Thanks Matt for taking the time to reply to this post-- I am going to run mine without rachets and just be careful not to send them into space upon disassembly.
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Rachet style Chain tensioners
Hey Ed--- I did get my chrome- moly tubing to create the spacers to eliminate the rachets on my tensioners. I finally got a local machinist to cut it to the 0.200 length. In the interim I had contacted Tim Elchhorn from MPR in Boyton Beach to see how he addresses this with his engine builds. He advised me as long as the rachet does not extend out from the top more than 7/8th's of an inch the rachet can be removed and no spacers are necessary. He says the spacers can be more disasterous than the rachets in snapping chains and has seen this first hand at his shop. It would be great if some others would chime in on this -that have done this modification and race a bit with a two step. I want to button up my engine and get it back in but now I'm wondering which direction I should go. Life can be a conundrum for sure----Thanks
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Thanks Ed for clarifying the cause of the failure -- the whipping chains caused by the two step---not the modification itself. I will be installing those spacers once in hand.This is a long-standing Hyland modification that has been used for at least 20 some odd years. Properly sized (i.e., 0.200"), they will exactly pick up the slack in a brand-new chain with the engine off. Grinding down the ratchet arm teeth provides a similar but different function.
Without grinding down the ratchet arm teeth, the ratchet will stay extended to whatever length the chain stretched to at high engine speed. So while the plunger on the tensioner will retract, the ratchet foot will not because of the ratchet teeth. The Idea of grinding down the teeth came about as a way of allowing the ratchet to compress back into the tensioner casting and not hold the chain under tension with the engine off.
The problem with this is that the hydraulic piston will compress to the amount the internal spring allows. After your engine has some miles on it, this can represent enough slack to make noise and create potential problems in the engine before the oil pressure rises to the point it extends the piston and pushes the tensioning arm against the chain. You are probably OK the majority of the time. It is the one or two times you are not OK that are problematic.
The spacer never lets the piston retract to the bottom of its well and, at 0.200", maintains a very light tension on the chain with the engine shut off. This mod will not break timing chains. What breaks timing chains is two-step launches that load and unload the cam drive chains as the engine tries to maintain a predetermined launch rpm. The on-again, off-again whipping of the drive chains eventually will break a link somewhere. Two steps with or without the tensioner mod are tough on timing chains. The tensioner mod is designed to maintain a minimum tension on the primary drive chains when the engine is shut down, so the next start is clean and silent. It absolutely will not hurt a primary chain — look at the mechanism and think about how it works.
Cutting teeth off the ratcheting arm will prevent the chains from being held in a stretched and tensioned condition after racing. Removing the ratcheting teeth will not prevent the piston from settling down at spring height or possibly lower after shutdown. The 0.200" spacers will.
When you assemble the tensioner and install it for the first time, you will discover it is best to install a single bolt, compress the plunger in its well, and rotate the tensioner into position. Once in position, put the second bolt in and begin to screw it in while holding the plunger compressed and the tensioner in position. While one person can do this after they develop a little skill for the task, it is much easier with a third hand. You will know what I am speaking about the first time you do an install.
The 0.200" spacers will give you about but a little bit less than what Matt has for free play in his setup. The decision to run the ratcheting arm is a personal choice. If something is not necessary, I tend not to use it. If you choose to, make sure you get enough teeth ground down so it is not accidentally standing proud when you don't want it to.
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Thanks again Ed for helping myself and others to protect a big investment--I'm going to do all three of the bullets you listed as a fail-safe for my new engine. I want her to live a long and healthy life .
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Ordered my Gallon jug of Prolong engine treatment today from ebay for $68 --my machinist told me it would be the middle of the next week before my spacers are ready-- getting 5 sets cut. Will always have a set of these spacers on hand from now on. The 3 qt. Canton Accumulator is next on the list. Ed told me about Mcmasters - Carr for the Chromemoly tubing necessary to make the spacers happen- 3/4 OD x 0.095 ID x 0.200 in length chamfered on both ends.The tubing was around $22.00. I had an engine failure too and am nearing the completion of my new build and looking forward to getting my car back together-- now scattered in pieces in my shop.
