How do I remove the synchronizer shaft. Does it just pull up? How much force is required.

 

There is one bolt holding the shaft in place. It is difficult to see, and you may want to remove some of the wires in that area. I used a 1/4" drive ratchet with a long extension and a u-joint to get it out. I think it is a 10 mm head. If you get #1 cylinder on top dead center, remove that bolt, the shaft will pull out easily. Look at the position of the open slot on the new shaft, and if you don't have the alignment tool, make sure the shaft is down in place just like it looks where the red arrow is pointing on the picture you posted. You need to start the shaft about 75 degrees ccw because of the gear bevel. When the shaft is in place, it should be turned about 45 degrees left of the engine centerline, and the interrupter should look like the picture above. Or you can get the tool at most parts stores. Hope I didn't confuse you too much. Keep us posted. It's really not too difficult. I had mine changed and working in about 25 minutes and 2 beers.

 

Hi there fellow Ford owners ...
I also was diagnosed with a camshaft sensor/synchronizer
problem. The Ford people I spoke with gave me an estimate
of about $680 for replacement claiming it was very labor intensive.

I found your excellent web forum and I noticed that member
Hreed seemed to have done the job in an efficient manner.
I have a 97 Taurus Vulcan 3.0 with 103.000 miles
Dealer Serviced at 3000 miles intervals.

I live in New York and the dealer has a shop rate of 80/hr.
When I was younger I worked quite a bit with Dodge 318 engines
but I have not worked at all on the newer engines.

I am just asking is a 680.00 price for camshaft sensor/synchronizer
replacement reasonable?? It seems high after reading HREED's
response....thanks all
George

 

Hi George, welcome to FTE!

I think $680 is too much. Even allowing for parts, thats still about 6 or so hours of labor that the dealer is claiming. I don't believe it should take a professional mechanic anywhere near that long to do the job. Estimated time that I've read around here is a couple of hours MAX, even for the DIY people.

IMO, between your Haynes Manual and the information that you can get from this forum, the camshaft synchronizer/sensor repair on your 3.0L is something that you can do yourself in order to save big $$$.

 

On my 95 Ranger 3.0, the shaft cost about $125, the sensor about $50, the special tool $35, the beer $12. It was very easy to replace, the hardest part is getting the #1 cyl exactly at TDC. It's easier with two people, one to locate the piston and one to turn the engine. It took less than an hour, so I would thing $680 is a lot to pay for the replacement.

 

Thanks guys for the info ...
I will ask my 89 year old father who when in his prime was a great
all around mechanic to look into it with me.

We did quite abit of
work with Chevy 305's Dodge 318's and the "Big 6" Ford Engine which
was in "Dads" E150 Econoline Custom Van 1986 era.

This is the first big problem I have had with the Taurus which sounded
a bit fishy ... Another Dealer tells me it takes 10 hours to replace the
heater core as you have to take the entire dashboard apart ...
So I am wondering about that now too.

I will use the pictures and all information posted in this thread and
look at the car when weather warms up ...
the check engine light has been on for about 1000 miles but the car
seems to run smooth.

My brother in law has a Ranger pickup and I will mention this site to him.
Thanks again for the information and the quick response.

good luck to all with Fords

 

Good luck with the repair.



Actually, that sounds about right, unfortunately.

 

Too Bad ... But Thanks again
I can live without the heater though.
I will let others know how the camshaft synchronizer job goes
or if I found a different delearship. I went to the same dealer for all
the servicing even though it was out of my way in order to build some
good will. The estimate on the synchronizer came from someone I met
for the first time. From this thread I will see if I get an estimate for the synchronizer
down to two hours labor + parts ....
that is OK as I know people have to make money.
Otherwise its me and an 89 yr old guy with the hood up in the driveway again.
Thanks again on heater info

 

I found that a lot of the dealers have different prices. I'm not sure why, but they do. When I was trying to find the CPS for my Ranger, one dealer said $195, the other $120. The difference was the high priced guy had it in stock, the other one had to order it. I figured that I had been looking at the light for about 2 months already, so a few more days was worth $75.

 

First time user-
Was looking for help with CMP and read about bad heater core and 10 hours labor, etc. Have a '97 ford taurus with a heater core that wasn't working and before I thought of pulling the dash, I tried to backwash out the sludge. The inlet and outlet pipes are on the firewall on top of each other. Don't remember which is which, but after a few minutes running time, the hot one is the inlet pipe. Went to Home Depot and bought adapters to step down from a garden hose to match the outlet hose up by the windshield washer tank, then disconnected the inlet hose by the intake manifold and turned the water pressure on (car turned off ,heater on). A whole bunch of rusty sludge pumped out; disconnected it all when the water was clear. Heater worked great after that! Total cost was about six dollars...
Hope it helps.

 

Thanks for the info ... I was layed off from a computer job
3 years ago so I need to conserve cash.

I am going to have the dealership that usually services the Taurus
look at the engine warning light from scratch soon ....
I want to see if they come up with the same diagnosis and similar price.

Its worth a shot ... just for me to know if dealers are ripping
me off as I may need other work on the car which I can not do.
Paying is one thing getting cheated is a different matter.

Great tip on the heater core ... If I can fix both
car will be in good shape.

George

 

Sometimes you are the bug and sometimes you are the windshield. Looks like this time you were the windshield. Glad it worked out.

 

The local dealer is telling me that I need to replace the Camshaft position sensor & Syncronizer assembly. $441.75
& Left O2 Sensor $121.66

Labor 4.1 hrs @ $90.00

Does this look fair considering I have 116K miles on my 1995 Explorer XLT?

Thanks,

Scott

 

menardrs:
That is about what everyone charges to replace these things. But it is a rip-off. I just replaced my Cam syncronizer and sensor and it wasn't that hard. They will tell you they need to remove the metal housing for the fuel-injection (if thats what you have) but I didn't. It was a little hard to get to but you can do it. Use a chair or stepping stool and access it from the passenger side. It's at the very back. I couldn't find the "special tool" so I just replaced the syncronizer in the exact position I found it. Works great.

If you don't mind a few bruises and scrapes you can do it in about an hour and save some money. See also: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=233949

 

Well, if you were in Houston I would solicit your assistance, but since I have all of a couple of screw drivers and some channel locks I think the dealer has my business.

I did manage to get a 10% discount on the parts and labor. Total for the Cam Sync and O2 Sensor $ 836.00

Thanks for the response.
Scott