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Talk to your local auto parts store and see if they loan/rent tools. Any store that does loan tools should have a fuel pressure gauge. GM is pretty good about giving you a test port on the fuel rail to test fuel pressure. In the mean time, go back and verify you’ve got all your electrical connections actually connected.
The head bolts are definitely TTY bolts. Pay extra attention to your specs & sequence and work slowly. I can’t remember precisely, but most of the longer bolts are final torqued to 75ft lbs while the lowers are torqued to 55 ft lbs and then they all get turned so many degrees to stretch the bolts to yield. It’s really easy to get so far into the sequence and then forget you’ve got to back off at those shorter bolts. The rear lower bolt is an obnoxious pain to torque to the angle spec because the brake booster sits just close enough to the head back there to be obtrusive. At least it was for the angle gauge I was using.
The head bolts are definitely TTY bolts. Pay extra attention to your specs & sequence and work slowly. I can’t remember precisely, but most of the longer bolts are final torqued to 75ft lbs while the lowers are torqued to 55 ft lbs and then they all get turned so many degrees to stretch the bolts to yield. It’s really easy to get so far into the sequence and then forget you’ve got to back off at those shorter bolts. The rear lower bolt is an obnoxious pain to torque to the angle spec because the brake booster sits just close enough to the head back there to be obtrusive. At least it was for the angle gauge I was using.
If your gaskets are any good, they’re going to be metal framed with formed rubber gasket material to seal all the crucial areas. That rubber should be really pliable as is and it’s going to get compressed on assembly. The gaskets should seal just fine. Just do the common sense stuff here. Clean gasket surfaces, which it looks like you’ve already done well. And then follow your torque sequence with the right spec. I think it’s 11 ft lbs IIRC.
If your gaskets are any good, they’re going to be metal framed with formed rubber gasket material to seal all the crucial areas. That rubber should be really pliable as is and it’s going to get compressed on assembly. The gaskets should seal just fine. Just do the common sense stuff here. Clean gasket surfaces, which it looks like you’ve already done well. And then follow your torque sequence with the right spec. I think it’s 11 ft lbs IIRC.
They took away the transmission dipsticks on the Explorers. I don’t know when they started going without a dipstick, but I haven’t seen a dipstick on any 03+ Explorer yet. There’s a fill adapter that gets plugged into the access at the bottom of the pan. 6604 is the OTC part number for that fill adapter. It’s something like a Volkswagen transmission where you have to fill it from underneath until it starts to drip back out.
They took away the transmission dipsticks on the Explorers. I don’t know when they started going without a dipstick, but I haven’t seen a dipstick on any 03+ Explorer yet. There’s a fill adapter that gets plugged into the access at the bottom of the pan. 6604 is the OTC part number for that fill adapter. It’s something like a Volkswagen transmission where you have to fill it from underneath until it starts to drip back out.
I wouldn’t worry about a little bit of AC air creeping through the defrost. I was more worried about it being stuck full bore on defrost while running AC. Then I could see a problem with condensation on the outside of the window. Since I’m out of any good ideas, just follow through with finding and unclogging that case drain for now. If you can’t solve a problem yet, you can at least start eliminating variables.
I wouldn’t worry about a little bit of AC air creeping through the defrost. I was more worried about it being stuck full bore on defrost while running AC. Then I could see a problem with condensation on the outside of the window. Since I’m out of any good ideas, just follow through with finding and unclogging that case drain for now. If you can’t solve a problem yet, you can at least start eliminating variables.
What I think the Ford tech was talking about is the drain for the HVAC case. It’s not a reservoir or tank of any kind, it’s just a drain. Any humidity that goes through the evaporator while it’s working gets condensed into water. The HVAC case can also collect dust and dirt and, sometimes, small garbage items from owner negiligence can fall into the vents or defrost ducts. When the tech opened up the clog, he didn’t necessarily get all the dirt & debris that clogged the drain. The dirt probably settled back in and blocked off the drain all over again. If you can find the drain hole, you can make your own stab at the blockage and try to collect the water condensation while it drains out. This might give you an idea of what’s blocking the drain & might be able to determine if you need to pull the HVAC case and clean the case directly. What I can’t make sense of with this, is how it fogs the outside of the windshield. Usually, when you get a blockage in the case drain, you wind up with soggy carpet on the floor boards. Is his heat and AC always stuck on defrost by chance?
