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Hey thanks so much for replying! Ok so there was a rattle from what sounded like the timing chains and then 100 miles later engine turned off at stop light idle (in -1 deg f temperature) would not restart, started to sound kind of wheezy when cranking, excessive cranking killed battery. Brought it to mechanic they didn’t really look at it and said it was bricked. There was no good explanation though. Yeah so rather than waste a whole truck, which ran awesome before this issue - I really want to diagnose what the heck is going on…. Ok so anyway, I got the valve cover off - not sure what to look for -the timing chains look and feel really tight - no obvious place where rattle could be coming from - my rattle wasn’t just a cold start rattle btw - it continued while driving even when warm. No obvious damage that I can see - any tips/ next steps on diagnosing? Oh yeah, also I’m noticing that the two cams one has a flat machined in it and the other one isn’t aligned with it - is that a thing? I’ve attached photos
Can you rotate the engine by hand at the crankshaft pulley? If so, align the crankshaft sensor hole as described in post #19. If all 4 cam flats aren’t aligned, roll another full revolution. That should put the motor at top dead center and all 4 cam flats should be aligned.
If they aren’t, I’m not sure if these are interference engines when they jump time.
Thanks Pbod! I understand. So you’re saying if all is aligned as described then we’re good from a timing perspective. I will do this tomorrow am - should be easy if I don’t need to go find a wrench to crank the motor. - yes, AJ41 4.4V8 is an interference engine. I pulled codes when it first stalled and there were 28 different items. Camshaft pos sensor was one. mechanic cleared prior to failed restart attempt
I’m guessing this is under the engine? Here we go - gonna take this big piece of sheet metal off
QUOTE=P-Bod;819467]
Remove the crank sensor.
Rotate the crank until the special hole is inline, not the square holes.
It’s rounded on the in and out edges.
Insert the special crank locking tool. This was a pretty snug fit. The mounting hole is a bit off center so I couldn’t lock it down, but it won’t move. Cheap tools.[/QUOTE]
Related topic: Ive done the timing on my 4.4L and followed this thread closely (thanks for all the great information). However, I'm getting terrible leaks from my valve covers with brand new land rover gaskets. Maybe I am putting them on upside down? Which picture is the correct orientation of the gasket (picture#1 or picture #2)? Repair 101 mistake, forgot to take a picture of the original before removing..... Picture 1, gasket fits very easily in the valve cover channel. This is how I installed it but getting leaks Picture 2: Very snug fit in the channel, but doesn't seem like this one is correct.
hey thanks - I’m trying to get the right socket to be able to turn the crank pulley - I read online that it’s 34mm so I ordered that but it is too small. Does anyone know the correct socket size so I can try and manually crank the motor?
Originally Posted by P-Bod
Without removing a valve cover, the only easy thing I can think of is looking down the oil filler hole with a good flashlight while somebody cranks the engine. You can see a small part of the camshaft though the filler. If it doesn’t rotate while cranking, you definitely have a timing problem.
Here’s a picture. It’s hard to make out the cam, but you can see part of a lobe and part of the shaft.
awesome, thanks. Yeah I just was able to fit a 15/16” on it. I was able to rotate the motor from the crank pulley until the cams rotated 360 degrees and now the flats are aligned up top. I also put the front wheels on blocks so I can get underneath tmrw to take off the crank position sensor and confirm timing is correct. When I was rotating the motor there was a squealing kinda sound. And to be honest it wasn’t easy to rotate but I didn’t have a breaker bar either so the ratchet was a normal size handle, maybe 10”. thanks guys for the advice! Oh yeah - one other thing, facing the motor from the front, I was rotating it counterclockwise - is this the natural direction of rotation?
Originally Posted by enovak
I used a 24MM Deep socket
Last edited by jessesky; Mar 30, 2025 at 05:16 PM.
Facing the motor, it rotates clockwise. So you were turning it the wrong direction. I would try it again for a couple of revolutions and insure all good. My engine was in time, but I was getting the cold start rattle from my RH bank. My VVT sprocket was broken and not holding oil pressure.
Related topic: Ive done the timing on my 4.4L and followed this thread closely (thanks for all the great information). However, I'm getting terrible leaks from my valve covers with brand new land rover gaskets. Maybe I am putting them on upside down? Which picture is the correct orientation of the gasket (picture#1 or picture #2)? Repair 101 mistake, forgot to take a picture of the original before removing..... Picture 1, gasket fits very easily in the valve cover channel. This is how I installed it but getting leaks Picture 2: Very snug fit in the channel, but doesn't seem like this one is correct.
Pic 1 is correct. Did you put the drops of rtv sealant where the timing cover mates with the heads? Two spots on each valve cover. There are also some spots on the timing cover gaskets that require rtv.
Removed Valve Cover
