I'm in the process of rebuilding my 2005 5.4L and while assembling the timing I found two thin metal gaskets in the timing/tensioner kit. The bolt pattern on the gasket is the same as the tensioners. A month ago when I tore the motor down I don't remember it having a metal gasket between the tensioner and the oil passage on the cylinder head. I can even see on the aluminum head the wear pattern of the o-ring seal from the old tensioners in the heads so it seems there was no metal gasket before.

Has there been a change that now requires this thin metal gasket between the tensioners and the head? My Ford workshop manuals don't show this gasket. If there not used why would they come with the kit? Any helpful info would be appreciated.

 

I just purchased the tensioners (with a 5/11 date) and there were no gaskets other than the small white silicone ones that are built in. I don't see anything in the parts list either.

Are you sure that they're for the tensioners? I'd guess that what you may be looking at are the gaskets for the VCT body. They're shown at the top in the picture below. Fel-Pro includes them in their front cover kit. Ford lists them separately from the rest of the front cover gaskets as part numbers 3L3Z 6C285 and ...286.

 

Heres a pic of what came in my kit:

 

Hmmm... that is strange. Haven't seen anything like that before.

I'm assuming that when you mention the "kit" that it was an overall rebuild kit for the motor? As far as I know Ford doesn't really have a "kit" for the timing and front cover areas.

In any case, given the size of the original port in the block and in the tensioner itself, I can't see how that would work real well with just that tiny little feed hole (assuming that it lines up with the cavity in the tensioner body which looks like it does). As a complete wild *** guess, I suppose that maybe it could be an attempt to hold more oil in the tensioner so that it doesn't bleed off as much. The port to the tensioner is a pressure feed versus for lubrication primarily so you don't really need much flow. On that basis, I'm kinda torn between saying leaving them off and calling my parts guy to get some myself. ; ) lol

 

I agree, I'm just worried it won't seal on the gasket to head surface. This is a timing chains/tensioners/tensioner arms/cranshaft timing gear kit from engine tech. Hopefully someone else has seen this and will comment. I installed without these but I'm wondering now if I should have left them out or not.

 

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I'll be watching the thread too. Getting ready to do mine in the next few days.

Can you get in touch with the kit provider to ask them?

I guess to my thinking it worked without them so you know that you're OK going that way. Whether it might work better or not I suppose is the question. Seems that the main problem with the tensioners is that over time the seal leaks and I'd think that you'd still have the potential for that even with the plates that you have. (Actually, you'd increase the chance for a leak since you'd have two interface surfaces, block-to-plate and plate-to-tensioner and no gasket or anything between the plate and block.) Bottom line, pending not hearing any good reason otherwise, I'd lean to leaving them off myself.

Front cover looks good btw. I was thinking about doing the same or bead blasting it while I had it off.

 

I'm in the process of replacing my 5.4L 3V now as well and my tensioners didn't have those plates behind them. Now, I did buy a reman long block, but looking at them, I didn't see those metal gaskets there. I wouldn't even consider those gaskets, and like others said, I don't know how they could get proper pressure to properly tension the chains. The only thing i could think of MAYBE to hold some oil after shut down to keep pressure on the chains?? I dunno. I wouldn't chance it though, it's a lot of work to get back in the timing cover to take them out if they're not supposed to be there....

 

Thanks for the feedback guys, I'm going to leave them out. I just wanted to confirm I hadn't mis-remembered when I took the motor apart. I thought maybe I was loosing my memory. I assume that these could as you guys stated help hold some oil behind the tensioner and shorten the time for them to pressure up on startup. I often hear about these motors being noisy at startup until the oil pressure is up. So maybe this would help, either way I'm not going to be the guinea pig on this one.