What I think the Ford tech was talking about is the drain for the HVAC case. It’s not a reservoir or tank of any kind, it’s just a drain. Any humidity that goes through the evaporator while it’s working gets condensed into water. The HVAC case can also collect dust and dirt and, sometimes, small garbage items from owner negiligence can fall into the vents or defrost ducts. When the tech opened up the clog, he didn’t necessarily get all the dirt & debris that clogged the drain. The dirt probably settled back in and blocked off the drain all over again. If you can find the drain hole, you can make your own stab at the blockage and try to collect the water condensation while it drains out. This might give you an idea of what’s blocking the drain & might be able to determine if you need to pull the HVAC case and clean the case directly. What I can’t make sense of with this, is how it fogs the outside of the windshield. Usually, when you get a blockage in the case drain, you wind up with soggy carpet on the floor boards. Is his heat and AC always stuck on defrost by chance?
[quote=”SamG.” post=108829]Currently I have 1 ford student (almost graduated) and 1 tech school grad working under me who honestly blow my mind daily with the amount of things school has not taught them. I hate to sound rude, but both of them have asked me on more than one occasion how to check a window motor for power.[/quote]
I don’t know that it would be entirely appropriate to blame the school for what their students didn’t learn. I feel like I should tell you a little about myself before I elaborate on why.
For seven years, I was a mechanic by trade before I was ever a mechanic by qualification. By saying that, I mean that I started in the trade with only shade tree experience and learned what I could along the way by my own trial and error. I worked with a lot of nice people over those years, but I was never in a position to learn enough to really qualify myself a technician. I was 35 when I finally decided to go back to school and try to make a real career out of this.
What I saw, going back to school, was a lot of kids thoroughly distracting themselves with text messages, bullshitting with friends about next weekend’s plans, last weekend’s hangover, sleeping, or another round of angry birds & farmville. The next year in the program started to sound more and more like happy hour from the other students. Then they’d have the audacity to complain that they weren’t learning anything. I could make my own complaints about the schooling, but I wouldn’t place too much shame on the teachers. No matter what, these teachers always made the effort to give the best of themselves to make good techs out of us. Maybe your guys did have bad schooling and lousy teachers, but if you’ve had to repeat the same lessons with them yourself, could you sooner say that you’ve got two kids that didn’t bother to give the same effort in return?
[quote=”SamG.” post=108829]Currently I have 1 ford student (almost graduated) and 1 tech school grad working under me who honestly blow my mind daily with the amount of things school has not taught them. I hate to sound rude, but both of them have asked me on more than one occasion how to check a window motor for power.[/quote]
I don’t know that it would be entirely appropriate to blame the school for what their students didn’t learn. I feel like I should tell you a little about myself before I elaborate on why.
For seven years, I was a mechanic by trade before I was ever a mechanic by qualification. By saying that, I mean that I started in the trade with only shade tree experience and learned what I could along the way by my own trial and error. I worked with a lot of nice people over those years, but I was never in a position to learn enough to really qualify myself a technician. I was 35 when I finally decided to go back to school and try to make a real career out of this.
What I saw, going back to school, was a lot of kids thoroughly distracting themselves with text messages, bullshitting with friends about next weekend’s plans, last weekend’s hangover, sleeping, or another round of angry birds & farmville. The next year in the program started to sound more and more like happy hour from the other students. Then they’d have the audacity to complain that they weren’t learning anything. I could make my own complaints about the schooling, but I wouldn’t place too much shame on the teachers. No matter what, these teachers always made the effort to give the best of themselves to make good techs out of us. Maybe your guys did have bad schooling and lousy teachers, but if you’ve had to repeat the same lessons with them yourself, could you sooner say that you’ve got two kids that didn’t bother to give the same effort in return?