things out of the way, including the PCV hose.
Adjacent are the scroll on plugs (COP). One 7mm headed bolt holds them in place. To clear room for the cover to slide out, pull the connector on the fuel injectors likewise (the tan plugs in the picture) and VCT solenoids (black clip in the foreground). This will let the whole harness to slide off the studs on the valve covers and shift up onto the intake manifold.
Practiced news and bad news almost the valve cover bolts. Good news, the bolts are captured in the cover by inserts and won't easily fall out. The bad news is that there are lot of them and the ones in the back are a little tough to go to.
On the commuter'south side, you'll too demand to remove the commodities on the oil dipstick and then it can rotate out of the way.
After a bit of finagling, the cover will slide right out and you lot'll get your starting time look at whether or not your 3v has been running quality oil or not. We were happy to note zero sludge or build-up and nice lite wear patterns on the cam lobes.
Glancing down the cover, the guides are looking good and not cleaved on this side. Fingers crossed!
On the passenger side, we got our outset look at the source of the noise. Notice the slack in the timing chain on the top. The guides looked complete on this side likewise.
With the valve covers off, information technology's time to attack the accessories. Break the bolts loose on the water pump earlier removing the serpentine chugalug. Pro tip: in that location's no room for an impact, just a pneumatic or cordless ratchet volition go a long mode to speed things up with the numerous bolts.
To remove the serpentine belt, a ½ drive ratchet will slide right into the tensioner. Button it downward and you'll have enough slack to slide the chugalug off. It's normally easiest to slide it off of the alternator and so work it off from there.
With the belt loose, three 10mm head bolts hold the belt tensioner on. Yeah, that belt is very dry and cracked- it won't be going back on.
If y'all happen to have a meaty sized impact, here is where information technology will really come in handy- breaking loose the harmonic balancer bolt. The ane we're using here is from Eastwood Tools, but Pinnacle Racing carries many fantabulous options, like the very meaty Aircat NitroCat.
To remove the stock balancer, yous volition need a fairly compact three arm puller. The generic parts store ane nosotros're using isn't ideal, but it can be made to work. To save time and frustration, we'd recommend the OTC balancer puller.
We knew nosotros had a front end seal going out from the spray line visible on the oil filter, and with the balancer off, we tin can come across how bad it was. Replacing these is possible with the comprehend on, but it'south really a snap with the cover off.
Now it'southward fourth dimension to get to the existent meat of the task; removing the encompass bolts. There's no trick hither, except keeping track of the bolt locations. While the ones in the center of the V are the same, the bolts in the lesser corners near the pan and the ones upward about the valve covers are unique and should be reinstalled where they came from. The idler pulleys should be removed at this time besides.
The power steering pump bolts also need to be removed. It'southward tight, merely if y'all have a ratcheting wrench, it'due south non a big deal. The two bolts visible in the pic are easily reached, simply at that place is a third one beneath the force per unit area hose that takes a bit more patience and short throws with the wrench to back it out.
With the front of the cover clear and all the front bolts removed, at that place are actually however four more bolts to go; they're on the bottom of the cover holding information technology to the pan. Fortunately, the pan gasket volition reseal and doesn't require replacement. Once you have those pan bolts removed, information technology's time to pull the cover!
If your forepart cover has never been removed earlier, it's likely going to require a little persuasion. A wedge or a broad apartment head screwdriver can break the seal by tapping it around the elevation border of the cover where it meets the block and heads. Be cautious to not score the block or comprehend.
Score! All the chain guides are consummate and in place! It'south actually really common on high mileage engines to meet pieces missing, which of class have fallen down into the oil pan.
Here's a closer look at the slop in the concatenation on the rider side. That's quite a bit, let's run into if we can figure out what's going on here.
Nosotros knew the tensioners would slowly leak downwardly when the auto had been sitting for a while from the common cold creepo rattle, but we had assumed that constant noise was from completely failed tensioners. All the same, upon closer inspection we found both to be almost fully extended. The plot thickens.
Believe information technology or not, information technology's but the harmonic balancer that retains the reluctor cycle, which is why it'south disquisitional to get it fully torqued down during the reinstall. We'll go over the tightening sequence to get it right.
With the reluctor out of the style, information technology's time to gear up the cam timing before nosotros touch the chains. A 1 ¼ socket fits like a snug glove over the crank snout and locks onto the keyway. Utilise a ½ drive ratchet with proficient leverage, because y'all're going to exist cranking the engine over. You can pull the spark plugs to make this easier, or but settle in for an arm workout.
