FoMoCo HELL - The Evil Nonsensical Engine Job That Changed My Entire Life

It was the straw that broke this mechanics back. When the DERANGED masterminds in Ford Engine Development redesigned the happy, reliable 4.0 V6 to take overhead cams and far too many timing chains, it forced this mechanic to take an entirely different path in life. Here's how that went.
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[@christophersanders5007]

I never wanted to own my own shop because customers suck. When I was a mechanic for shops I would do a brake job on a car, and then a week later the customer would come back screaming at the top of their lungs that their stereo stopped working, and it was our fault. I saw too much of that to want to own my own shop.

[@muziklvr7776]

26 years ago, my buddy started out his automotive career working at Speedy Oil Change and they would get wilds stories like that on a regular basis. One lady complained that the oil change they did on her car caused a rattle in her dash.

[@danielleach2307]

Been there heard that ever since you fixed my flat tire my left front head light quite working da

[@j.t.cooper2963]

💩

[@spudthompson1414]

That's when you got to ask what does one thing has to do with the other and if they keep on kindly ask them to leave you don't need a person like that it is part of being the owner 💯!

[@termonostruman]

customers want everything cheap and fre in mechnics simple dont know why

[@mostlyoldparts]

Ford Engineer: "I don't know how many feet of timing chain this engine actually needs, but I know how many I'm gonna use."

[@kenleppek]

Really it's just 4 small chains. The modular v8 engines use the anchor chain from the Titanic.

[@ryanmuir6338]

I remember the old 427 SOHC with it's six foot timing chain

[@cliffordreeves2018]

Ron White would be proud! LOL

[@termonostruman]

ples just give me a small timing belt with no tensioner on it simple as Gm did it once.

[@termonostruman]

once saw a shop witha problem in a v6 mercdes,, even witha new timing chain they didnt knew how to put it it simple didnt entered there. it was too short.. lol thye took days to solve the problem

[@shaggydogg630]

Now uncle Tony, imagine going to work everyday for 31 years as a Ford tech. The real evil was , and still is, the SLTS book. Yes , Service Labor time Standard book. It got so bad that now in Illinois when the techs work on warranty, state law mandates all labor time get multiplied by 1.5. I could go on and on. I feel for ya brother. It wasn’t easy .

[@savagenoob]

Santos' famous line, "It is what it is"

[@mattkaydus7973]

As a Ford tech in Hellinois let me tell ya the pay ain't bad! With the 1.5 multiplier it really pays pretty good doing recalls and motor swaps. I actually quit after 10 years at the end of '21 due to shitty pay and went to a small mom and pop shop and hated it. 6months later they called me back and told me about the new law and I've been loving it ever since.

[@michaelmurphy6869]

If I recall didn't Ford cut all the warranty labor times by aprox 20-60% in the late 90's to early 2000's? At that time one of old co-workers had told me about it and there might have been class-action laws suits against Ford for that reason. I heard that the labor times were insane, 2.5 hours to swap a transmission out a Taurus, 7-8 hours to replace the head gaskets on a 5.4 v8 in a F250 and so forth. Even read stories of techs pushing the vehicles out of their bays because they used up the time allotted by Ford to do the job under warranty. I guess it pissed off allot of customers as well. I was working at a GM dealer at that time, believe me their warranty times were not generous, to the contrary GM along with weak management they would just about violate (to say it mildly) you everytime. I felt what was happening at Ford with their warranty time reduction that the "General" was waiting in the shadows to see what would happen and possibly follow in Ford's footsteps. I left that store about year before they (GM) had filed for bankruptcy. The rest is history.

[@donnatalielucasheimbigner7598]

GM wasn't any better about warranty work, at least in the 80s & 90s. They would take the average time to complete the job i on a brand new, never driven vehicle & add between 0.3 & 0.5 hours to it. They automatically assumed that anybody doing the job could do it in the same amount of time as the guys in the factory shop with specially designed tooling & parts racks & everything on the spot. The other mystifying labor rate standard was paying no more than 0.5 hours for diagnostic & wire/terminal/connecter repair time, no matter what. This was in 1989 when much of the car was becoming more of a rolling computer network & the OE training was still catching up to the engineering. It had sort of bred the issues with line mechanics "throwing" the common parts at the cars because they got paid the 0.3 diagnostic time AND the part replacement time together. I am not saying it was a good practice, but a person with an outside viewpoint could see why it was more of the norm than not, especially since I had taken about a year & half of full-time college credits learning how it all worked & these guys had been given the 3 or 4 hour Mr. Goodwrench gloss over.

[@roberthirshfield3571]

I was a ford dealership tech for Lincoln mercury from 1979 to 2000 then ford dealer till 2017 earlier years where great the last years really suck

[@mollybaumann415]

The pushrod Cologne v6 is one of Ford's all time great workhorses. I have a 4.0 with 420k on it that runs like a top. Adding that Micky Mouse overhead cam setup is one of Ford's all time great blunders. To make matters even worse, in the 4WD trucks, they added a 4th timing chain to drive a balance shaft. On an engine that never really had balance problems in the first place.

[@donreinke5863]

The V-4 Cologne engine, used in SAAB vehicles also had a balance shaft. Bellhousing pattern is the same as all other Cologne engines.

[@kenleppek]

And that stupid little balance shaft chain doesn't come in a "complete" timing set.

[@user-sk1lk9hk5m]

Yes, great engine, surely. My daily runner is '91 Explorer Sport, .030 bore, ported heads, 410-8 CompCams cam, 2.5" stainless exhaust, 66mm throttle and 73mm C&L MAF with 24lbs injectors, HV oil pump and upgraded rocker arm shafts, so no more damn pushrods clatter. And of course, the A4LD and 5R55 hybrid tranny, built by myself. No more overdrive fails, no more blown out front seals etc...

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Remember there is a OHC cologne that is a turd, found in 2000+ exploders/sporttracs

[@shadowopsairman1583]

Thats a Reason why LS is popular choice, simpler Design. Hell the 262 Vortec 4.3 is by far a more reliable engine with a balance shaft.

