Genuine 1998 Ford Ranger Camshaft

1998 Ford Ranger Camshaft Parts Questions & Experts Answers

• Q: How to check endplay and lobe lift in a camshaft on 1998 Ford Ranger?

  A: The details of performing endplay check is as follows; For lobe lift, given the extent of cam lobe wear, check the lobe lift before you decide to lift the camshaft. Take off the valve cover and rocker arm while you retain the push rod assembly. Stand the number one piston at TDC on the compression stroke and then install a dial indicator on the engine with the face of the plunger touching the first pushrod. Rotate the crankshaft until the pointer of the dial indicator is as close as possible to the base line, and then revolve it in the other way, to obtain the maximum lift of the cam lobe. Write this figure down and move the piston back to the TDC and repeat the check for all the valves, the piston should be at TDC during the compression stroke. Upon the completion of the checks, there should be comparison of results; if any of the camshaft lobe lift is below 0.005-inch, then cam lobe wear is apparent and the camshaft will have to be replaced. To remove, unbolt the negative cable, drain the cooling system and engine oil and then do away with the serpentine belt. Fully remove the engine, the spark plug wires, ignition coil pack, the alternator and make sure that the number one piston is at the TDC of the engine. For certain models, drain the oil pan while for others, strip the engine by unplugging the oil pump drive gear and camshaft position sensor and protract it to indicate the position that it will be reconnected in. Continue to the process by pulling off the valve covers, intake manifold, rocker arms and the pushrods, the valve lifters, oil pan, timing chain cover, the timing chain and the sprockets. Now remove the bolts in the camshaft thrust plate and take out the camshaft gently so that the bearing is not harmed in any way. After removing the camshaft it is washed and its bearing journals checked for wear or damage; the inside diameter of each camshaft bearing can then be measured for excessive wear. If needed, replace the camshaft and bearings, it is mention worthy that this can be done only with the help of special tools and knowledge. Check the camshaft lobes for signs of wear and tear and check the passages through which oil is to flow. As to installation, the best practice is to lubricate the camshaft bearing journals and lobes then sliding it into the engine while the thrust plate must be installed in the same way as the engine assembly lube, tighten the bolts to the said torque. Finish up by going through all the removal process in reverse, then double check for correct installation of some parts for instance the camshaft position sensor.