Terry Haines

To be honest I don't know about the st ecu's, they maybe unique to Europe.

Glad you made it!..Well done.

Be sure the tension between the two cam sprockets is tight,with VCT hub in correct position...If this area of belt is tight along with the tight run side of the belt then the VCT hub should not move as the belt will stop it..then put the tension on the slack side .

Hold the VCT hub unloaded as you tension the belt...

It must be spot on..VCT hub can cause an issue so take extra care and be sure tension is correct..check and double check after re timed.

In which case I would re check the cam timing and also belt tension. If you can twist the long,slack run of the belt thru more than 90 deg at mid point of the run then it is too slack.The marks on the tensioner mean nothing...

I'd carry out a compression test next.

...if you dig around a bit I think I made a post some time ago about 'rod shift linkage', I think that one has some diags..also around is my post with pics on the 'reman rod shift' with pictures..

Yes the shifter asy from the trans to the stick are the same V6 & 4 cyl..Drop me an e mail about the rbuild etc..

Nope..if the linkage,other than the tower or the external linkage, is damaged then the trans cases have to be opened up to get to it.. With the tower out and the rod from the shifter disconnected you should be able to see the internal links at the bottom of the trans move up and down & in and out when you move the rod on the outside of the trans..

OK..first off lost movement due to worn or broken u/j's in the linkage is problem No 1...Number 2 'could be issues inside the trans where the rod linkage turns the movement thro 90 degree..There is a roll pin and a clamp that can break inside the trans. First I would get a used rod assy,all the parts outside the trans, check it out and fit that first. 'IF' the trans will go into neutral then remove the shift tower and inspect it...All rod shift towers ,only PRE cable shift, are the same..If you have any suspect pics of parts post them & I will take a look..

PAS lines can be a pain if you need to disconnect from the rack end,not an easy job. The area that seems to rust out is the line that goes to & from the PAS oil cooler at the front of the rad.These lines & hoses are not quite as bad to change as those at the rack end.

Well I took a look at the repair manual link you posted...I would not follow it! It is lacking in the areas where the shrunk on gears (5th on the input & 3rd/4th on the output) are removed or refitted...glossed over very quick..There is more to removal and refitting these gears, on the later output shaft, than this write up says. That part and a few other areas are lacking...One day I will write a DIY guide for the MTX75...that one WILL be comprehensive!!

No damage as such from the use of ATF but the spec of ATF did not work too well with either the diff gears or the shift fork bushes which tended to become tight over time. Apart from the Ford honey fluid Royal Purple 'HPS 10W-40' can also be used. Many years ago I sent some Ford honey to the lab..it turned out that it's base was a 10W-40 diesel engine oil!!

My pinned post 'Output Shaft Types' is the best guide to which type any MTX75 has and then you will also know what type of bearing. Over the years I have developed my own 'manual' and far more 'trick' and special tools etc that I use on MTX75...Have never seen or read that manual you reference..I will take a look but a diy on any MTX75 needs some experience, re: how to measure blocker wear,shift fork wear etc etc. First MTX75 were cable clutch and rod shift...

...assume you mean the output shaft bearing at the pinion end..There are two types..one for the early '2 piece' output shaft and one for the later '3 piece' output shaft..Output shaft bearing at the pinion end is not interchangeable ...have to have the correct part for type of output shaft...What year is the trans etc??

...Conrods are a very weak point on the 2.5 and the 3.0 V6's..If you want higher revs go for aftermarket rods and a 'built' engines. Some 2.5's in the past that were built by Kinetic Engines were up near the 10,000 mark but built with non stoc rods,cams etc..

...they usually leak at the spot welds of the heat shield to cat body..you 'may' be able to get a bit of muffler paste in to stop it..if not it will have to be removed for repair.

..is the leak at a weld or at one of the seals/gasket at each end.. I assume we are talking about the 'main' underbody cat?

...glad the sensor advice worked for you. The housings are a bit weak ..take care with bolts,sensors etc ..too much torque will crack them..even new ones..

..I should now add that it has been proved in tests etc that cryo treated rotors last a lot longer. Used on my own vehicles and others.

...I would clean the MAF first....then if you still have the problem replace the ISC valve with a genuine Ford latest part as this component has been revised a lot...

..Air, metered air, goes INTO the engine via the hoses on the cam covers..the air picks up crankcase gases and comes out to the PCV valve which is under the throttle body...at that point the PCV valve also has a feed in from the fuel tank purge system and then a small tube up to and into the intake manifold where the PCV gases end up...

If you can track down the bad wires and renew them you 'may' be OK. Harness wiring issues are a PIA...fix one and in a short while another could pop up..ongoing risk with all Contour wire harnesses..even the later models.

....you may find the SVT injector do not have the same plug as std 2.5...The basics are...the bigger the injector the bigger the injector tip/hole is to deliver more fuel. Go too big for the engine spec and the fuel will not atomize correctly and fuel droplets can refom..