[@loutruckmd]

Dude, I am so glad it is not just me. I have been a mechanic since 1975. My dad owned an automatic transmission shop, in Ridgewood Queens. I worked there, and I absolutely loved doing it. I lived and breathed cars. Fast forward 48 years, I am 60 now. I retired two years ago. I can't entertain working on cars or trucks anymore. Nothing was too big or complicated for me to do. Now, I don't even care about it anymore. I bought a new Camaro four months ago. I haven't even opened the hood , I just don't care. If it stops running, back to the dealer it will go. My garage is setup as an auto repair shop. I just go in there to get soda from the refrigerator that I have in there.

[@LongIslandMopars]

Cool. I think Merkel Racing originated in Ridgewood before moving to the Island.

[@tn2mich]

Truth. Sad

[@mrkultra1655]

Thanks Tony. I’m a service writer at an independent auto shop in Western MA. The last time we did timing chains, phasers, and all that BS on one of those, about 2 years ago, it ran about $4,500. The next one, we went with a rebuilt longblock from a local Ford dealer, ended up being cheaper, and with a 3 year, unlimited mile warranty.

[@reubenmiller7988]

This is a man who has lived and learned. Everyone needs a home shop whether it brings in cash or not

[@robertjohnson4401]

I relate to this entirely. I worked as a mechanic 40 years ago on 60s and 70s cars. A family member had a 2007 Toyota V6 that needed a serpentine belt replacement. There is about 1-2 inch clearance between the pulleys and the body. I looked at it and just shut the hood. I eventually did get up the nerve to tackle the job. You have to pull a lower plastic cover to get at the crankshaft pulley and power steering pump pulley. Needed to get the special tool to relieve the tension on the belt. You have to angle the belt to get it between the body and the pulleys. You had to get the belt on some of the pulleys by feel as you could not see because your own hand is in the way. My thoughts went back to the early 70s Monte Carlos where you could stand in the engine compartment with the fan shroud backed off when replacing the fan belt.

[@BastardX13]

Can relate. You must channel the spirit of Houdini for some tasks. Just replaced power steering pump on 05 cadillac deville. Transverse Northstar v8. Serpentine looks impossible. Old belts fine. Closed the hood...

[@HSSSS-nq7pj]

😂 I had a 71 Monte Carlo with a 454. Funnest and easiest car to work on.

[@kenleppek]

Lol those Monte Carlos had a fan shroud that looked like a 55 gallon drum cut in half.

[@Broken_Yugo]

That's just how they all are now, you get used to it and the tool is cheap. I can swap most in a few minutes, maybe 10 if it's cold and the hydraulic tensioner is tight, those you have to lean on a minute to get them fully compressed and give enough slack to fit the fresh tight belt over the last pulley. These modern EDPM belts last like 10 years anyway.

[@MattsRageFitGarage]

I did a timing chain and water pump job on a relatives 2012 GMC terrain with a 2.4L last summer. I was sitting criss cross on top of the camshafts to get the exhaust manifold removed to change the water pump. The exhaust manifold also wound up being cracked and the new one needed the corner of the flange ground down to fit the block. I met the book time on all that work of 16 hours, but man, I have no desire to work on those to that level ever again.

[@P46345]

"You know engineers, they love to change things." - Dr. Bones McCoy

[@termonostruman]

they told them , do something that cant hold 5 years,a nd they do it.. well it looks like..

[@termonostruman]

Do we have real engineers nowadays??

[@detroitjc]

my mom had a ford explorer with a v6 that needed a timing chain . the chain was in the back of the engine. genius idea!

[@coalheatefm1157]

Left bank OHC is driven off the front timing chain, Right bank driven off the rear chain. A jackshaft replaced the camshaft, that drives the cam chains and the oil pump. Engine has to come out to replace the rear chain assembly.

[@steveanderson9290]

You had me laughing my ass off at your account of trying to motivate yourself to work on that Ford. I've had what was going to be a simple job on a old John Deere Gator in my garage for a month now, and every time I touch that thing the job grows exponentially. it started with having to remove the entire roll cage in order to free up a piece of plastic I needed to get under, and it's just gone downhill from there. I'm pretty sure getting a root canal would sound good compared to getting back to work on that thing.

[@scotcoon1186]

Peterbilt radiator. It's held in a frame by 8 pins. And blocked from lifting out by a cross brace, and every nut welded inside said frame. What could be a 1 man half hour swap, is a 4 man hour and a half job, to save ⅝ inch of space between the grill and engine.

[@jeffduncan9140]

Compared to being totally unmotivated to complete a job where "the deeper you get, the deeper you get", yeah a root canal is relaxing and interesting.

[@donnatalielucasheimbigner7598]

Kind of like removing the outer fender to get the inner fender out so you can change the blower motor on an air conditioned Camaro or Fire Chicken. Or doing the same to change the shocks on newer pickups of a certain brand, or an entire cab to work on the turbo network of another. Things are actually getting insane because the factories are getting to only care about how to get the things together & less about how to fix them. Consumers need to blow up the emails of their District Managers & POSSIBLLY it will get better.

[@denniswaterman3982]

@@scotcoon1186 A 2012 Chev Impala 3.6L v-6 Radiator and thermostat same B.S..

[@denniswaterman3982]

@@donnatalielucasheimbigner7598 You can definetely tell that the engineer who drew up/designed the vehicle, had zero concern about what the mechanic was going to have to do to repair it.

[@erikstrawn3885]

Wow, I'm so glad you shared that story. Back in 1998 I got my associate's degree in auto repair and I worked in a Nissan dealership. I loved working on cars, but the environment was poisonous. I left the auto industry and went to work turning wrenches for the military. I've always felt like I was something of a failure as a dealer tech, and there are certainly days where I've looked at a job and had to build my motivation. Now I have a desk job and when I get home I can turn wrenches on my cars as much as I want, and I don't get nearly as frustrated. I'm glad it's not just me.

