I apologize for asking alot of questions, and I appreciate all your time over the past week or so... I promise I won't continue at this pace, I have much work to do & places to go & I'll shortly be doing all that...

I've been reading most of this years posts trying to learn & catch up. In April this year 96_4wdr mentioned replacing the timing chain on 3.0:

I know replacing a timing chain on American V-8 engines has traditionally been cheap insurance, especially if you're replacing the water pump anyway. I had one break on a 1973 Chevy 350cid engine while it was idling in the driveway AND it bent valves too!

It appears the 3.0 has a good quality chain on real metal gears. And 100,000 miles is the life of some rubber timing belts. So I'm wondering what all you wise people's collective experience on this subject is?

******** My Knowledge about the 3.0: ********

Years ago when I bought my '94 Aero used I noticed a slight bottom end noise. After letting a number of Ford dealer mechanics listen to it I asked them generally about the engine's reliability. They told me at least 180,000 miles.

Even later when ready to replace the water pump I asked Ford techs when the timing chain should be replaced & when they usually break. They looked at each other sort of quizzically, thought for a few moments, turned to me and said they'd never seen one go bad!

I assumed it was normal that I have 253k miles on original timing set. I used my van to the full capacity of it's little engine and drivetrain. A 'Mommy Van' it was not! I did keep good oil in the engine and was careful not to beat it or abuse it.

**************************************************

Has anyone out there known a 3.0 timing chain to fail under normal use & maintenance? And while you're at it what's the life expectancy of a 3.0 in your knowledge & experience? How about the 4.0 timing chain life & overall engine durability?

Thanks for your time & replies

 

The 3.0 and 4.0 are pretty reliable. These engines have a timing chain tensioner and are basically maintenance free provided there isn't some other contributing factory which can cause a failure. Just under the timing cover is a spring loaded mechanism on more of the left/pass. side of the centerline of the cam and crank gears. You mentioned the older V-8's. Yes, I would agree as in for example my 1972 chevy C-10 with a 500 thou. 350 4 bolt main V-8. Preventable maintenance back then was to replace the timing chain and gears every 100 thou. until a very nice invention called the double locker racing timing chain came along. With this installed the one chain counteracts the other one keeping it tight. This then prevented alot of failures from normal aluminum teflon coated geared teeth from stock chains for when they became sloppy or started missing teeth you could go out and start your ride on a cold morning and have a back fire from the skipped timing and the result "POW!" Now your looking for your snickers to make it into the office.-Boz

 

Good question. I have 121,000 on my 3.0.

Wonder if the 3.0 is an interference engine. Hope not.

 

if you use it as a local rig withing 50 miles of home and not scared of a short tow home, i would run the cam chain and water pump until they give problems

i use my rig for long trips and sometimes the tow out would be $1000 up in the hills.

 

I disagree-If you have any concern about this at all which you do go ahead and tear into and change the thing out along. Preventive maintenance ----THERE IS NOTHING MORE BETTER---RIGHT! Go ahead and put in some new gears and a chain. There are aftermarket units out there that are more reliable than the factory units and of course they should be-remember-when you're Aero was made it was processed on an assembly line not really meant for the 20 year reunion we used to get with other cars.

Remove-take digital pics. in the process-document-replace-presto chango-a smaile on your face we will be able to see from here. Leave the guessing to Lotto tickets. Relax and take a sigh of relief knowing things are new an reliable not guessing if your cell phone is out of range for a tow.--GOOD LUCK

 

None of the 3.0L or the 4.0L are interference engines, so you are safe even if the timing chain breaks. As Cliff said, if you are into long trips, do it at about say 100K to 150K miles. If you are only driving around town, run it till it breaks.

 

I'm not sure if Aero timing gears are part nylon like the old days or not. These used to get brittle and break. The "advantage" was they were supposed to be quieter than all metal gears. Most problems today occur when the chain stretches. The tensioners help but they can only compensate for so much.

There are several signs that a timing chain may need to be replaced:

• rough idle;
• chattering noises from the engine;
• or difficulty starting the engine.

