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N/A 5.4 disassembly question

2K views 19 replies 3 participants last post by  I like fords too 
#1 · (Edited)
ok , long story short I had to pull off my intake manifold to fix a leak at the water crossover where it mounts on the manifold

while apart I'm cleaning 20 years of slime off the motor parts and I need to ask,
can I remove the driver's side valve cover without removing the EGR tube that rises from the exhaust manifold?

the power steering resi bracket isn't an issue .. I'm simply presuming I don't wanna mess with the fittings on the EGR tube

intake is off, I left the EGR valve on the end of the tube & removed the throttle body & elbow adapter when the manifold came off

it looks like I MIGHT be able to squeak the valve cover out from under the EGR tube ..but , first time taking this all apart so I really don't know how high I have to lift the cover to get it off the head and over the camshaft & bits
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#2 ·
should be easier to put together as I'll be able to see things better ..no slime , silver intake ..white firewall ..
yep..silver 'cause smart enough to make black plastic look like silver plastic .. as opposed to trying to make it look like aluminum..which would fail..

I've got a nice can of blue ..waiting 'cause blue plastic valve covers would be nice.. along with fresh gaskets everywhere

and , IF I can get the valve cover off..the timing cover comes off next

then new timing gasket and front crank seal..

which gets me to the QUESTION..

where do I find a good quality 8 ridge underdrive balancer ?..at a decent price

a Steeda 8 ridge would be good enough IF it exists but I haven't found a listing specifically saying such , yet
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#3 ·
Spray the EGR nut on the exhaust manifold a few times with some PB Blaster.. , what a few hours. Use a large wrench.
If that don't work, add some heat.
As for the balancer, Innovate west.
Timing cover, Don't forget to put a dab of RTV at all the joints. (ie: pan, head gasket and valve covers).

Cleaning the intake manifold must have been fun, or did you use the kitchen dishwasher. lol
 
#4 · (Edited)
thanks .. but with 380 000 km's on it I really really don't wanna try that EGR fitting..

but I think I found a work around.. the EGR tube is somewhat flexible .. I can put the EGR a couple of inches over if I pull on it ..without stressing things badly so I'm going to try holding it over with a small ratchet strap as I don't have a helper on hand

it looks like I can make a similar clearance as to the A/C bits on the other side ..and I got the passenger side off yesterday ..

I was looking at the Innovate west balancers the other night but they start at 4 hun US .. and I have to add 4 X 30-35 % + shipping + brokerage fees (maybe) + 13% ..soo
VS
the local brick N mortar mustang guy with the steeda kit for 3 hun CDN

thought about the I-west one though but really think an O-E style ballancer fits my use better .. daily driver year round in Toronto .. fluid or lube filled sounds like a bad idea for repeated really cold starts

and, I'd like to keep the big honkin plastic clutch fan so I'd rather the 25% underdrive VS the 10%
truck runs 194-96 on average and 200-202 if hot out with the A/C on
it doesn't idle and sit for extended periods so I think I can get away with it

mileage is 19.2 "suburban driving" and about 25 1/2 driving highway at a steady 50-55 mph
if I can bump that slightly , great .. if I can slow down my new power steering box slightly ..even better
(5.4 / 3:73 gear)
and , no, but lots of dish soap was involved .. some varsol ..lots of scrubbin , wash again then my super secret plastic cleaner (armor all tire foam) then more dish soap and lots of tilting back n fourth to get the water out..
a light mist of primer and several light coats of silver engine enamel..

"chrome lettering" is simply aluminum duct tape .. it'll turn white-ish pretty quickly but in doing it more or less matches any old aluminum parts on the motor..I could have used better chrome sticky tape but it's what I had and have used before
 
#7 ·
does anyone have the wiring diagram for the COP's ?

mostly I want to confirm which side of each coil is switched power and , switched ground..

I have two leads to run to the coil switched power and 8 to run to the ecu controlled grounds
(re fuzzy diagram above)

also I'd like to know where about in the harness the common switched power leads are spliced together without ripping all the wrapping off hunting for 'em

I have two of the factory manuals ..but I'm still lacking the wiring book..
 