[@shaggydogg630]

Don’t feel as a failure as a dealership tech. The way it’s set up one has to go so fast and pray it’s right. It’s soul sucking. Dealerships just want money money money.

[@donnatalielucasheimbigner7598]

Nope, not just you, and, as I said above, it seems to be getting worse.

[@embreesmith7613]

@@shaggydogg630 not to mention the Service Writer giving the profitable jobs to friends, sticking the other techs with jobs like engine removal

[@shaggydogg630]

@@embreesmith7613 you know it… there was a saying… the less you know the more money you make as well.

[@embreesmith7613]

@@shaggydogg630 true !!! Money is made by turning simple jobs over quickly NOT by changing the 4 Timing Chains on certain Fords

[@richardstanley8460]

Great story Uncle Tony! I enjoyed working on my cars in my youth. Now my cars go to the dealer. The simplicity of 50 year old cars, when the owners manual told you how to service your own vehicle. Now, new car manuals warn the driver not to drink battery acid...

[@donreinke5863]

Thats exactly why my newest vehicle is 39 years old.

[@PorscheRacer14]

Yah, a couple timing chains or DTC faults on a modern vehicle could get a mechanic to drink the battery acid...

[@KI4UJO]

This is week one as a service advisor, for many similar reasons. I started in the industry at a small shop doing primarily BMW motorsports, then went to a Ford dealer after getting my AAS in auto tech. There were a lot of promises made about how great their retention rate was, how they always made sure their employees were taken care of, etc... then came the warranty engines. Many, many warranty engines - to the point that most techs refused to do them. On average, doing one properly took probably 20-25 hours, but warranty paid somewhere from 10-14 depending on the car. One day, our shop foreman (an older tech who retired from turning wrenches after a heart attack) was at a medical appointment... the management called a meeting to announce that the shop was turning away all general mechanic work until we would do engines at warranty pay. My bay was near the service drive - it was quite surreal to watch customers drive in, enquire about a routine job, then have our porter turn their car around so they could drive back out. I quit two days later. Easily the most amusing part was that management was shocked when I quit - they couldn't understand what they had done wrong. This particular dealer was technically family owned, but now run by the grandson of the founder. He and his dad came up through hard work and growing the business - according to the older guys in the shop, they personally opened the place up every day and did whatever needed to be done to help out when they were busy. His grandson had an MBA and was only there Friday morning. Tried my hand at running my own operation, but that is very challenging as a young guy with not a lot of resources. Now that is a weekend thing while advising full time - even with only one week in, I can tell it was the right decision. I don't miss having coolant down my shirt at 8am.

[@garyspaun5237]

Tony thank you for sharing such a personal story. We're so grateful to have you.

[@BigBing1987]

The SOHC version of the ford 4.0L is partial proof to me that some ford engineers wifes cheated on them with some mechanics and they made it a personal vendetta to ruin any mechanics life who has to work on 2000 and later fords. The 4.0 SOHC, the 5.4/4.6 3 valves, the 6.blow power stroke, the Zetec 4 cylinders, the 3.0 duratec, all evolutionary engines that took solid reliable designs and absolutely ruined them with the most assinine engineering ever.

[@greggc8088]

That 3V Triton paid for my second house.

[@termonostruman]

its not a mechanic problem, its a client problem they buy garbage. and they ahve to apy for it

[@FedUpCanuck]

Sounds like me when they brought all the smogger engines and a million vaccume hoses pumps etc. On top of that electronics for every thing.

[@garyshinn4626]

My brother has a very similar story. He worked at his shop rebuilding 50 engines a year . When all the new computers and such came out in the mid 90s. he started working on farm tractors and road tractors for a dealership. Then retired after working 20 years on school buses for a school district. Now he buys and fixes smaller outboard boat motors, if he wants too.

[@matthewbegin3462]

I lost my rear on a explorer of that era. I agreed to replace the door hinges as a side job. Then I found out the dash had to come out to do the upper hinge.

[@theronash7269]

I keep hearing about late model Fords and what a nightmare they can be. Backward steady bearing so you have to buy a whole new drive shaft. Insanity.

[@viktorhardindyrvold4234]

Things like that makes you just wanna get the sawzall out

[@drippinglass]

Damn! 😂

[@outlawbillionairez9780]

I bought the $30 heater core for my '98 F150. Found out why the shop labor was $800 for the R&R. And it takes 2 guys to do it. 4 years without a heater, then a can of K-Seal, a couple years ago, and I drive it every day.

[@Ggreg1962]

You mean Exploder

[@terryheimerl8674]

Uncle Tony, I can relate to this story and it brought back memories and delivered a kick of reality. I am a ford nut and the biggest trouble was getting a plug spanner with a hex nut in built to make Cleveland plug changes a little easier. Move on to today. I drive a 2001 Mitsu Triton ute with a v6 (6G72). It needed new plugs and leads. Hold on, the timing belt was way too old and some lifters leak down overnight. To do a plug change you disassemble the intake manifold to get to the plugs and leads. Then proceed to disassemble the front of the motor to do the timing belt! The old cars didn't need the timing chain replaced every time you changed plugs and a lazy plug change took less than an hour and a couple of cans of beer. Isn't modern machinery just wonderful!!!

[@wheels-n-tires1846]

Totally get it!!! When I decided my Navy electronics background and my tv/VCR shop was not what I wanted to do, that I wanted to turn wrenches- I thankfully had friends that talked me out of it. They urged diesel/heavy equipment instead. Thanks guys, it was a great choice!!! Back then things were fairly simple, there was minimal computerization, and you didn't need a truckload of new specialty tools every year. Of course now all the computers and smog equipment have changed that, but I left it all behind at just the right time. Now I just maintain a small fleet of gas pickups and trailers, and work on my own old Mopar stuff when I can. My fairly recent foray back into performance/old cars after a decade off started with the 90s Mitsu/ Dodge Stealths. After building a few, I'm pretty competent on them, BUT, it showed me that choosing the semis and heavy equipment path was definitely the right choice!!! Being a generic car mechanic starting in the mid 90s-on would have probably been a nightmare!!!