There's really no magic to timing a ii or 3V 4.half-dozen; you just have to line up the correct marks with the dark links on the timing chain. The cam phasers have both and L & R marks, and then it's important to know which to utilize. 50 & R are always referenced from the driver's seat, so as you're looking at the engine the cam on your left (passenger side) volition use the R mark, while the cam on your right (driver's side) will use the Fifty. This is the passenger cam phaser, and nosotros nonetheless have some rotating to exercise to get the dark link properly lined upwards.
Non only exercise nosotros have to properly line upwardly both cam phasers, we likewise have to line up the second dark chain links on both bondage with the dot on the crank sprocket. When properly aligned, the dot volition point straight down at 6:00 o'clock with the nighttime links straddling information technology while both cam phaser marks also accept a dark link straddling them. Sounds complicated, but really it will all line upward eventually as you creepo the engine over.
Since we're not removing the springs & followers, the cams lobes are under pressure and will motion to the closest equilibrium, meaning information technology will throw off your carefully synched timing. There are a couple of ways to tackle this. One, is to lock a pair of vise grips on the cam just behind the phaser. Make sure to caryatid the vise grips properly against the head and on the side the cam wants to rotate. (ignore that our concatenation is already off here, we forgot to take a pic beforehand. Yours should still exist on.)
You lot might be wondering why we didn't employ a tool like this convenient OTC cam lock (PN: OTC6477). While these are swell for 2V engines, and at that place is a versions for 4V, nosotros're not aware of i that fits the larger diameter cam used in a 3V. By the manner, this is not our engine, and then don't @us about the crud.
So how do you lot know which way the cam is wanting to rotate? Well, the easiest fashion is in one case you have the cams and crank timed, simply remove the tensioners. With the concatenation still in place, the cams will rotate slightly from the slack created, merely not far. Remove the tensioner slowly, just keep pressure against the chain guide and annotation which style the cam wants to motility and then lock the vise grips behind the phaser to preclude farther movement. If you lot want to exist extra careful, use two vise grips opposing each other.
When we unbolted and removed the chain guides we found a surprise- not just had one of the guides worn through the plastic and down to the metallic, but the tensioner had actually broken through the guide!
2 things to annotation hither. Ane, the tensioner on the left was the one that broke through the guide and is missing a considerable amount of the caput from the timing chain grinding it off. Less than ideal. Also note the gasket on the same tensioner vs. the i on the right. Encounter that break upwards on the acme right? That'south a common blowout and the cause of almost chain rattles when cranking since these do not have a ratcheting mechanism and the loss of oil pressure allows the tensioner to bleed down.
While we're in hither, we're going to swap out the oil pump for a high volume unit from Ford Performance (PN M-6600-F46) since it'due south a fairly simple and straight forrad task.
Since we are leaving the oil pan in place, the trickiest office of this is getting the choice-up bolts loose. An 8mm ratchet wrench is a must for this job. Also, keep your finger on the bolt or you'll be fishing in the pan with a magnet.
With the mounting and pick-up bolts removed, use a screw driver to gently push the choice-up tube downward to remove it from the pump. The mounting subclass in the pan volition hold it in place.
The Ford Performance pump is ready to exit of the box, but we popped the backing plate off to add a flake of oil to the gears to prime it.
Nosotros won't be using the new pick-upward tube since that would require dropping the oil pan, but we will steal the new o-ring to swap onto the tube still in our pan.
It but takes a slight amount of fluctuant to get the pump to slide right into identify. Torque the mounting bolts to the correct spec and merely get the choice-up tube bolts adept and snug.
Now it'southward fourth dimension to popular off the cam phasers. This is another place where an impact volition come up in handy. To prevent cam move, grab the phaser with a rag before you hit it with the impact. Information technology'southward non torqued tightly, so information technology should not put up any fight coming out.
This is the savior of your 3V, the full timing replacement kit from FRPP (PN G-6004-463V). Not just do you become the critical timing components similar the bondage, guides, phasers, and tensioners, you besides get all new gaskets, sprockets, seals, bolts, and fifty-fifty a reluctor cycle. This is by far the best kit on the market and Summit Racing features it for the best price we have found.
The concatenation guides are uniquely shaped and only fit ane way, so there is little hazard of installing them incorrectly. Also worth noting, you need a torque wrench that can convert to in-lb for proper torque spec on these bolts.
Unlike earlier kits, the FRPP cam phasers are identical, so there is no 50 & R. They slide onto a keyway on the cam, and then there are too no worries near improper installation since we timed the engine earlier removing the stock stuff. These torque in 2 stages (Stage i- torque to 30 ft.-lbs., Stage ii- tighten an boosted xc degrees) but just go them snug for at present; we'll torque them one time the chain is holding them securely in identify. Some are tempted to lock the phasers out, just trust u.s.a., on a mild, natural aspirated street car yous'll lose a lot in the midrange without them.
