I've reset the bastard be holding the circlip in the lower most groove and winding it up in a vice, only now it's all together i can't unlatch it.

What do i need to do, i've tried a hammer/screwdriver but it's just not happening, i've tried spinning it over whilst holding the tensioner arm up manually in the hope oil pressure will pop it out but that hasn't worked either, i've stripped it out again and removed the tensioner and just don't know what to do now.

I'm fooking tempted to fuck the circlip off and just let oil pressure hold it up, only trouble will be first start-up that it may skip a few teeth, possibly?

 

buy a new one

when you refit the chain over everything (there are coppered links there so you can't go wrong with the timing) make sure the "bomb" hasn't gone off by wedging a screwdriver in the way
once everything is set up correctly, remove the screwdriver and turn the engine over by the main crank pulley bolt
this will release the plunger and everything will be fine

don't worry about the markslining up again ebcause they won't, but you will need to wrry about it if you have timed it up wrong because you'll need another new bomb at £25 a time

i'll post up the whole timing thing if you like

 

errrr. why buy a new one?

last time i done one i didn't need to replace the fooker?

everything is setup correctly and i have turned it over on the starter but the piston on the tensioner still hasn't risen

 

you need a new one every time you take the chain off,why scrimp on such an important part,get a new one and the answer to your question as to why you need a new one is starring you in the face it wont pop
cheeRS gary
AKA shrek

 

well i've been hammering the little fucker and shes moved from about 2mm below to about 2mm above the surface now, i've tried spinning it over on the starter to get the pressure to build up to jack it out the rest of the way but it's not happening, will oil pressure rise high enough once running to jack it fully out?

 

Is that why then? what difference will a new one actually make? is the spring stronger or something?

 

they are designed to pop open and then not close again otherwise they fuck the chain with no tension

take it all apart again and put a new one in and job done

what you risk is the chain going snap as it flais around without the proper tension and a new engine when it goes bang and wrecks everything

 

Yeah, i've pulled apart a spare tensioner tonight as i was thinking of not using the circlip at all but then as far as i can see it's just gonna over-tension the chain which isn't gonna be any good.

I think what happens is when you force it back in it stretchs the circlip, which was probably why it was fine the last time i did it but now it's just too big to jack out from the grooves in the outer bit of the tensioner, i think it'll probably be ok once running as oil pressure will build up and jack it out. Although it might not, and it might bend valves and i can't be arsed with taking the damn head off again!

Only problems now are; do ford still stock it, will me dealer [who is fecking miles away from here] have it in stock and will it cost an arm and a leg!

I understand new ones pop up lovely, i.e. i can push down on the plunger and it'll go click click click click all the way until the chain is at the right tension, is that correct?

 

£25 and they use the same tensioner for just about everything

but, like pringles, once you pop, you can't stop

have you got a new chain?
if so you have to slot the tensioner in BEFORE you put the chain etc in
you can slide the tensioner sprocket arm out, slot the tensioner in, slide the arm back in again (i can't rememerb if there are circlips involved here but i've got one in the back garden i can take pics of if you like later on this afternoon)
just don't push down on the arm or else the tensioner will pop out and you'll be back to fords with another £25 in your hands
jam it all in with a screwdriver (thats why there is a slot just the right size for a screwdriver in the head just above the sprocket arm ) so that you don't explode it beforehand
you also need to remove the bottom cover to figure out where tdc is
once you've done all that, just use the coppered links to time it up correctly
once it's timed up you can remove the screwdriver and then spin the engine round by hand to make sure the marks line up properly agian (the copper links won't but don't worry about that if you've timed it up properly) and after a few revoutions you can hear it going "thud"

i'm sure someone else will be able to put it into words much better than me, i can understand what you need to do, i just can't articulate it very wel

if you can wait till this afternoon i'll take a few snaps and post them up to show you where and what needs doing (assuming you haven't already done it all because you want to put it all back together agian )

be aware that the timing marks line up with the level of the head, NOT where they meet (the little white lines on the cam sprockets)

 

Yeah thanks for that but i've got it all timed up mint just need the tensioner to play abll then she'll be running.

Inicdently i've got the bottom cover off as i knocked the little plate off the bottom of the tensioner arm which sits on top of the plunger so had to take the bottom cover off to try and fish it out, luckily i could see it and i got it out with some long nosed pliars.

But, it'll be easier to refit the bottom cover if i remove the bottom pulley [as i've just undone all the 10mm's and swang the cover around] got any tips how i can remove it? i've got the bolt out but the pulley is siezed on, tried hitting it/levering it but it's not having it and my three legged puller is too big.

I'm thinking just using silcone around the edges and slide the cover round, do it up and hope for the best.