[@mostlyoldparts]

And by the way.... I really enjoyed the podcast days. It was a blast workin' with y'all.

[@benji7001]

Replacing heater core on any modern car and you have to remove the dash to remove and replace . Replace the core in my 86 Iroc z without removing the entire dash but was not able to get the last fastener on the heater box when buttoning everything up. Oh well, took me about two hours and works fine. Total cost 35 dollars and couple of my time vs 1200 dollars at the dealership. I think i can live with three out or four bolts on the heater box.

[@davestarkey7519]

And that's why I only have a home shop and work only on my own mopes. The fun exits when you start repairing other people's messes.

[@Impactjunky]

One day a friend brought his wife's little compact over to get me to change the battery. I told him it would take me about 5 minutes. It ended up taking several hours and I couldn't believe it when I finally looked up the solution online and had to pull the wipers and the cowl panel off the car just to get to the battery!!!

[@Broken_Yugo]

I think anybody who's done shadetree work on the side like that has had one of those jobs. Mine was an invitation to split an engine R&R in one of those AWD turbo Mitsubishi Evo cars, around a 2010 model IIRC. As it turns out this was a 2 day, 2 man job, one way, without a lift to pick the car off the front subframe, we had to take it out the top with an engine hoist, trans and t case attached. That didn't quite bump me down to only doing car work for close friends and family, but I think it got the ball rolling.

[@Grumpy-sy7wr]

Kudos to you Tony, getting yourself into business, looking after you. I probably could have, I was probably good enough, but absolutely lacked the courage and confidence, so for my entire life, worked for someone else. I get the newer cars vs old thing. An engine mount swap on a Neon, or the serpentine belt tensioner swap on an Odyssey, both longer and more complicated jobs than a head swap or clutch on my old Valiant. Give me a 'big' job on an older car any day, over swapping a $30 part on a newer one. Love your work, and you doing the right moves at the right time, is what's gotten you where you are today. Great stuff.

[@MT-rc3gn]

Awesome story UT. you're a role model for us younger generations, for sure.

[@chrishensley6745]

Tony ..you nailed it my friend....reason why this is the best down to earth/real channel on you tube....I am in the same boat as a mechanic but if people had to work on what they drove....shoo Lord diff. story man.

[@johnmurraycompton569]

Great story. Love hearing the history of how people end up where they are.

[@edge2sword186]

My thoughts are that engineers do not have to repair their creations . They look at the job as a project that needs to be done their only interest is finishing the project . If they really cared they would have built stronger components and better oiling systems into their performance projects but somebody above them wanted to keep costs down . We had to learn through their mistakes , Tony .That's why we made our own parts when we needed to go faster and last longer .

[@Meche697]

As an engineer ... NO! Rules, regulations, and planned obsolescence. Technology has enabled design to last "just long enough".

[@NBSV1]

At the end of the day there’s no benefit to them spending the extra engineering money to make stuff good to work on. It’s cheaper to just make it work and not worry about maintenance or repair down the road. Especially since it makes more money for dealers if people have to bring the cars back in for service. Warranty stuff does cost the makers, but they’ve cut that payout down to below the minimum.

[@Meche697]

@@NBSV1 In addition, it's also cheaper to do what @UTG is going. Pull the engine, replace, make $$$ remanufacturing the old one at a shop. Buddy just went through this scenario and we think the manager wanted his car. Found an actual mechanic and had his hydro locked engine repaired.

[@dole8001]

Somewhere an engineer lost his wife to a mechanic

[@Ben-Wah]

Many moons ago, I ran into a guy who worked on the GMC assembly line. Was talking with him about the nearly unserviceable vehicles and why did they do that crap? He basically told me that it wasn't about designing for ease-of-maintenance; it was all about ease-of-assembly.

[@mudduck754]

4.0 overhead cam exploder engine? Did one, from there on out my brother did those. It was less costly than one of my fits where I start throwing wrenches.

[@briane.5656]

Hey Uncle Tony, found that story highly entertaining. It happens that out in my driveway next to the '70 Sweptline is a '94 Exploder Sport, 2dr with the 4.0 Cologne and 5 speed. Bought it not long ago, it was cheap, and it's needed quite a bit of work. But everything I've had to do has been so easy! Last thing was changing the heater core. I've never had one so easy to change, just four screws, pull off the cover, and out it comes. Admittedly it's a little tighter under the hood than I'm used to -- the Sweptline has so much room I could sleep under there. But kudos to the Ford engineers back then who actually gave a patootie about being able to work on them. See you tomorrow!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

That,and they weren't trying to stuff 10 pounds of electronic trash in a 5 pound bag ✌️

[@kenleppek]

That's a good little explorer. Still a pushrod motor. Hang onto that one.

[@paulz5531]

Engineers were so preoccupied with whether they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.

[@rcnelson]

I'm a one-percenter on this channel, a mechanicking clod who's still interested in engines. I sympathize entirely with Uncle, because even in my complete ineptness I was able to pull the gas engine out of my 70-year-old tractor, press out the cylinder sleeves and O-ring the lot. I couldn't and don't even think about fixing more modern engines. I'll say this though: overhead cam engines have fewer moving parts and are more efficient than pushrodders. Most of the motorcycles I've owned were cammers and didn't appear to be any more difficult to work on than the push rod engines. In fact the Brit bikes I owned required substantial engine tear down to do cam work, unlike the overhead cam engines. I'd say that Ford's approach to OHC engines was just poor engineering, not anything innate.

[@robertlessel5025]

Every auto manufacturer , Chrysler GM ,Ford & all the European , Oriental & others has done this type of nonsensical changing thru the years , not just Ford.

[@Rembrant65]

I had a 93 Ranger too. 4.0 5 speed. Had it for 23 years and 230K miles. Solid truck.