#8 ·
Just my opinion, you’re wasting your time and money with the MSD. These trucks run best with a stock ignition system. I had the old school Ignition Solutions and an MSD on my truck and in the end my tuner said to ditch them.
Do a search and you’ll find out that OEM is best. But your progress looks good regardless your decision.
 
#9 ·
hey thanks,
and yeah , I've had the MSD box 8 or 9 years now so I figured it was even more wasted just sitting around

I'm not looking for it to go any faster , I'm thinking more of the original application the multi spark under 3000 / 3500 rpm deal was created

better mileage and emissions
one I care about the other not so much.

truck gets 25 mpg on secondary highways , 45-55 mph and my two year average suburban driving was 19.2..

if I can nudge that up a little I'll be happy

...and today, I got all the msd leads spliced into the coil connector leads

progress is slow and dam my ribs hurt from leaning on this thing .. but hopefully it will be all done by sunday

I'm wishing now I could find a high volume water pump that would accept the clutch fan .. or an adapter that would enable mounting the clutch fan to said pump..

lol..I'll try most anything 'cept deleting my 3:73 gear....need that...

and that would be in conjunction with adding an underdrive kit..more push but less speed

no pic today but if you imagine some orange spaghetti in the block valley in the first pic .. you're there...
 
#10 ·
one ignition improvement I'll swear too..

the Granatelli coil on plug coil leads..

on my lowly little N/A 5.4 , installed with 8 new msd coils .. which I don't have reason to push , I noticed a MUCH sharper throttle response.. I could kick the truck on and off with ease so to say and it went from being entirely unable to spin dry tires to a scuff scuff scuffscuff.. when I hit it hard now

(truck has used up 14-16 ford coils so no more bucks for ford here)

also it lost a fuzzy feeling I didn't know it had .. until it was gone..I think that fuzzy feeling comes from those flashlight battery springs ford used for the coil connections
I think you can really feel them bouncing around in the boots as the resistance varies with the two halves threaded into each other..

truck is twenty.. it's had 14-16 coils.. the Granatelli leads have been in since 2015.. I haven't lost a coil .. yet..since
I'd say it has something to do with that varying resistance I mentioned

that's what I call a good result and the best 200 bucks that's ever gone into my truck
 
#13 ·
well no update for a couple of week .. no internet hook up ..

but it all went back together ok and nothins leakin..

I put the BBK underdrive kit in . for the time being ..

seemed a little temperature sensitive at first but I think that was some air bubbles working their way out and it's only straight water for the moment until I get the cooling system flushed out ..antifreeze will probably bring things back to normal

MSD box is basically installed but I need a couple of things first and I wanted to see what the underdrive does by it's self so things get hooked up in turn

got screwed though.. bought new plugs thinkin .. it's past time BUT I have a thread-sert repair on the #1 plug ...and IT'S STUCK.. bad enough I didn't try forcing things .. so I have a new issue to resolve there..sigh..

pics soon..
 
#15 ·
yep ..the hose clamps that came with the coolant flush kit suck..soon to be replaced with better ones

only reason for the flush kit was extending the length of the hose as I eliminated the quick connects at the firewall

- it was what I could find in the moment as I put it back together

if gas mileage picks up with the underdrive kit on I'll be looking for a better underdrive kit than the BBK one I installed
I'm going to run through a couple of tanks of gas & see what results are .. then I'll try hooking up the MSD and see what happens with it

temps were a little sensitive to driving conditions at first but I think it was air bubbles in the system as it sucked about half the overflow jug into the motor after some driving
just need to flush things out more and add proper antifreeze mix which should help pull temps down a little too

normal was 194*/196* , now it's 198*/200*... still using the same T-stat as before

winter warm up time might be improved with the 25% underdrive I think too

and four days going on five .. no seepage , no leaks for the win..

