Has Anyone Tried the MMR Billet Chain Guides for a 4.6L 3V Timing Rebuild?

[Squiggle05GT]

I'm currently in the middle of a timing rebuild on my 4.6 3V engine. I've rotated the crank to the 11 o'clock position and started installing the new components. However, while installing the new timing chain guides with the old bolts (since the kit didn't come with new ones), one of the bolts snapped. I decided to call it a day, but I was able to remove the broken half of the bolt by using some locking pliers and a bit of penetrating oil.

In addition, the chain guides I bought seem a little larger than the OEM ones I took off, which was a bit unexpected. I've ordered some new bolts from MMR, and I'm also considering upgrading to the MMR Billet Chain Guides. I was wondering if anyone here has bought and installed them before? Any feedback or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Here is the website for the part if anyone knows about it:

https://www.modularmotorsportsracin...ge=product_info&cPath=4_7_56&products_id=1038

 

[Badd GT]

Make sure you are torquing things to inch/pounds not foot/pounds MMR had a real bad rep around here, they might have changed but I would not buy/use anything from them

 

[Squiggle05GT]

Make sure you are torquing things to inch/pounds not foot/pounds MMR had a real bad rep around here, they might have changed but I would not buy/use anything from them

I could kick myself right now for torquing them in ft/lbs.... NO WONDER THE BOLT SNAPPED OFF!!! Thanks a ton for your advice, man. Honestly, those chain guides look pretty awesome, and I'd love to get a pair, but I'm hoping someone in this thread has actually owned and installed them and can let me know if they're worth it.

 

[Squiggle05GT]

I could kick myself right now for torquing them in ft/lbs.... NO WONDER THE BOLT SNAPPED OFF!!! Thanks a ton for your advice, man. Honestly, those chain guides look pretty awesome, and I'd love to get a pair, but I'm hoping someone in this thread has actually owned and installed them and can let me know if they're worth it.

Also I just did a recheck of my torque specs for the cam caps and new Melling Oil pump, and luckily I torqued those correctly. I've been following along FordTechMakuloco's Engine Timing Chain Kit Replacement 4 part video series, but it looks like I messed up on the chain guides only. Anyways thanks for the heads up.

 

[JC SSP]

When you can post more pics and any insider info on how to do this... Many of us will be attempting this in the next few months.

 

[86GT351]

Some of there parts are great. I know a High End Engine Builder that specializes in Ford Modular Engines that uses there parts

 

[Squiggle05GT]

I ended up buying ford OEM Chain guides(The stationary ones) the ones that move from the kit seem to be all right.

 

[GriffX]

I could kick myself right now for torquing them in ft/lbs.... NO WONDER THE BOLT SNAPPED OFF!!!

Just use newtonmeter, no confusion. Remember the NASA genius who interchanged yards and meters, crushing the Mars lander

 

[Autokyrios]

100ft/lbs to newtons doesn't equal 100in/lbs to newtons, though. If they give you the wrong info, it's the wrong info.

Would always check any spec from aftermarket against the specs from Ford (and you can check hardware specs from the manufacturer too...e.g. ARP posts all their specs for every bolt they make).

MMR screwed themselves up a long time ago, but they've done a lot to figure things out and they're still producing and racing. Most of their issues revolved around their engine build shop, not the parts themselves.

 

[crjackson]

MMR screwed themselves up a long time ago, but they've done a lot to figure things out and they're still producing and racing. Most of their issues revolved around their engine build shop, not the parts themselves.

I’ve heard to shy-away from MMR a long time ago, but never really knew why. Were they producing bad engine builds, and are they now producing good builds?

 

[Dino Dino Bambino]

Make sure you are torquing things to inch/pounds not foot/pounds

Correct. The bolts for the timing chain guides and tensioners are 89inlb. That's only 7.4ftlb or 10Nm.

Just use newton meter, no confusion.

Yup. That just happens to be a nice round number i.e. 10Nm.

Honestly, those chain guides look pretty awesome,

The only disadvantage (and it's a potentially big one) is that once those wear strips have worn out, the timing chain will be rubbing against metal releasing a lot of metal particles into the oil that'll wear out the rod/main bearings, cam tower/cap contact surfaces, and oil pump gears, slowly killing the engine.
I know people don't like the plastic chain guides either and when they break, pieces can get lodged inside the oil pump pickup. However I think that's the lesser of the two evils especially if you have an aftermarket oil pressure gauge to detect the problem before it becomes too serious. Now you have another recommended early warning system to install on your S197 instead of relying on that factory dummy gauge!