[@yeahitskimmel]

Nothing more secure than knowing you can always fall back on fixing things, I liked "it's my social security"

[@paulhare662]

The Great White North comedy classic "Strange Brew" is now free on You Tube. A truly marvelous gift from our Canadian neighbors. This has been a public service announcement.

[@dalewarriorofthesea3998]

Great Story Uncle Tony Independent thinkers with drive and flexibility of thought always land on there feet Credit to you

[@erscustoms911]

Dd speed shop dd speed shop Also zip ties and bias plies and deboss garage!!! Your welcome ae!!! 😂

[@clutchkicker392ison5]

The lack of inflated ego is ONE of the many things that make ur show one of the est on the net . Cheers

[@creepingjesus5106]

Thanks for that. I actually felt a little void open up inside me at the mention of the Explorer. We had them over here, they didn't sell well, and 20+ years on there's none left on the road. The salesmen loved them, they were great for a bit of presence in the showroom, but they never had to work on the damn things. There was a guy on a car forum here tackled an engine overhaul on a cheap one, and I'm pretty sure it broke him. He was an experienced and capable mechanic and engineer, and the last I heard he was muttering stuff about 'never seen anything like it ' while it dissolved slowly on his drive...

[@kenleppek]

That sounds about right. One forum I read before tackling my first one said these motors were alien technology sent down to destroy humanity.

[@williampetsch1244]

lol crazy story is right U T. I’m sitting here watching this meanwhile I have a 2010 Ford ( Exploder) Sport Trac with the overhead cam 4.0 V6. Love the story, keep it coming and thanks for keeping it real

[@waynebake1123]

As soon as I heard you start talking about timing on a modern 4.0 ford I knew the rest of the story.

[@dartvader9939]

The pushrod 4.0 was a great little engine

[@EffequalsMA]

Imagining DD in Ninja suits sneaking into your bedroom to nick your Timex is hilarious. The Cologne V6 in pushrod form had issues early on with fibre timing gears spitting teeth and crashing the engine. So, it didn't take OHC to total it. However, you're right on the whole, a solid, simple engine, very well made.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Reminds me of an old saying by a wise man. If it smells like fish,make it a dish. If it smells like cologne,leave it alone.

[@forthwithtx5852]

Not a big fan of fish either.

[@theeoddments960]

Okay what’s the story of đi speed shop again? Never heard of why the spotlight is on him

[@EffequalsMA]

@@theeoddments960 DD is a fellow Canadian KZbinr. Look up his channel, DD Speed Shop, it's great stuff.

[@kenleppek]

@@theeoddments960 greasy Canadians... Nah. The dude does some cool stuff.

[@2packs4sure]

I had a black 1992 Ford Ranger SuperCab STX 4.0 5 speed,, loaded,, loaded,, loaded,, and I would KILL to be able to go out buy a new one again.. I loved that thing !!!

[@anthonyjackson280]

It's the German disease. "Why use 3 simple parts when we can design 5 complex parts, each with 2 sub-assemblies to do the same job?" The channel 'I do Cars' recently did a teardown of a blown Audi V-10. DOHC, the timing drive was the same - a chain driving 2 others, 1 per bank + cam phasers - and all driven by the back side of the engine at the flywheel/harmonic balancer. Not to mention the layshaft coming forward to drive the coolant pump and (water cooled) alternator. Yup, the alternator was in the engine coolant circuit. Virtually any engine service required dropping the engine.

[@Broken_Yugo]

I used to know a Ford engine engineer a few steps up from entry level. He was full of stories of bad decisions like the OHC 4.0, and various neato projects that were never allowed to go anywhere. Cross flow 300 I6, proper modern big block development (not sure if any of that made it to the new 7.3), etc.

[@fastinradfordable]

I love you uncle Tony either way. -the crazy guy that stopped by with the cute dog in the tan rabbit pickup with the intercooler inset into the hood. Legend forever. Beyond any media type or fad. Uncle Tony IS 💪

[@rescuedandrestoredgarage]

Great video brother I am so happy you made the KZbin thing happen.

[@7t2z28]

Ford did all that to the 4.0 for a slight gain in emissions and mpg. Thanks gov't.

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

The cat converters devour everything that can burn anyway and reduces nox to the point egr is unnecessary, ohc is no benefit.

[@7t2z28]

Cats are not the end all be all emissions solution. Many modern cars still have EGR, and emissions are barely passable even with variable valve timing available now. CO and NOx are reduced by cats, but the CO becomes CO2, another by product limited by regulations. A cam on the head can allow engineers to use faster ramp rates on exhaust and intake opening and closing. Also, two cams can allow more precision in valve timing than a single valley cam, that all allows for better combustion, scavenging and overall performance. The end product was a mechanical nightmare and only a marginal improvement. Uncle Tony summed it up nicely as usual.

[@deanstevenson6527]

As a Ford guy who does Toyota maintenance, I have waited for the full retelling of this. 4.0 SOHC 4WD Explorer timing chain gear replacement and timing guides. I identify as "My God, Why did the do it this way SOHC Stoopid". 32 hours if your lucky...Torx tools, engine and total transfer case removal and complicated plastic EECIV parts. My RAV4.1 3SGE AWD, same Crazy Schtook. Why, WHY, W-H-Y-?-?-?.

[@flinch622]

A schmuck who learned how to use autocad, and has no engineering sense/never turned a wrench. That, and every damn thing is disposable these days... they call it going "green" I suppose? So stoopid is probably being managed by idjit, and the rest is history. Look at the writing styles of the 30's vs today. Then, a manual or book probably focused on theory of operation. Today... its scattershot, with checklists that may or may not be properly vetted. I'd say 3 of 4 troubleshooting checklists have holes big enough to drive a bus through.

[@edwardspaccarelli5944]

Engineers hate us, I guess.

[@mikesr3407]

The same engineer's that made gas cans what they are today designed the oil drain for our new excavator at my work ! I shoved a half broken piece of lathe into drain plug since we don't have ( special Tool ) to drain effing oil ! 😂

[@SmittySmithsonite]

I call this, "Asshole engineering".

