LordRipberger

Hey Guys,

As I was driving on saturday the timing chain cassette broke on my v6 mustang. The dealership wants to charge me over 1800 to repair this. First I want to know if this reasonable. I also want to know if I should be worried about the other TCC failing and needing to be replaced. From what I understand the passenger side TCC is on the back of the engine which means the engine would need to come out in order to evaluate the passenger side one.

Should I do that? Is it worth it. How often do these things break? My car is 94K miles and is a V6.

Thanks.

tx_zstang

Yikes, that's an early failure. It is a lot of work to do the work on it, and if the chain did break, you could have caused various damage to valves and/or pistons.
The cost may be reasonable, but may also end up being more than that.

However, a shop who knows wtf they are doing could do this in much less time, w/o pulling the engine. If the shop doesn't know how to do it right, find another one. There is a special process and special tools are needed to do it properly.

If I were you, I'd try to find another v6 engine (then can be found for $800 and less), and just replace the engine entirely.

Derf00

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/forum...tensioner.html

Further advice to potentially just buy an engine. Interference motors means if the chain skips a tooth or loses timing, you can break/bend major valve train components. By the time you take the motor out, tear it apart, rebuild it and put it back in, you may as well get a new motor and simply replace it.

Wow, I wasn't aware the 4.0L motors were set up like that (chain in the rear as well as front). that sucks!

LordRipberger

Well I didn't get these responses quickly enough but I have seen the damage. The tensionor that controls the cassette is what broke. There is no damage to the chain or the valves/pistons. However, buying a new cassette comes with a new chain. So since they had to take part of the top engine apart already they are going to replace the chain just in case.

I am surprise to hear that new engines can be as cheap as 800. That seems ridiculously cheap. Is that really what people do?

Goldenpony

Is that $800 quote maybe a used engine?

JimC

That's why most people just swap engines, cheaper to do that than repair or rebuild the 4.0

Of course it is used -

LordRipberger

How is buying a used engine a good idea. If a used engine is the problem how would buying a used engine be a good idea. Doesn't that just mean I run the risk of the issue happening again a lot sooner than buying a new engine?

2005Redfire6

Not neccesarily being that is pretty rare on these 2005+ 4.0s.... I have never heard of it happening. Hell, I have a 4.0 sitting in my garage on a tire that I pulled from my car I would let go for a few hundred bucks and it has 81k miles....

Indy-Vert

Lord, I'd buy Redfire's motor and be done with it.

JimC

Cost vs benefit ratio. The cost to rebuild the 4.0 is so much higher than the cost for a used engine that even if it breaks again after another 80,000 miles you are money ahead.

And the issue here is very rare, first time I've heard of it.

The 4.0 is a strong engine, and can take a lot of abuse. I put 203,000 miles on mine before I sold it in June 2012 and ordered my 2013. That was after 2 race seasons with a 75 shot of nitrous, and then pulling the nitrous at 90,000 miles and installing the Xcharger Xtreme on it. The car was still running mid 12's with 203,000 miles on it, the new owner has over 212,000 on it and takes it to the track also. Only thing ever done to the engine was regular oil changes and new spark plugs - and since they were so cheap, and I put so many miles on a year, and abused the car racing it hard, I pulled the plugs each spring to check them but for $3 a plug why not just put new ones in each year.