My kid has been in the garage, trying to pull the timing chain cover on our 98 F150 4.2 V6. He has the harmonic balancer off, but now he tells me that the timing chain cover is connected somehow to the oil filter???? What is up with that. I am disabled and unable to help him, but I have good knowledge of an engine having rebuilt a few and I have never heard of this. Can anyone offer me some suggestions/ideas??? Thanks a bunch, Mickey

 

You have to remove the oil filter housing which is attached to the timing cover and the block. There are about 4 to five bolts that hold it on. Its no big deal, kink of messy. You might have to replace the gasket between the housing and the timing cover. I believe that the only reason to remove the oil filter housing is because one of the bolts to remove the timing cover is behine the housing. On my 97 4.2 you need a hex wrench to remove the bolt.


good luck