[@mph5896]

When I started seeing people work on Toyotas on KZbin, my mind was BLOWN AWAY. I was like, come on. It can really be that easy🤣 I am seasoned on junk like 5.4 3v, 3.5/3.7 Ford

[@jimmy_olds]

My buddy was a Ford dealer tech back in those days, he got so good at 3.8L V6 head gaskets the engine occasionally was still warm as he’s bolting it back together. He eventually got burned out, moved to wilderness Michigan and became an ATV and snowmobile mechanic lol

[@u121921]

I bought a 95 Cougar for $250 in 04 after one of those gasket scammers had done it . Owner sold it because it sucked more coolant than before the work . Those guys only unbolted 1 head from the intake and then used the hoist to lift the intake and other head to swap the gasket and then do the gasket on the loose head before bolting it all back together with all the crap falling into the cylinders and lifter valley when they used the flat part of a body file to clean the surfaces . The guy really screwed up on this one because the rear edge of the right head gasket got bent over preventing the fire ring from sealing off the water jacket . I heard it was retorqued multiple times before the lie about all the heads crack was told . I tore it down with much effort due to the half ass dealer tech work . actually had to use a sawsall to remove the exhaust pipes since there were no flats on the fasteners due to rust . had to use a 6 foot fence post on the breaker bar to remove the right side head bolts . the front dowel was bearing holding the head position because the rear was mangled by the bent edge of the head gasket . Also the H pipe was bent out of shape due to the exhaust remaining attached to the heads which were spread by the hoist and johnson bar to access the gaskets . it was sad because the car was showroom perfect .Owner should have spent the extra grand for the 4.6 . I still see the V8s running these days with completely rusted away bodies .

[@frankglasgow]

I quit cars and did ATV and sled stuff too. For five years. Had to go back to being a mechanic for another 4 years and now I do autoglass. Work on cars again as a hobby and extra income now.

[@jimmy_olds]

@@frankglasgow nice! I was a bodyman for years and did basic mechanical stuff (like suspension, brakes, exhaust) on the side. Now it’s just for the hobby…

[@charlesdyer2376]

I Was in the body shop business most of My adult life , and had a story along those same lines , cars today are through away items !

[@clevejason]

Tony such a great story thank you. It’s the little things that are the biggest we just don’t see it at the time

[@michaelmurphy6869]

Tony that's a great story. I can see why that engine changed your life. I heard a many horror stories about those engines and their timing chain issues. Never did that job, but had did maintenance repairs on those engines and that was good enough for me. Anyway Tony keep up the great videos and im looking forward to following you on that 4.0 engine rebuild series.

[@NYPATRIOTBX]

I worked for Ford, between 04 and 07, we used to call ford explorers “exploders”nothing but problems with the sohc 4.0 motors

[@jamesford2942]

I quit wrenching for a living at 29. Transverse front wheel drive put the nail in the coffin. Modern cars are designed to go down the assembly line as fast as possible, with no care whatsoever about the guy who has to work on it. Whoever thought that requiring you to lift the cab off to change spark plugs should have that same cab dropped on their head.

[@Carstuff111]

You had that happen with a Ford Explorer. I had that happen with modern VWs. I nearly stopped working on my own car and my friend's cars because of those pieces of crap. But once I got away from VW, I enjoy working on my car, my roommates' cars and a few friends' cars again. I will never understand complication for the sake of it.

[@44070Swinger]

I can relate with you on this Tony, I did one and ONLY one timing set on a 4.0 in an Explorer. Absolutely NEVER again! What an absolute nightmare!

[@embreesmith7613]

Still have my first Roll-a-Way, a Crapsman .. At home... Can work outta there anytime

[@scotts7427]

Ford, the better idea!! Remember those commercials!! Great video Tony as always👍

[@jeeppower4871]

I can’t wait until you work on the jeep I 6 Engine! Especially once you start on the spicy build! I’m very interested in both the stock rebuild and the modified build. I’ve been collecting parts for a stroker build for a while and I’ve already done a bunch of simple upgrades to my 91 xj. I did the Exhaust header and built my piping to a magnaflow muffler, 4 hole Bosch injectors, horse shoe intake and throttle body that I ported, mechanical fan delete replaced by a Ford Taurus electric fan, high output ignition coil and I have a Ford 8.8 rear axle with a posi that I still have to install along with the wj knuckles and dual diaphragm wj brake booster and complete power stop brake kit. I have a lot of other parts also. But long story short I want to build a healthy stroker and eventually turbo it. I love your videos. Input from a seasoned mechanic is priceless thanks

[@DrShankenstein]

Great story! I loved every second of it!

[@markdowns1]

Happened to me to UTG. So I became a Plumber. Nothing has changed in 5000 years basically

[@stevelemmen7048]

Yes Tony. I've seen this mentality in every aspect of life. People keep effing with everything till it doesn't work anymore.

[@kenleppek]

Sad part is that whole timing mess can be easily avoided. When you first hear a few seconds of chain rattle on a cold start up you can just replace a $40 dollar tensioner that threads into the side towards the back of the right cylinder head. Super easy compared to changing chains. The longer you let it rattle the more the chain slap wears the guide on the rear cassette and before you know it you send the chain through the valve cover. Oh and by the way.... There's NO timing marks or keyways ANYWHERE, hence needing a stupid expensive tool to set the timing.

[@coreycl2864]

Yup......nothing like pulling a engine to do a timing chain job....at least I can do that job without pulling the RH head off. Around 2004 that engine went to "5" chains total..... 🤯

[@vandalvetteworks8008]

Nearly 11 minutes of Tony making me beyond thankful that my little ranger has the old school OHV 4.0, lol

[@kenleppek]

That's a good little truck. Keep it up and it'll never let you down.