 

I got mine off by wedging a lump of wood inbetween the pulley and block from underneath then hittin the wood with a hefty hammer, as it slowly worked its way out i stuck wedges in to take up the slack and had me dad over the top with a crowbar to take the slack out of the top.
Took some biffing swearing an patience but came out undamaged.

 

pour some viniger onto the bolt and apparently its supposed to help loosen it
i had a 3/4 drive socket on it, plus 6 foot worth of pole on it, plus the car in gear, plus the handbrake on, plus my mrs sitting with her foot on the brake, plus all 4 wheel chocked

and then it took 15 seconds worth of pressure to get it to budge

get an air gun onto it, one of the ones that undoes lorry wheel nuts

 

also, don't forget to loctite all the bolts on the timing gear when you put them back in again
the vibrations tend to knock them loose and then you have the same problem all over agian

 

dojj

i'll try the bit of wood method tomorrow maybe, i was levering it with a metel bar and hitting that but it wasn't happening.

 

I had the rad an airbox assembly off as well when i did it as it was far easier to get the arms in there to swing the hammer, good luck mate

 

yeah i've got the rad fans off too, might remove the rad aswell as all the pipes are still off, only thing is i'm supposed to be rebuilding the fucker not taking more bits off

 

well rad an air box are quick easy removals, im no expert but this was a quick job and no new parts needed, i know how ya feel thou, the more you take off the more it pi@@s ya off

 

you need a puler to get the crank pulley off
but there is enough space there not to have to take the rad out, but the fans do get in the way

 

£29 later and i have one here, just gonna have some lunch and i'll keep you guys posted!

 

Ok, all on lovely, timed up mint levered down on the tensioner arm as you said and it's clicked up a few clicks and is now sitting about 5mm above the surface but the chain is still slack accross the cams, if i lever the tensioner arm upwards about 2mm it pulls the inlet cam round so that the slack is gone and the marks line up with the head.

I've span it over on the starter in the hope oil pressure will push it out that bit more but it's not happening at starter motor speeds anyway.

Is this normal? will it fill with oil and jack out fully when oil pressure is higher than starter motor speed?

 

they are always slack on the chain when you aren't running the engine
it's something to do with the way the timing is set so that the exhaust cam is not getting pulled down enough by the crank sprocket and the tensioner is keeping the other bit of the chan tensioned on the inlet sprocket

as long as the timing marks were lined up it'll be sweet

 

yeah?

thank fook for that then!

shes all back together just wanted to get this sorted put the top and front covers back on and she'll be running, took the rad out and got the puller on the bottom pulley to get that off, came off mint

Sooooooo tomorrow it'll be for the big start-up

[that chain then, atm it's sitting on the top guide, not taught between the sprockets? that sound right to you?

 

between the sprockets they seem to sit about half a tooth out
sound about right?
if so then there is nothing to worry about
if it was a belt the tension of it would keep everything tight, but it's a chain and this always happens

i was scratching my head when i did the first one, but after about 6 it's always been the same problem and none have ever let go yet

 

Nice one mate you are a star!

Heres a picture just to confirm;

 

All good nice one

 

Ok, started & running but i have a missfire.

At first it sounded just like a diesel with diesel knock sooo i panicked & stripped it all down to doube check the timing, all good. All back together and now have a missfire

unplugged all the ht leads in turn and when you pull one off the revs die and it starts to stall-soo all good there, did the same with the injectors and that did the same apart from number one, pulled off number one injector plug and it makes no difference at all.

I've checked the resistance accross the injector and thats in spec and i've checked what i've got at the multi-plug and that seems good, about 11v when cranking & earth at the other wire, it's the same as number 2 injector anyway.

The plug seems to be fitting securely (the tags are clipping over anyway) and i've bent the pins out a little to ensure a good contact but it's not making any difference.

I swapped over 1 & 2 injector plug and it was still missing on number 1.

Sooooooo would i be right in thinking fucked injector even though resistance was ok? or could it somehow be a fuel pressure problem?

 

Been down the scrap yard and got a new injector, only problem being it's blue and the ones on the car are green. The numbers are the same except the green one ends in a1a and the blue one ends a2a. I think the blue one is Weber and the green one is bosch, is that the only difference?

I've fitted it anyway and it starts, runs, sounds alright and doesn't missfire. Much. Theres still a small miss at idle but the downpipe gasket is blowing a bit soooo i suspect it's leaking in air and upsetting the 02 senser.

Still, it runs thats the main thing atm!

Thanks to all those that have helped!

 

Good news James, as i said im no expert but i find this website useful for questions like this, www.fordpower-uk.co.uk
Go to the 8v section an ask away, i would of thought the injector is different in some way but sounds like you nailed it when ya changed it, just get one to match the others and try that, at least ya making improvements lol

 

as far as i was aware there is nothing different with them injectors