Water Pump/Phaser/Etc Job Helpful Advice or Tips

[WarrenBoostit]

Hey all. I've had the SHO beached in our shop for a bit, waiting for me and my dad to have enough weekend free time to start cracking it open and doing pump and phasers. Never saw real visible weep but the Blackstone reports kept coming each 2k miles with more coolant being detected and the phasers were already rattling so it was time.

Just started cracking it open this past weekend, and oh boy. We're by no means master mechanics but my dad especially isn't a mechanical slouch either, and still it feels like we've spent these first 5-6 hours just fighting with wire harness plastic block attachments just to get to the point where the intake is off and the coolant reservoir is out. This'll definitely take us a few weekends. That said, more and more we're starting to consider being this deep, should we just go all out and catch the other things along the way? Should we go full engine out (which sounds like a bad and too complicated for the effort idea but would make things easier)?

The SHO is at about 80k miles, and in past borescopes there seems to be some small signs of injector leak carbon buildup, as well as a rare cylinder 4 misfire. It seems wise at this point in time to just swap out injectors while we're here, but I've heard the installation process for this is very precise and doing this might add 6 more points of potential failure when we go to turn the key on again. Same feeling with carbon on the valves, it isn't miserable, but its there, and this is the most accessible its been. Even the turbos are being slightly considered given their potential to blow later on, but I admittedly haven't checked for shaft play yet to know the current condition.

Looking for your guys advice on what is worth it in this scenario and what is risky or too far without surefire issues. I have a bad habit of parts cannoning sometimes or jumping the gun on an issue too early. Also just looking for any helpful advice or tips and tricks for guys who've done jobs like this, like what to remove to make life easier, what or what not to reuse, or anything else. I've heard I may need to demount and raise one side of the block slightly for better access but I'm still trying to track all the helpful info down. Definitely looking to expand the lifespan of this engine in this work, but don't want to shrink my own in the process.

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Black 2018 SHO Non-PP | GH e30 | PPE Catted Downpipes | DG2 Trans Mount | M-12405-35T plugs at .026 | H&R Springs | XDI-35 | Fuel-it Bluetooth ethanol analyzer | GH IC | EPP Gen2 CAI | Noisemaker delete | MSD coils | EPP Hot Pipes | Black AR924 w/ General GMAX AS 05 255/45r20 | MRT axle back w/black tips

 

[Bronco2fan]

Plenty of write ups on this. It's one of those things that go, while you're in there , you might as well do it all. You only want to open it up once.

 

[kryptto]

First I would do this if it was me:

you leave the engine in the car, but you remove the passenger-side engine mount. This allows you to place a floor jack (with a block of wood) under the oil pan. You can then carefully jack the engine up and down a few inches. This gives you the clearance needed to reach the timing cover bolts that are normally blocked by the frame rail.

If there is a known rare misfire on Cylinder 4 and visible signs of leaking, it’s time. Especially if this SHO is running an E30 fuel tune or any increased boost, those injectors are being pushed hard, and a failing injector can lean out a cylinder and crack a piston.

Direct Injection injectors use teflon seals that must be resized using a highly specific tool if you are reinstalling old ones. However, if you buy brand new OEM Motorcraft injectors, they typically come with the Teflon seals already installed and sized. This eliminates the hardest part of the job. Just make sure the bores are meticulously clean before seating the new ones.

Carbon on the Valves clean them while you are there. The Gen 1 EcoBoost is purely direct-injected. Without fuel washing over the back of the intake valves, oil vapor from the PCV system bakes onto them. Since the intake manifold is already off, this is the easiest it will ever be.

Don't just scrape them dry. Turn the crankshaft so the valves on the cylinder you are working on are completely closed. Use a specialized chemical solvent (like CRC GDI Valve Cleaner) to soak the carbon, then use soft picks. If they have an air compressor, doing a DIY walnut blast with a media blaster and a shop vac attachment is the safest, most professional way to get them factory clean.

The Turbos leave them alone unless proven bad. Pulling the turbos on the transverse SHO is a miserable job due to the firewall clearance. Since you have the intake pipes off, reach in and check the compressor wheels for shaft play (wiggling up/down and in/out). A tiny bit of side-to-side play is normal (oil pressure centers them when running), but if they are touching the housing or have in/out play, they need rebuilding. If they spin freely and aren't heavily leaking oil into the charge pipes, let them be.

Timing Vhain and Guides: Stretch is common. Replace the primary chain, tensioners, and all plastic guides.
Friction Washers: This is critical. Ford uses thin, diamond-coated friction washers behind the crank pulley and cam phasers to prevent them from slipping as there are no traditional keyways holding the timing gears in place. Do not reuse the old ones. If they slip, engine timing is destroyed.
Oil Pump you are right next to it. At 80k miles, throwing a new high-flow oil pump (or at least a new OEM one) in is very cheap insurance. If the car is tuned or driven hard, consider upgrading to billet oil pump gears, as the factory powdered-metal gears are a known weak point under high stress.
Special Tools: Make absolutely sure they have the Ford 3.5L Camshaft Holding Tool (often sold on Amazon or specialty auto sites). You cannot do this job with zip-ties and hope; the cams will snap out of position under valve spring pressure when you remove the phasers.

 

[Texas Marauder]

Friction Washers: This is critical. Ford uses thin, diamond-coated friction washers behind the crank pulley and cam phasers to prevent them from slipping as there are no traditional keyways holding the timing gears in place. Do not reuse the old ones. If they slip, engine timing is destroyed.

Hogwash!! Where did you get that info? The cams have index pins which align the phasers. The crankshaft has a keyway to align the crank gear.

Special Tools: Make absolutely sure they have the Ford 3.5L Camshaft Holding Tool (often sold on Amazon or specialty auto sites). You cannot do this job with zip-ties and hope; the cams will snap out of position under valve spring pressure when you remove the phasers.

Use large heavy duty tie straps to secure the cam lock tools to the cams. The tool will try to twist off the camshaft.

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Outdoor-Plastic-Strong-Zipties/dp/B0B6WN83C5/

 

[kryptto]

Hogwash!! Where did you get that info? The cams have index pins which align the phasers. The crankshaft has a keyway to align the crank gear.

You're right, I had bad intel on that specific part. I was looking at the smaller EcoBoost platforms that use friction washers instead of a keyway. Glad the 3.5 is indexed. Crossed that off the parts list. Anyway, getting back to the tear down this weekend... Let us know how it goes @WarrenBoostit