Ford Explorer / Ranger / Mustang 4.0L SOHC V6 Teardown! Is This Why They're Called "Exploders" ?

I'm just here for the dipstick battle....

My dad had the OHV 4.0 in his 1995 Ranger and when he died the truck had 633,000 miles on it and it still ran great.

Mine has 253000+, great engine, never failed me. Sorry you fail to convince me.

im a used car dealer and I have been in the business for over 25 years. The 3rd and 4th generation ford explorers have been my best sellers for a super long time and I know them super well. The 4.0L soho motor in 80% of them that I've purchased. out of the hundreds of them that I've owned only one of them needed new chains and guides and STILL ran perfect. this motor is nowhere near bad at all. just keep up on oil changes, they like thicker oil and clean oil.

On the front drivers side timing chain guide, you unclip it so it splits into 2 halves, then you can remove it without pulling the head 👍

That 4.0 is insanely reliable. Don't let him scare you by talking bad about the timing chain. Just do your oil changes every 5k and give it an italian tuneup every once and a while and you're golden.

The most impressive thing about these engines is they are almost impossible to stall. A buddy had one in a mustang when he was learning to drive stick, and he could regularly get going with the rpm's dropping below 250.

Bought a 1998 explorer with the 4.0 SOHC brand new in 1997. 290,000 miles and never had an issue with the engine or even the transmission. Most reliable vehicle I’ve ever owned.

A relative of mine has a 2003 Explorer with this engine, and his "mileage varies" ("YMMV") greatly from that expressed in your opinions. The original engine has 225,000 miles on it, uses no oil, makes no noises and has very good oil pressure. He drives it every weekday at least 100 miles on his commute. He changes his oil every couple of months. The only repair he has ever had to do was the thermostat housing. Maintenance makes a difference.

The reason the timing components are backwards like that is because this engine was developed from a pushrod block (The Ford Cologne V6). The shaft that goes through the center of the engine to drive the rear timing chain was originally where the cam went on the pushrod version of the engine. If you look at the top of the block on either side of the valley you can see the cutouts where the pushrods would have went into the OHV heads.

I have had 2 4.0L fords and there was absolutely no problem. 1 in a Ranger and 1 in an Explorer. Both had plenty of power and never left me stranded.

The 4.0 is actually a very durable motor if it’s taken care of. A lot of Ranger guys love it, especially the older OHV version. Admittedly the OHC version has a disaster of a timing chain design.

Had to do the timing chains on my wifes Explorer about a year ago... biggest thing that had me questioning the universe was: non-keyed cam gears (held in time purely by bolt torque), that required a toolset to time... That engine better hold up after all the hours I put into that. Notes for others that are looking to perform the timing chain repairs: 1. No, you cannot do the rear timing chain cassette without removing the engine... people are full of crap if they say you can. you have to remove that little torx bolt towards the bottom of the cassette to remove the guide, and its obstructed by the trans bellhousing, as stated in the video.... (yes, it leaks from the rubber seal if you try to reuse it, don't ask how I know...) 2. as I've previously stated, you need that timing toolset to reset timing on the cams... it's not worth saving the $40-60 if you end up having to replace the engine. 3. get a replacement rear main seal, its worth it. 4. If your 4.0 has the balance shaft (when looking at the front of the engine, its to the lower left of the crank), be very careful torquing the 4 E-Torx bolts that hold the balance shaft assembly in, I snapped 2 of them off.... added 2 weeks to my repair time waiting on parts. 5. yes, you can get the front cassette chain guide out and in, without removing the cam or head. just remove the jackshaft gear, and pull the old chain guide out through the bottom, by pulling it hard towards the front of the jackshaft. if you have patience, you can very carefully maneuver the new one in, though its a pain... if you're impatient like myself, just remove the c-clip on the hinge of the guide, and replace it when you get it in place. 6. it's expensive, but CHECK WHICH BOLTS ARE TTY!!! There are ALOT of them when doing this job... I have Ford part numbers, if anyone needs em, just reply to this comment. {Edit: when I says it's impossible to do the rear cassette without removing the engine, I was referring to separating it from the transmission, and yanking the motor out. Sure, you probably could pull the tranny out, but I would strongly advise just pulling the motor... So much easier to torque things to spec with the engine out, ESPECIALLY when it comes time to time the cams}

This is an OHC engine design based on a older pushrod engine. That's why the timing chain design is so odd. The jackshaft is where the camshaft was in the pushrod version.

This is actually a reliable engine. I have 212k miles on my mustang, full synthetic every 5k miles. Never had any problems except changing the plastic thermostat. Really simple engine and can run forever if you just change the oil on time

I've owned two. One one currently. 1998 explorer sport. I love the 4.0 v6. Keep up with oil changes and don't drive them low on oil. And you will never have a timing chain issue. It definitely doesn't lack in power in the explorer either. Mine dips.

This is what one ends up with if one converts a simple ohv design to overhead camshafts without re-designing the whole timing system. That shaft in the valley is where the cam used to be in the old "Cologne" V6. Thanks again for all your great videos, all the best!

I had an 05 mustang with this motor, had 190k miles when I sold it. Ran flawlessly, but I always kept up on the maintenance and oil changes. It was a fun car with the manual trans and got decent mileage.

The Ranger with that engine and the manual transmission was so much fun. It didn't do anything perfectly, but it did just about everything well enough. It's one of those vehicles that you grow fond of.

I wanted a Toyota 4Runner but couldn't find one in time that was good condition, so I settled on a 1996 Explorer 4.0 OHV V6 around 4 years ago. It just passed 240k miles. The engine being so reliable has definitely made me less apprehensive about throwing money into other parts of the car to keep it rolling. I don't want to get rid of it. Even if I had to rebuild the engine next week, I am confident it would outlive me.