Some good advice, but there really isnt any need to check for bent valves - the pictures speak for themselves.

after being there and done this before, deffinately go for a replacement engine.
my engine hasnt been the same since this happened on my car, i repaired it (new head, timing gear etc) and it would have been cheaper and easier to just get another engine.

Damn straight.

<3days for EL engine transplant into EB with EL everything .. bbm, serpentine, rad, ecu.

Tis the only way to fly

My initial diagnosis of that is the cam siezed due to lack of oil, the engines inertia broke the sproket off the front and while a piston was on its way up, it mashed a valve and broke the rocker.

I could be wrong though, I've fixed a couple of VK commodores with this problem.

Recently I fudged an ED motor and broke two rocker arms. Afterwards I removed the head and lapped the valves and seats, reassembled and now its perfect, had no bent valves. I was lucky.

Geeez think its time for a new engine lol

I don't know why you guys are so quick to condem this engine! I could be wrong, but from memory I'm pretty sure the pistons cannot hit the valves on the ford 4.0lt, so there is no reason to assume they have. As I said before, the engine and engine bay look very clean, for it's age, therefore it seems reasonable to assume this vehicle was in good running condition before the damage occured. There's every possibilty that there could be serious damage, however, if you follow what I said in my previous post, this motor could be up and running for under a $200!! (If the cam's still OK, under $100)

thanks for all your help and advice guys, but by the looks of things the valve with the rocker thats snapped would have been a result of the piston coming up and snapping it clean off, nothing else would have enough pressure to do that, and plus the inside of the timing case is covered with shavings and scratches from the cam gear floating around while the previous owner was cranking the engine over wondering why it wouldnt start..

the engine is about 80-90% out right now, iv just hit a bit of a wall with the bell housing bolts (pictured below).

still price hunting.. like i said in a previous post the prices around here (newcastle) are 770, 660, 570 and 850.. there is one on ebay for 450 but it would be about 200 postage to newcastle, and my mate has found one in Victoria for the same price with about the same postage cost.. i also did a bit of a ring around in Sydney and i didnt have much luck there either so if anyone in the hunter/sydney/newcastle/port stevens etc area have a EF-EL engine then ill be your friend

anyway, on with the pictures, if anyone has any advice on a easy way to get this bastard of a bolt out that would be awesome (top of the bell housing). the only way i can think of doing it is either buying a ratchet spanner or as a mate just recommended getting a "supatool" grade spanner and bending it over.. any help would be great on this and anythign that im doing here..

Trust me, valves do meet up with pistons, the 4 litre IS an interference motor.

Those two top bolts are easy if you're under the car.

Support the trans on a trolley jack and unbolt the two bolts that hold the mount to the chassis.

Ensure the top radiator hose is disconnected before lowering the trans or you could break the top radiator mount.

Lower it slowly and you can easily reach the top two bolts if you have a few half drive extensions and a unijoint.

Sure is. Ive seen a fair few engines that have lost timing chains and every one without fail had more than half the valves bent. In this case you dont even have to wonder as the rocker arm has been broken which is a result from piston to valve contact.

Alternatively, you can jack the transmission rear up to the floorpan - you'll be able to get a ring spanner on them, reverse it so the spanner shaft is angled forward.

champion. this way worked for me, i didnt try the raising the rear of the gearbox because i only just read it 5 seconds ago.. but yeah, a whole lot of extentions and the unijoint worked a charm

so the engine is out now and on the engine stand.. ill take it apart tomorrow hopefully or next weekend to see what the damage was but untill then the hunt really begins for a new engine!

rightio well im just about to buy a EF engine, i spoke to the guy selling it and he said it will fit but ill need to switch the dizzy from my EL engine onto the EF, he said its a direct swap with no problems so im going to take his word. but just out of interest, can anyone verify this before i spend the money?

edit - double post

Yeah you need to remove all the coil pack stuff from the EF and then fit the dizzy from the EL..
you don't seem mechanically challenged so I'm sure it won't be too hard a job.

I know there's people on here that have done the conversion and can tell you whether it's simple or not