I had no internet for a couple of weeks so it got an ordinary parts store water pump ..hadda take what was avaliable .. and a new fan clutch .. both clear coated so at least they will look new for a while

"gold" bolts are o-e's .. simply cleaned with drill / wire wheel / bench vise .. a quick spritz of silver engine paint and a light dusting of gold paint for colour
 
#16 · (Edited)
intake manifold was coming apart under the water cross over mounting points
some of the inner ridge that formed the slot for the gaskets to fit into was broken away so at the recommendation of a friend who repaired the plastic rad tank on his tri axle dump truck ..with a little JB Weld..
"years ago"..I built up those ridges and plastered , nay PAVED all areas under the cross over where antifreeze meets plastic manifold with the rest of the JB Weld I had
after twenty years of saturation I think the fibers in the plastic are rotting like rebar in concrete

everything also got siliconed.. water cross over , valve cover gaskets , even the bottom of the intake water and port passages got siliconed.. heads got a quick spritz of clear enamel and gaskets were droped in place while still wet .. so no leaks anywhere .. now ..or ever..
which should be an improvement on the last twenty years of seepage from the o-e gaskets

Hood Automotive tire Vehicle Motor vehicle Automotive fuel system
 
#17 ·
well it's been back together and driving for a week

a better under drive kit is definitely looking like a must do .. the BBK kit is doing ok for now .. really liking the reduced power steering assist ..feels like steering has just a little weight behind it .. now .. and that's with my brand new steering box to boot

operating temps seem to have returned almost to normal so a proper antifreeze mix will prob take things right back to where they were

morning warm ups seem also a little quicker.. I'm getting heat sooner and warmed all the way up after a short first thing in the morning coffee run.. to the shop and back home..

probably gonna have to run a few tanks of gas through it and put some real miles on 'er before I get any indication of changes in gas mileage..

and the MSD box is all hooked up & almost ready to go but I'm short some 16 gauge wire for the power & ground leads at the moment..but I'm waiting to use it .. a little later .. after I see about any mileage improvements with the U-D kit

daily driver .. rarely sees 3000 rpm and never sees anything over 3500 rpm so that msd box is gonna be busy ..lol
 
#18 ·
found wire suitable for MSD power & ground leads so I connected it and finally gave 'er a try.

MSD box has been riding along for six years..mounted to the relay box lid with 3M auto trim tape

fired it up and got some challenging results.. 6 led's light up .. indicating the box is sending output to coils ..but there's eight led"s..

so I figured some guy with a V6 used it years ago & burned two channels out not hooking them up..

then a buddy stops by and I fire it up again for the second time ..
he's lookin' at the led's and says seven are working...
???
ok, I shut it off .. restart for the third time...

now,.. all eight led's light up indicating everything's working fine...
ok,. good enough for me...

also checked radio .. both AM and FM for extra electrical noise and found none so I'm going to presume it's also not interfering with the ECU and injector drivers which I've read it can do if wiring isn't isolated from other wiring..

gotta say it seems to fire up and run kinda enthusiastically.. after sitting two or three days too..
 
#20 ·
so, little update..
haven't attempted to resolve stuck plug issue or change plugs as yet...

and I've been having a little drivabality issue since getting everything back together,

it's felt weak going uphill , been breaking down when trying to accelerate and been running about 4mpg less than usual c to my edge tuner thingy..

last week after a long drive across the city and back I guess I finally drove the truck far enough to trip a code

primary circuit ..coil #3

I haven';t hooked up the msd box to the battery yet as I wanted to get the inline fuse holder , a weather pack connector and the capacitor/filter for the power ...

but I had the connectors for the leads to each coil connected..cough

yeah eating breakfast at mcdonalds the other morning I though .. mmm maybe I should unplug those.. the code had only just then triggered.. so I did and no more drivabality issue..

it started like it's old self in that moment and has been fine since
mileage instantly went from 15 to 19 mpg

though to note it starts even stronger when power is connected to the msd box though I haven't driven it with it powered up yet as I was waiting to buy the parts mentioned..

so something in the msd box bleeds off coil power.. when not being used...or I need to check my wiring connection on coil #3..or both.

#3 was also lose when I pulled it apart in the posts above.. the blue silicone boot was burned slightly so I noted the loose plug then and there.. plugs were all checked for tightness after discovering that and the seized plug..

when I get everything else done I think it's going to be due for some different heads with more plug threads

or valves ...
 
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