 

[Autokyrios]

The only disadvantage (and it's a potentially big one) is that once those wear strips have worn out...

I think MMR's logic is a lot of their components are made for hard-core racers who won't be putting on a lot of miles before going through things, but they need something sturdier than stock. I'm not sure how many miles a daily-driver would need to do to wear through the guides, but I'm guessing if someone's putting these in then they're comfortable with playing with the front timing set so probably won't wait 100k+ miles to check it. I think MMR sells replacement guide strips, too. Good point though.

Starting to sound like an MMR salesman...I WANT A DISCOUNT!!!

 

[Autokyrios]

I’ve heard to shy-away from MMR a long time ago, but never really knew why. Were they producing bad engine builds, and are they now producing good builds?

Some people got some motors (how many depends on who told the story at the time) but basically some motors broke down, supposedly from bad assembly. The rumors run the gambit between inexperienced builder errors to customers incorrectly breaking in to competitors making up stuff. It did the usual thing stuff does on the Internet and rolled around through so many threads and opinion posts and "I knew a guy who knew a guy who said that he heard" stuff that I doubt anyone will know all of the truth of it. But like I said, MMR went through all their stuff and QA'd and they're still doing a lot of things and racing, so seems they've done good.

 

[Badd GT]

Some people got some motors (how many depends on who told the story at the time) but basically some motors broke down, supposedly from bad assembly. The rumors run the gambit between inexperienced builder errors to customers incorrectly breaking in to competitors making up stuff. It did the usual thing stuff does on the Internet and rolled around through so many threads and opinion posts and "I knew a guy who knew a guy who said that he heard" stuff that I doubt anyone will know all of the truth of it. But like I said, MMR went through all their stuff and QA'd and they're still doing a lot of things and racing, so seems they've done good.

Just use the search function and enter MMR

 

[Midlife Crises]

I’ve run MMRs timing chain drive gear and billet chain tensioners and have no complaints.

 

[stkjock]

wow... this place has gone soft..... fuck mmr

 

[JC SSP]

I have no comment on MMR, Good, Bad or Ugly... Never delt with them before.

I will stick with Ford OEM guides when I do my changeout this year...

 

[Squiggle05GT]

Hey guys, I'm getting close to wrapping up my engine after a timing rebuild, but it just started raining—and since I've been doing this job in my backyard, I really wish I had a garage right now, but I put a car cover over it for now

For the rebuild, I closely followed FordTechMakuloco's 3V Engine Timing Chain Kit Replacement Walkthrough to ensure everything was done correctly. I replaced the oil pump with a Melling M340HV, installed new timing components, upgraded to the redesigned Ford rollers and followers, swapped in the newer-design Ford VCT solenoids, and installed a new oil pressure switch. The engine is finally sealed back up (and this time, I double-checked my torque specs to avoid making the same mistake I did with that chain guide bolt before).

As of around 2:30 PM, I was reconnecting the wiring, got all my coil packs in, and applied a bit of dielectric grease before installing them. Unfortunately, it started pouring before I could finish. All that's left is to drain the oil, reconnect the coolant hoses, refill the system, reinstall my cold air intake, and add fresh oil and a new oil filter.

I have two questions:

1. Is there a picture or wiring guide for properly routing the wires at the front of the engine? I just want to ensure everything is in the right place.
2. I've read about priming the engine before the first startup. Other than disconnecting the fuel pump relay, what's the best method? I've also heard of people holding the accelerator down while cranking—what's the optimal way to do it?

Appreciate any input—thanks in advance!

 

[lwarrior1016]

First, I would clean that dielectric grease out. I have fixed many electrical problems by cleaning out dielectric grease. It is not conductive and can mess with low voltage or resistance based circuits.


Also, I just start the car up. I just did this whole job on my car a week ago.

 

[Squiggle05GT]

First, I would clean that dielectric grease out. I have fixed many electrical problems by cleaning out dielectric grease. It is not conductive and can mess with low voltage or resistance based circuits.


Also, I just start the car up. I just did this whole job on my car a week ago.

Really? i thought it was "recommended" to add a bit to the tip of the coil packs when putting them in.