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Good Mechanic for my 3L Project in JAX, FL??

E

EnoSonic

CEG'er
Joined
Aug 28, 2002
Messages
57
A little history:
I began my swap a while ago. Bought an engine from 3lduratec.com and a local mechanic and I installed it. It ran for about 100 miles after the tune. It always had a vibration issue at low rpms, and I began to work on that by replacing the standard air/fuel sensors/vac leaks etc. I didn’t drive it regularly, but on a trip to re-fuel it sounded like Satan himself was under my hood. I immediately stopped and visually inspected the engine. It still started, but not without the dark power and sound of Lucifer. I got it towed to another mechanic (as the original mechanic and I had a falling away) and they informed me that the timing chain on the front had failed. This was disheartening as I have so much time and energy invested thus far. I called 3lduratec and they offered to fix the engine, but I would have to take it out and send it to them (very understandable, they can’t fix it remotely or while in the car, duh). At that time I couldn’t justify the removal of said engine and then shipping back. So here I sit...here it sits. At one point I was going to offload this nightmare onto another who did have the time and patience needed for this swap. BUT I truly love the car and miss driving it, which is hard to say as I just bought a 2003 cobra. Even with my Cobra I miss driving the 'Tour.

So...I am wondering if anyone knows anyone in Jacksonville that is capable of assisting with the recovery of my 'Tour? Any that has experience with this swap in Jax?

Any help to get her back on the road would be helpful!!
 
EnoSonic said:
.... they informed me that the timing chain on the front had failed...
Click to expand...

Do you remember exactly what they diagnosed the problem to be? There's not really much a timing chain can do incorrectly, its just a chain, so I'm thinking maybe they diagnosed it as a bad tensioner or something?

If you can pinpoint the problem to being something like the tensioner then I would say there's still hope for that engine.
 
The scary diagnosis was that the front cam wasnt turning at all. They said the timing chain had broken and there is some internal damage. I havent taken the valve cover off to see if the chain had broken or what. That is an obvious and great idea. I will try to get a video of the car running as well as some pics once the cover is off. I also havent changed the oil to see if there is debris in it.

I feel like an idiot after this reply, but at the time of death I didnt want anything to do with this car!! Thanks for spawning new ideas. Any more would be great...
 
EnoSonic said:
The scary diagnosis was that the front cam wasnt turning at all. They said the timing chain had broken and there is some internal damage. I havent taken the valve cover off to see if the chain had broken or what. That is an obvious and great idea. I will try to get a video of the car running as well as some pics once the cover is off. I also havent changed the oil to see if there is debris in it.

I feel like an idiot after this reply, but at the time of death I didnt want anything to do with this car!! Thanks for spawning new ideas. Any more would be great...
Click to expand...

Thats interesting. If one cam isn't turning the other one on that bank wouldn't be either. So if that were actually the case you're engine would pretty much be running on the other three cylinders :confused:

The idea of a timing chain let loose doesn't paint a pretty picture in my mind of what it might look like inside...

If it's the front bank, and the engine still runs you should be able to see the cam turning (or not) from the oil filler.
 
Right, that is what the mechanic did. He peered through the oil filler. He said the cam wasnt turning while the engine was running, thus running on three cyl. I fear that the whole thing is lost! The engine will for sure need to be pulled, and tonight I will get the video and pics of my dying contour (if not already deceased)
 
I thought you were selling the car? Any mechanic that knows how to work on newer fords would be fine.

That's odd the engine still ran if a cam wasn't spinning. Are you sure this was verified correctly? There would be some serious damage and it would be making quite a bit of noise.

Did you ever try the suggestions everyone gave you in your other thread?

http://www.contour.org/ceg-vb/showthread.php?t=12380&page=3
 
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I was going to sell the car, then I slept on it. I didnt want to act rash after putting the time and money in it. So, I want to try to find a local guy that has experience troubleshooting and fixing 3L and/or swaps. My hope is that there is a forum user that is in my area that has done the swap. I guess I am at a point where I am willing to put MORE money into it if I can make it dependable again.

Yeah, I tried all the suggestions (ALL) and still had some minor vibration issues. Then this happened. I first swapped the plugs back in then changed all filters and pcv. There were no exhaust leaks, but found a vacuum leak (dont remmebr where, just that when I hit it with carb cleaner the rpms fluctuated). Trust me, I did plenty of praying too!! I considered the slight vibration to be the engine mount that was beat to crap during the removal.
 
Stop turning the motor! If the timing chain is broken & you haven't already damaged the valves(longshot), you will. If you want to get this thing back on the road that engine needs to come out & be pulled apart, & inspected for damage. I think you were saying you were in Jville FL, so post in the SE forum & maybe someone will come to your aid or make a good suggestion on a shop. SVTTour does alot of work on tours but I think he is farther south, & i'm farther north. Don't forget to keep an open mind about south GA as well, Maybe Kremit could suggest a shop?
 
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Neal,

I live in Hollywood. I am currently working on building a 3L for someone and I have built 3 other 3Ls. I may be of some assistance to you but I want to know what your plans are on this motor. Im not sure how safe this motor is especially if the chains broke. What kind of 3L is it? Pm me with details and we can go from there.

Sam
 
I would suggest that you pull the intake, valve covers and front cover off. Inspect for damage, if it's not too bad replace the timing chains and reset the timing being sure to preload the chains before releasing the tensioners. I had the same problem when I put my 3L in.
 
Off my Rockers!!

Off my Rockers!!

Finally had enough time, all of 10 minutes, to pull the front valve cover off to inspect. Pictures speak for themselves...

http://picasaweb.google.com/EnoSonic/FordContourProject3L/photo#5153212884239469746
http://picasaweb.google.com/EnoSonic/FordContourProject3L/photo#5153212884239469762
http://picasaweb.google.com/EnoSonic/FordContourProject3L/photo#5153212888534437074
http://picasaweb.google.com/EnoSonic/FordContourProject3L/photo#5153212888534437090

Maybe I will be lucky enough to not have much damage to the head...or valves.
 
That's extremely odd... I could see one roller coming out of place but 5?

Are the cam caps tightened all the way down? Also I thought you said the cam wasn't spinning when the motor was on? It would have to be spinning since the chain is still attached. Does the cam have any wiggle room? I wonder if the cam was worn and the rollers were worn. When the lobe turns maybe there was enough slack for them to fall out of place.

You can unbolt the cam caps and slide the rollers back in without pulling the chain off the cam. Just be careful not to let the chain skip a tooth. Maybe mark it to be safe. I don't see any damage in the pictures. :shrug:
 
He has done that and says that there is still some play between the rollers and lobes after everything is tightened back down. He is suspecting valve damage. Any ideas? I also found it odd for 5 rollers to just come out like that.
 
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