Hey guys, just about to do the head on my car what's the go with the timing chain tensioner?

Do I just remove the little plug bolt on the end or the big black bolt/housing that requires some special tool

Every thread on the topic has the entire housing removed but the gregorys just says to remove the little plug bolt and use the special tool to loosen the chain (which is what I did and it worked). By the looks of it you can just click the tensioner back anticlockwise with the tool to retension the chain... But is this the right way to do it?? I've read overtightening can stuff the motor so I want to make sure I do it properly. Any help would be greatly appreciated!! Cheers.

take all the tensioner assembly out and reset it in your hands, refit when your putting everything back together, and release with an allen key

if your removing the head, this is the easiest part, dont make it more complicated than it should, because the parts are flimsy and can become a pain to work with trying to leave it all in the block

heres a thread i started when wanted to find out how it works, all the info is there
ford-4l-and-6-cylinder-f1/timing-chain-tensioner-t59820.html

cheers, I was hoping I could do it without having to remove the retainer!!

the retainer in mine was a royal b**ch to undo because some smart curnt loctited it on previously

a makeshift tool somehow got it off in the end. They really only need a bit of blue sealant going back on, not tarzan grip

hahaha yeah tell me about it someone's done the exact same on this one! I can't get it off and don't have anything here really to make tools out of. Was thinking of hitting it with a blowtorch lol to perish the loctite as a last resort..

The tensioner in exploded view.
I use Loctite 567 Pipe sealant for the thread....and don't forget to use new 'O'rings.

 

 

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I can't get the retainer off still (ford and bursons didn't have the tool) so at the moment I'm just trying different approaches to get better leverage. I got no o rings here so once get the retainer off I'll have to reuse the old ones anyway, then put it all back together so I can drive to the shop to get new o rings, then take the whole thing apart again just to replace them which is a lot of backtracking.

I still don't get exactly why the retainer has to come out, I have the proper allen key tool and all I needed to do was push and turn the tensioner clockwise which loosened it fine, the reverse (pushing it in and turning anti clockwise) tightened it again, I don't get why I can't just tighten it like this? I've now spent 2 days trying to undo this retainer lol, mostly walking around the garage in circles looking for stupid crap to make some stupid demented ford tool.

I'm just about to put the butane torch to it to perish the loctite, lets hope the heat doesn't distort anything. I'm beyond the point of caring anymore lol $800 on a reco head would've been better off scrapping it and getting a gq patrol or something that doesn't break every 2 days.

You don't need to get the outside piece out. Lock it up to take tension off chain and leave it in. Once you have the head back on, cam and rockers buttoned down and sprocket and chain back on the cam then you can unlock it.
Put the filter back in then the center with thread sealer.
Good chance gunk and build-up wont let you pull it out easily anyway.

The sleeve assembly that the spring and other bits go into has a tiny hole in it....it is where the camchain guide rubs on in operation......there is also a fine guaze filter in there too where you remove the 14mm headed bolt/plug.

haha awesome that's a relief!! The little gauze filter is out, I had to bend a nail to make a hook because of all the gunk! I'm just about to refit the rocker gear/cam bolt and retension the chain then it should be running soon

Cheers.

argh well I was just installing the rocker assembly and in the process one of the lifter retainer thingys snapped.. they're all brittle and need replacing I just need to get to the shop. Nothing fell down the sump so no worries there I was wondering if I could maybe run the car as is/without the retainer? I've heard they're not entirely necessary and I really just need to get down the road to get new ones! Reckon I could drive it?

This is what's broken off:



tensioner


and the new head

I wouldn't drive it with that missing, it's a pivot point for contact with the valve tip....and it would rattle like hell too.

For future reference I used an angle grinder disk spanner to loosen the outside of the chain tensioner then a hammer and punch.

when i had a dip at mine, i couldnt get hold of the special tool either. A friend of mine who works at a ford dealership said they just soak the retainer in WD40 and then place a chisel on an angle and give it a good whack. After hours of trying to make up tools, i tried this method and it worked first go..... although if u can get hold of a grinder lock tool thats probably a much safer option