Maintenance tip from RockAuto

Timing Chain Stretching The engine crankshaft turns a timing chain or timing belt to spin the camshaft. Engines with worn out timing belts usually run fine until the belt breaks and the engine stops. High mileage timing chains often stretch long before they break and the engine will continue to run. A stretched timing chain might cause backfiring, loss of power, exhaust smoke, rough idle / acceleration and other problems resulting from incorrect valve and ignition timing. These symptoms can be hard to diagnose individually; is the PCV valve loose?, is the catalytic converter clogged?, is a spark plug wire bad?, is the choke stuck?, did a sensor fail?... To diagnose a stretched timing chain, use the vehicle's repair history (the spark plug wires were replaced last month); watch for ignition, exhaust, and fuel symptoms occuring all at once; listen for noise from the timing chain cover as the loose chain rattles around on the chain sprocket; and consider the vehicle's mileage.

Replace the timing chain, sprockets, and other timing components as a set to avoid prematurely stretching a new chain with an old
gear.

 

Mine has 121,000 miles and has had the rough idle for a while. Basically the tach needle moves around a lot within about 100 rpms when idling. Engine starts easy and no chattering noises other than air con compressor bearing when air is turned on.

Would a stretched timing chain cause spark knock? I had a lot of trouble with spark knock (pinging under heavy accel) for a couple years and was running midgrade fuel because of it, then retarded 4 degrees and no more knock.

 

the Aero timing gears are all steel
the idler arm rub plate is tough plastic, they do wear out plus the spring looses tension

timing chain slack test
http://www.misterfixit.com/chanslop.htm
for later OBDII electronic ign. engines use the cam sensor position or an OBDII scanner and monitor engine timing under load on hill with steady rpm and load for any changes in timing

 

That's how I did it on a friend's F150 that wouldn't start. I has been several years but I think we figured that it moved about 20 degrees before the rotor turned.

 

Boz to HandymanPLEASE CHANGE YOUR CHAIN.

High miles----?-----might go bad?
The option to change chain with new one----PRICELESS
For all others there is MASTER CARD.

Why guess at the obvious---your not the original owner right?

Well then, neither was I. I suspected it to be bad so I changed mine.

Guess what? No more worrying. I like to use my cell phone for convience, not for expensive emergencies.

DON'T DRIVE UNTIL IT BREAKS-------VERY BAD ADVICE

What are you waiting for? Call Auto Zone and place your order. Operators are standing by.

 

Here's my tuppence worth. mines done 276,000 kms, no engine rattles yet & it starts first time. A stretched chain would probably rattle right!.

The 96 has a CEL illuminated for cam position error (CMP sensor), which runs off the camshaft. I would surmise that a chain running in sealed oil lubricated system driving a bunch of springs would not be under much load & would last a long time! There is no mention of it in the Ford maint schedule, however, the Haynes manual does give a test for wear & recommends replacement if test is positive.

You might have to decide if you do the test you may as well replace the chain set !

ATB Aeroman.

 

OK Y'all thx for the response. I don't suspect the chain is bad. It has never run poorly. I'm giving the van away, as soon as I can get it's various bits sorted out. And get my heavy duty shocks & hitch off. think I'll take my new clockspring out too Evidently none responding yet have ever heard of one of these timing chains breaking. Who has ever changed theirs?? neither have I. I've never heard of one of these engines breaking, in any way that I recall.

 

With the chain tensioner in these engines, the chain will not rattle as it wears and stretches. When it does happen, it is very gradual, and the engine will slowly lose power and efficiency. Unless it gets really bad, you won't really notice unless you drove another car of the exact same type without the problem.

I had a 2.8 liter version of this engine that failed in a most unusual way. One of the springs that separate the rocker arms on the shaft broke, allowing two of the arms to slide away. I can just imagine the damage to the cylinder that had no exhaust valve opening. I replaced the broken spring, but the engine just wasn't the same afterward.

And that engine leaked like a sieve as well.

 

Dear Handyman,

I will respectfully reaply this to you

Quote:

Original Quote:

You then asked if anybody has changed their's ?

Yes, didn't you see mine reply?

I'm not trying to be a wisenhiemer. I'm just helping answering your questions as you post them. PERFECT-You decided to give the van away-COOL-nothing else needs to be addressed or said about this or any other issue with the van since it will become anothers problem-BUT-IF-........if it is to be conveyience to a family member or a friend well...