You can get a set of cloyes left and right tensioners for about 115.00 shipped or contact Ford Performance for theirs. I do not know how much they charge. You will still need to remove the rachets and have machining costs for the spacers unless you have a lathe and can do this yourself. I believe the cloyes part #'s are 9-5338 and 9-5339 respectively. This is my first experience with this mod and Ed is the to go guy for anything you need to know for this and anything else you need to know about your combination--- The only tensioners I have seen without a rachet is the plastic 03/04 cobra style which in my book are an accident waiting to happen. I have a set of these and have never used them for fear of them cracking under chain loads.
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Thanks Ed--
I called them first and they are out of stock indefinably-- no restock date in sight
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I called them first and they are out of stock indefinably-- no restock date in sight
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Hey Ed-- Aircraft Spruce are out of the 0.095 wall tubing but do have the the 0.120 tubing in stock when I checked with them 2 weeks ago.
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Thanks Ed-----Have not yet taken the cover off because I was waiting for the spacers from the machinist---
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Hey Ed---
Checking back in on that tubing ID-- is the 0.095 going to work or am I on the wrong track here-- Thanks Tom
Checking back in on that tubing ID-- is the 0.095 going to work or am I on the wrong track here-- Thanks Tom
Thanks again Ed-- I can sleep tonight knowing I should have my spacers on Thurs of this coming week and can bust into the cover to get this finished up--- I truly appreciate the help-- helping me to keep my heads and cams well oiled for my future fun with this new build---
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Good luck on your new build Dave--Just remove that ratchet arm and put your tensioners back together with the spacers-- you are probably going to need to strap the tensioner plungers with some zip ties to keep them compressed enough for the reinstall process. I have not attempted this mod yet since I am still awaiting my spacers from the machine shop. Ed mentioned about doing one bolt at a time and fanegeling the tensioner in place-- others have used studs in one and a bolt in the other --so at this point I don't know what works best to get them in but this for sure is not rocket science unless you launch a spring and plunger into space on install. Make sure you chamfer both sides of your spacer since the id of the spacer rides on the od of the spring so it does not catch a winding and ends up shredding the spring and other things after that. I hope you are running the head cooling mod on the back of the engine to save the guides on # 7 & # 8 cylinders as well. Billett gears in the oil pump are a must especially if you are running boost.The reverse tensioner mod for the secondary chain on the passenger side head really helps too since the timing is known to dance around up to 7 degrees because Ford opted to tension the wrong side of the short chain. Doing these things will help bullett proof your future build.
Looks good Dave -- Nice clean engine bay-- mine is a bit messy with the aeromotive regulator and starlite fuel lines from my Division X fuel hat with twin 460 walbro pumps and a wiring harness conversion to cop's so I could clean up the front of the engine eliminating those coil packs and wires. My heads are ported but I need to gasket match the lower intake and I am going to install a burst window where the Cobra emblem is on my upper intake since I am going to spray a 300 shot at the track and try not to blow the intake through the hood. I've had my 98 GT for 15 years now and have been building her as cash allows. Three years ago I bought a 96 Cobra with an 01 IRS in the back end and coilovers all around with Wilwood brakes at the wheels. The Cobra really drives so much different than my GT. It hugs the road-- The Gt is a bit looser but launches straight line shots well. The rear end has Viking double adjustable coilovers and it has welded axle tubes with a fully adjustable 4 link setup from UPR and Wildrides and 4:10 gears. Can't wait to drive her with this newly built forged engine. Take Care Dave
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Sorry Ed-- He mentioned MMR and I completely forgot about James having the reverse tensioner also along with other nice parts-----
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Hey Ed & Dave --so an update on my engine: Crazy-- but I broke into the timing cover today after going and finally picking up my spacers for the primary chain tensioners from the machine shop and to my surprise- Lloyd my engine builder from Springfield Machine shop in Lorton Va all ready had done the mod without us even discussing it. He has built mod engines for 25 years and has retired and closed his doors this year. Gonna miss him-- he could straight build an engine. Well the cover is back on and the meizere water pump is back on now too-- now for the rest of the accessories and then get her into her new home. I have 5 sets of spacers cut-- if anyone needs them give me a shout---Thanks Tom
Hey Dave --your install looks great-- I waited for Ed to answer your question about the check ball-- I was clueless for the answer to that. I have two of those unmarked tensioners too and they came off of a 93 Mark VIII 4 valve engine that I parted out . Don't get why Ford would opt to put in unmarked tensioners but I guess they figure that anyone taking them out would mark them if planned for later use. Good call on going with new tensioners- just makes good sense while the cover is off.
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