Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications 3.0L Duratec tensioner help / Mount question

I finished stripping off the parts I need from my 2.5 and I have started reassembly of the 3.0 and I have the heads on, cams on, (caps still loose) and I'm installing the timing chains right now. The issue I'm having is with the tensioner itself, the part with the pin that applies tension....etc. Anyways, I can get the pin to go in freely using my hand, and can fully compress it using a vice (per ford cd). The black ratchet type thing though that holds the pin in...I can't budge it. It doesn't move in at all and in the Ford CD it doesn't say anything helpful about it. If anyone can explain it to me, or give me a little hint, I'd appreciate it.

And for the mount that is between the heads on the front side of the engine, Does anyone have the sizes of bolts you need? I used my bolts from the 2.5 to mount it and althought they thread in and catch, they will nto tighten and torque down...I know there was a thread a month or so ago about this, but I dont have time right now, I'll search for it later tongiht. Any info is appreciated...

I used a flat head screw driver and just would go down a notch every so often with the tensioner compressing.

As for the bolts, I just ordered a short one from Bill J. The numbers are in the budget build sticky. I didn�t have a tightening problem with using the bolts from the 2.5 engine onto the 3.0L. I needed a new one because I broke one of my doing the torque spec.

can you elaborate a little on the tensioner problem? I can get the pin to go in, but the ratchet type thin will not budge whether the pin is in or out...is there something I have to do to move the ratchet part or should it be moving freely? It's weird because I never had any problems with my 2.5, it ran fine when it was pulled so I wouldn't think of anything to be defective.

cmon people, no one can tell me how they managed to get the ratchet type thing on the tensioner to go back?

There should be a small hole that you can fit a paperclip (or something of that size) into on the side of the tensioner. As you are compressing the piston (tensioner pin) push the paperclip into the hole. Once you have the piston fully compressed, if I remember correctly, you have to keep the paperclip or other object in the hole until you have mounted the tensioners. Once you have them in place and all your timing components are ready to go, release the paperclip. I think this is how I did it. It's been almost two years though and my memory may be a bit rusty. Please some one, if I'm wrong, please chime in.

Theres a catch you must move out of the way by sticking in the pin, then push it all the way in. It is hard to push. THen when it is in you put a small clip/wire/nail into the hole to hold the piston in place. I don't know what else to tell you, it is pretty obvious when you look at it.

yea war, you hit it on the head. I looked it over for about 5 minutes and just happened to try pushing the teeth inside the one hole to the side and thats what I was missing before. Pretty easy to figure out actually...Thanks for the info tho guys.