If yous've always wondered how those phasers get the pressurized oil to advance & retard the cams, take a look at the bolt, which happens to exist hollow. That pigsty well-nigh the head is where it is directed into the phaser.
Concatenation time! Earlier annihilation goes on the engine, line up one of the dark links with the dot on the crank sprocket. The rear teeth will line up with the driver's side bank of the engine.
Once you lot've slid the crank sprocket on the engine and looped the commuter's side chain around the phaser (at that place should be enough of slack), add together the passenger side concatenation. Information technology's good do to visually verify that you see the dark links lined up on the dot for both chains with both bondage installed on the phasers before moving forward. As long every bit the crank has not moved and the dot on the sprocket is pointing downward in the 6-o'clock position, we're good on this cease.
Recollect what we said about the FRPP phasers being identical? That ways they feature both the L & R marks, so it is disquisitional to verify that your timing matches up to the right one. On the commuter's banking concern (Fifty from the sitting in the driver'due south seat), the second nighttime link should straddle the 50 mark.
Conversely, on the passenger bank, verify that the dark link straddles the R. If you see this alignment on both banks, and you have nighttime concatenation links straddling the dot on the crank sprocket (with the dot pointing downward at the 6'oclock position), and of course bold zero has rotated since removing the old timing chain, this is confirmation that your engine is timed correctly.
With cam timing finished, it's time for the floating guides that the tensioners utilise to press against the chain. At this indicate, you may need to release the locking method of selection on the cams to permit some rotation to create the necessary slack.
These guides also only fit 1 way, but it'due south a niggling less obvious. The floating guide on the rider bank has this outset to space it out a bit since this banking company has the forrard mounted chain. The tensioners are also marked L & R in the kit to make certain the they are properly installed. Leave the lock in place until everything is torqued downwards properly (guides, cam phasers, etc).
Reluctors don't really wear out, but information technology is a adept idea to install a fresh one with new and tight tolerances. The only thing to note here is brand sure you slide information technology onto the creepo with "Front" facing outward. Information technology will not register on the crank sensor if it's backwards.
Here nosotros are with everything installed and torqued and the tensioners released. Now it's time to prep the front cover to exist reinstalled.
Remember that godawful mess behind our balancer on the front cover? That was from this guy; the forepart seal. These notoriously start leaking on four.6's around 75-100k. They're a pain to remove with the cover nevertheless installed, but quite easy to tap out with a large socket or seal press with information technology removed. Equally you lot can see here, the oil lip on ours was gone. The new seal will tap in with a prophylactic mallet.
The FRPP kit also includes new forepart cover seals to keep everything nice and sealed up. There are three unique pieces and they are specific to their side. Use the square tabs at the ends to easily determine which seal is which. All the cover bolts torque to 19 ft-lb, simply at that place is specific sequence recommended by Ford available in the document linked in the text body.
Since our projection gets tracked occasionally, and since our factory balancer was high mileage, nosotros splurged a bit and treated our 3V to an ATI Super Balancer. These come with a picayune assembly required. All of these bolts require a touch of blueish thread locker and must be torqued to the specs on the balancer itself.
For iv.vi engines, at that place is a washer that must be slid on the crank prior to installing the balancer for right get-go. Don't forget this, or you lot'll be pulling the balancer back off- and buying a new commodities since they are single use torque-to-yield. The torque sequence for the creepo bolt is tighten to 66 ft-lb, loosen 360 degrees. And so tighten to 36 ft-lb so and and so additional 90 degrees.
That concluding function of the torque sequence is critical, and it tin be hard to make up one's mind if you got a true 90 degrees with the engine in the motorcar. The easiest fashion to monitor the progress is to marker the commodities head and the balancer with the starting indicate and besides mark the balancer with the end point you lot demand to striking. We're not sure how much torque this requires, simply you may demand a goo long breaker bar.
That last role of the torque sequence is critical, and information technology can exist difficult to decide if you got a true ninety degrees with the engine in the car. The easiest way to monitor the progress is to marker the bolt head and the balancer with the starting point and as well mark the balancer with the terminate bespeak you need to striking. We're not sure how much torque this requires, but y'all may need a goo long breaker bar.
Though not ever necessary, we did detect in our case that the VCT solenoids (PN 917-200) were getting weak and needed to be replaced. Since the valve covers are a bit of pain to remove, information technology's not a bad idea to supercede these while you lot're in there. Just one Allen head screw holds them in place. We likewise recommend replacing the valve cover gaskets (PN VS50372) while they're off, and they practice have a recommended torque sequence that is available in the doc linked in the text body.
Once yous've got the accessories and air intake back on, yous're ready for a first crank! Our engine was immediately much quieter and smoother sounding and no more crank rattle. Assuming everything was done correctly, you shouldn't have to call up about whatsoever of this stuff for another 100k or more than.
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