[@vandalvetteworks8008]

@@kenleppek Thanks, I definitely plan on keeping this old girl on the road. Runs like a Swiss watch and I've driven numerous times between Phoenix, Arizona and Walnut Creek, California with it without even a second thought. It's one of the last of Ford's good trucks, in my opinion

[@kenleppek]

@@vandalvetteworks8008 I'm currently daily driving a 24 year old ranger. 2wd but it only has the 3.0 engine. Still a good truck. I live in Michigan so I get to play in the snow. My work truck is a 2022 GMC Canyon 2wd and although it's a nice truck I'll take my ranger any day over the GMC. That Canyon is like riding a bicycle on ice when the roads get bad. The thing is all over the road when it's slippery.

[@grosseileracingteam]

Grew up the same time as Tony in Detroit. Used to love wrenching. I knew the good times were ending when a perfectly good 400 Chrysler came into our shop running badly. Popped the hood and it said something about a "Lean Burn System".New cars suck!

[@donreinke5863]

We used to strip that happy horse shit lean burn and use an older Carter or Holley on Mopars as well as the earlier distributor with vacuum advance.

[@grosseileracingteam]

@@donreinke5863 Now there isn't even a key lock on passenger doors. GEEEZE! New cars suck! Remember the GM 4,6,8 setups?

[@donreinke5863]

@@grosseileracingteam That Cadillac disaster is why I dont ever want variable displacement engines in my cars. We pulled one of those things out of an 81 Sedan deVille that dropped a valve and stuck a 500 in it from an old 75 Caddy I had sitting around. It pegged the 85 mph speedo in no time and just kept on accelerating, Im fairly sure it was going over 125 when I finally got off the throttle. Theyve been doing that crap with door key locks for a long time. My daughters 99 Grand Cherokee doesnt have a passenger side key .

[@philrollick2190]

Loved this story......Guy from my old neighborhood - became a mechanic at the local ford dealer, told me long ago to only buy vehicles with the push rod engine

[@shrek_428]

I've got the 3.0L Vulcan in my Ranger, I avoid the 4.0L and the Essex's (3.8, 3.9, 4.2L) like I avoid a $10 hooker. You know you're gonna catch a world of pain from either one.

[@JamesSterling]

GM did a similar thing as Ford. One of the best engines GM ever made was the Buick 3800 V6. Bulletproof, decent power, and good gas mileage. A simple pushrod V6 that probably got relegated to the trash bin of history because the government in their infinite wisdom said it couldn't meet ever stricter emission regulations. Thank God GM still makes a pushrod V8 that is simple, reliable, and powerful.

[@chrishensley6745]

Sooo True Tony...as a mechanic at a Nissan dealership...ran into one of these as a trade in in late 90,s and they ran it through the shop and oh yes...I got the work order and yes it needed the same job.....I feel your pain and why I do tuff here at the house on certain jobs....a very over engineered engine/Ford,s better idea, buddy you have been there and a veteran man.

[@Z_732]

Hahaha... UT, the absolute tirade of pure hatred for some of the newer stuffs design is mutual. And I absolutely loved the way you told it. Other than I would have used a lot more cursing in my description, I feel the exact same. Thanks for the upload!

[@mattg9958]

Folks are often amazed by the space in my 82 D150 slant six. Taking out the inner fenders and wheels during big repair work opens up the engine bay a lot. My own trucks get wiring and battery relocated off the inner fenders.

[@tomupchurch4911]

Camshaft becomes a jack shaft driven at the front by a chain driving chains in the rear where you can't get to them.Way fk'd.up.

[@buckeyejim2989]

I've been in the same FoMoCo hell.🗿💯 Lol Thanks for sharing Tony👍

[@andya857]

I feel that frustration when I look at all the stuff in my garage I bought to fix...

[@rlhuber76]

DD speed shop recommended checking out your channel. You should mess with him by saying that his shout out made your subscription numbers drop. Just doctor up a screen shot and edit the numbers. LOL. Looking forward to checking out your videos

[@120alaska]

I'm in the same spot you were. I need to decide what's next. Thought about the yt thing, maybe it's worth a shot. I pull many relics out of the bushes. Even bought a 356a for 75 bucks once. Lots of strange finds up here. We'll see. Cut from the same cloth it seems...

[@mostlymoparih5682]

Happy New Year and Happy Motoring.

[@americanpatrol4603]

Mine was a timing belt on an Acura. Took me two weeks and about 100 bucks of new tools to get the bolt out of the harmonic balancer. I still have all the special tools but I don't know why. Never touching one of those pieces of shit ever again.

[@Umwee63]

I would agree, with all the new unnecessary electronics and parts things are at the least bit of excitement. Used to LOVE working on cars now its just a pain in the butt to even get to components to replace or repair. Excellent Channel

[@GenderSkins]

I started working on car’s when I was 16, even worked in a full service Gulf gas station back in the 1980’s. My father who had been a mechanic in the Army, was the one that taught me how to work on cars. In 1987 I went off to a technical that later became an accredited college to learn to work on car’s. It was in 1988 while at college that I realized I did not want to work on cars for the general public, due to all the monkey business I was seeing from the school and other students that screwed with other students cars. Then in 1993 I worked at a full service Exxon station, and saw the BS of customers trying to scam my employer over stuff like a broken coil spring, when they had the station do an oil change. Through it all, I’ve still worked on cars privately as a shade tree mechanic. And that’s how I like it.

[@slantfish65sd]

I'm right there with you. I totally agree that four liter single overhead cam 40 engine is a nightmare. Before that single overhead cam BS they were rock, solid, reliable, good engines. Nothing wrong with them. After that they're garbage. The I worked on one in a mustang and it was a. It was a nightmare. Worst of all the owner I told them you have to get these timing chains replaced and I told him there's three times and chains on that engine. One of the back one of the and two at the front and they kept driving the car. They kept complaining of the noise of the time of change slapping the inside of the valve covers and everything like that and they just kept on driving it and it ruined all the valves on one side of the engine. I think the passenger side had no compression because it bent all the valves on that side you live and you learn

[@johnj2496]

Many times when you look back at your life how the seemingly small things kick start the biggest changes in course to our lives the butterfly affect lol

[@HoosierDaddy_]

I love it when the car companies change what works just fine for complicated disaster!

