x2 on oil. Make sure to do the filter also. That's your only defense against all those little aluminum particles that are currently turning your oil a sparkly grey. After the job's done, I'd repeat the oil/filter change in a few hundred miles...

Whoever that cabbie maybe, they certainly won't have to worry too much about maintenance issues because of your timely maintenance.

I certainly hope I don't need to clean the oil pickup tube. Won't know until I pull the cover off, though.

I change my oil and filter regularly (hadn't even reached 3,000 miles this past time) and I've never noticed any aluminum. Hopefully that's a sign that the arms aren't too worn. Or maybe I change it too often to ever see any aluminum.

I've been running conventional oil for awhile and will do the timing work, drain and refill with conventional, run a few hundred miles, then put synthetic back in. She'll probably appreciate it.

Also, it got buried in the posts above, but F6AZ-6L266-DA and F6AZ-6L266-CA are the correct part numbers for the steel-bodied tensioners?

Thanks again, everyone.

Well, the parts are on their way from Tasca and will be here Thursday!

This is my first time pulling the timing cover. I'm not scared to do it, but I am nervous about messing up the timing. I've been reading and studying all the posts on here and the shop manual so I can be as prepared as possible.

However, I'd like to clarify a couple of things.

First, the issue of proper crankshaft and camshaft position. The manual says to "rotate the crankshaft until both camshaft keyways are 90 degrees from the valve cover surface." That should be TDC for piston 1, and is where I need to be?

Also, concerning Chevyguy's picture:



You mention in your Warning about Tensioner guide replacement!!! thread that it's important to route the ties over the chain guides to help prevent the chains from slipping. After replacing the tensioners and tensioner arms, is it safe to remove the ties so the guides can be replaced? Should I tie just the chains at this point to be safe? Can I even replace the guides with the chains still on? The BOK write-up seems to indicate yes.

I appreciate everyone's help and input. I'm becoming a better mechanic one project at a time with the help of everyone here. Just a few years ago I would have never imagined doing something like this.

Thanks again.

Buuuuump.

you will want to time each bank seperate..

Here is a .pdf of the process for my 01 however should be the same for your 00..

Received the parts.

The guides I received are not full plastic like in the pictures. Part numbers are F3AZ-6K297-A & B.

Thought I had the right part numbers. Will these work? Tasca lists them as working, but from what I can tell through the packaging, it doesn't look like it.

it may be possable. I know you can use the pass side arm and guide from a 92 which is aluminum but on the drivers side. The spacing is different and there are little differences with the oil pump housing so the drivers side arm/quide stands off the block a little more.

The parts guy at the dealership said what I have is correct for a 2000. Still confused about the difference between these and the part numbers in the BOK.

Guess I'll find out when I pull the cover.

I wish it was as easy to remove and replace the timing cover as it was to do the actual work! That one power steering pump bolt is a

As far as the guides, Ford actually knows what parts go in their engines. The 2000 engines use the older chain guides. I found this in an online Hot Rod magazine article:



So remember that. NPI engines (-00) use the F3AZ-6K297-A & B chain guides, whereas PI engines (01+) use 4R3Z-6B274-BA and 4R3Z-6M256-CC chain guides.

Older style chain guides have two upper bolts and a dowel:




Fairly clean inside:



New parts installed! Replaced tensioners, tensioner arms and chain guides:



And the damage:



I was pretty shocked at how much the arms and guides had worn for a civilian car with 110k miles and virtually no idle time.

Let this be a warning to others! Fix it now and let your engine run strong for another 100k+ miles!

Also, I haven't gotten the timing cover back on. You definitely have to remove more than the front two valve cover bolts to get it back in place. I discovered this after applying RTV and attempting to shove it back together, only to have the valve cover gaskets NOT want to stay in place. By the time I cleaned up the RTV, I was running out of daylight and managed to lose one of the cover bolts.

Oh well. Back to it tomorrow.

would this be the same process for the Marauder? do I even need to replace them?

No problem.. I have a digital service manual for my 01 which I pulled up and printed the instrucitons into the .pdf I posted.

Glad to help.

Alot of good info going on here. I remember my timing gear was so chewed up from all the play I had that it almost wore through one of the teeth. I kept this part to show other people how bad it can get.

I've never heard of the Marauders needing this done, but I'd check into it, especially if it's an 03. The 32 valves use the same set up of tensioners, tensioner arms and chain guides, so the process should be nearly identical. There's a chance the arms and guides are made of the same defective material.