[@djcybercorgi]

Great story Tony!

[@joe-hp4nk]

The golden age of mechanics is long gone. Before the mid 80s you could open a hood and there it was, an engine with all it glory. Now you open a hood and all you see is a nightmare. Somewhere under all the plastic, hoses, and computers is an engine.

[@geebopbaluba1591]

I traded a 66 F100 Short Bed for a 1964 Dodge Polara 2 door hardtop with the 318 automatic power steering and power brakes. It seems like a really solid car.

[@johnmcdonald587]

Funny you should mention that Explorer V-6. My sister had a '97 Explorer and it was the biggest POS we ever owned. Well there was a recall on the chain tensioners and the dealership fixed 2 of them but the tensioners for the 3rd chain was back-ordered. So they actually gave her the vehicle back and scheduled the 3rd chain in a week. Well 2 days later that chain failed and lunched the engine. So Ford warranted it out and installed a replacement. And that one ran like crap. Fortunately the vehicle got totaled in an accident so that was the end of the 'Exploder' experience.

[@davidpaul5465]

Tony! That is an American story. Do not like the direction things are going in, today very few do, then take the next step of charting your own course based on the ability to honestly analyze your skills in conjunction with society to create a gig that works: Establish pride as a private citizen who serves his peers professionally making a more dynamic community that supports the integrity of our country. You cannot ask a man to contribute more than that. By the way, I enjoyed your video on prepping for a road trip and the observation of U-joints having a Ford size channel coupled with a GM size "O" Ring yielding dysfunction. I would wager that the bright idea was to save time and expense on machining.

[@Splimis]

I remember reading those 4.0s were of German design. Explains a few things.

[@scotcoon1186]

I believe they came from rover/jag. Which still explains a lot.

[@brizatCCD]

@@scotcoon1186 Nope. Nothing to do with rover. The V6s in Jags were Ford Duratecs which were based on a Porsche design I believe

[@geraldscott4302]

Boy do I understand this video. I have had a home shop since buying my first home 26 years ago. I also consider myself a mechanic. Thats mechanic, not computer technician. I started working on cars around age 10, and rebuilt my first engine, a small block Chevy, at age 14. And I mean rebuilt it, from the block up. I believe it was a 283, and came out of a 1964 Nova. It was not my car. I had the manuals, and some of the tools. I was able to borrow the rest from the local farm mechanic. He also had some machine work done for me, but I knew what I needed done. That engine was still running fine 5 years later, when the owner sold the car. But. These were REAL cars. 1950s and 1960s models. My dad always drove old beat up cars, and it was up to me to keep them going, he knew nothing about cars, and I was a total car fanatic. Again we're talking about "real" cars. At age 18, after graduating from high school, through a connection, I got a job with my home city's fleet services department, back then called "mechanical maintenance", basically as a shop rat. Lots of cleaning, running to the warehouse to get parts, and helping the mechanics when necessary. But that didn't last long. I quickly moved up. I took the initiative, applied myself, and in just a few years reached as far as I could go without getting into a supervisory job, and that is not what I wanted. I was a wrench turner, and that's where I stayed. For 42 years. I retired last year at 62, due to "political reasons" But the job changed because the cars changed. And not for the better. They became far more complicated mechanically, for no apparent reason I could see, and computers controlled everything. We had several vehicles come in every day with the check engine light on, and somehow I always wound up with those. Sometimes it was something simple, but more often than not it wasn't. I was sent to school almost every year to learn about the "new technology". It wasn't fun anymore, in fact it was a nightmare, and I'm so glad to be out of it. I can now work on my own vintage cars, and sometimes work on vintage cars for others at home. But I won't touch a late model car or a front wheel drive. Nothing with a computer, and nothing with 3 timing chains, and lots of guides and tensioners, or where you have to take either take the engine apart to do something simple like replace a starter or water pump. Many front wheel drive cars require dropping the engine/transmission out the bottom to replace common parts. I don't have a hydraulic lift. I pretty much stick with 1970s and older American cars. I will work on air cooled VWs, especially Bugs. I got into them 30+ years ago, and have owned three. Simple and easy to work on. You can pull the engine with a floor jack and a couple of jackstands. Once in a while I will do simple maintenance on a newer car, but I always research it before agreeing. Some new cars require removing the engine to change the spark plugs. On most new cars you can't even see the engine without removing a ton of plastic, and they are covered with hoses and wires. I hate the LS engine with a passion, and it actually does still have pushrods. But I won't mess with EFI. I just love those old school cast iron engines. I have also been a hot rodder and drag racer most of my life. But ONLY older American cars (and a couple of newer American cars, an '85 Camaro and a '93 S-10, that I removed all the computerized crap out of, and built normal engines for) I totally avoid anything OBDII. Oh, and I have always worn a watch. And I have destroyed what seems like hundreds of them. I wear $10 plastic Walmart watches with Velcro bands. For some reason I have always needed to know what time it was, or maybe where I was at in the day. Maybe just an OCD thing, I don't know.

[@crosscutforge4292]

Been an automotive Technician for 12yrs and I dread going to work, live for lunch and pray for 5pm. I have lost all passion for it in the last few yrs with $50k-$100k rolling computers and now the push for EV. I'm done with it and working on starting a new trade.

[@daviduglem3213]

Tony, had the 2.9 and the 4.0 Ford v6's cologne. Great motors.

[@gerardmccarthy2432]

I worked in Lincoln Mercury in 80s-95. Worked with tranny guy rebuilding Aods after the kickdown bushing recall which burned the Od band. He was doing 2 a day . He made the most money in the dealership. Came in early at 7am when porter opened up left at 4.30pm. Anyone remember that pos 88-93 continental. It drove loyal customers to Lexus. We saw it. Broken engine mounts, broken ac buttons wiring, broken outside pot metal door handles that had to be painted to match. Disaster