Educate me on T.C. tensioners

[Saddle Tramp]

Which is better:
Cloyes or Preferred Components?
Do I need the pin and tube of oil that comes with the Preferred kit?

 

[DILLARD000]

By "Preferred" assuming you mean FordMotorCraft OEM Tensioners?
I've installed both Ford & equivalent Cloyes OilPressurized TimingTensioners; no experience with other Cloyes timing parts.
I did like the Cloyes Gasket\Seal\Washer that came with those left+right Tensioners; it's thicker & stays put compared to thinner Ford washer.
Cloyes tensioners are slightly shorter than the original Ford parts, not much, may be a milimeter or so.
Otherwise Cloyes seem well made & no complaints so far.
Not sure about kit & tube of oil; I just dip new Tensioners in fresh oil & pressed most of that out before install.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Rock Auto has it as a name brand. Not sure what that nut is for.

 

[CrabGuy]

I used the Cloyes from RA with no issues. I still do the pedal to the floor no start method on very cold mornings or if it's been sitting more than 3 days but not sure if it's necessary now. I fully primed both tensioners first and had no problem with getting threads started. The sealing washers worked well, no leaks at all. I wish I had installed new sensor O-rings on the thermostat housing though, one of them has a very small weep after removing for clearance purposes.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Years ago Cloyes was a great brand. But who knows now...there's been a general decline in quality in all manufacturing for a long time. Ive bought two cloyes items in the last four years. One a timing chain for a 460, it was good. And a oil pump for another 460, it needed a bit of file work to flatten the mating surface.... EDIT; flatten the surface under the bolt head.
I would say that they are better than chinesium.

 

[DILLARD000]

Rock Auto has it as a name brand. Not sure what that nut is for.

"Preferred" Brand = Asian Import ?
"Nut" is the "Torx Plug" for OilPassageWay+Restrictor next to the left Tensioner;
unless original Restrictor+Plug is missing, these are not wear items & don't need replacing, just cleaned+reinstalled.
Last several left Tensioners I've replaced, did not remove Plug+Restrictor, just sprayed a little CarbCleaner into OilPassage.

 

[DILLARD000]

...do the pedal to the floor no start method on very cold mornings or if it's been sitting more than 3 days
...Cloyes ...washers worked well
...wish I had installed new sensor O-rings on the thermostat housing ...weep after removing

Yep, same here. Cloyes tensioner washers seem a better design than original Fords.
Thin smear of RTV around TempSensor ORing might help seal up that weep.

 

[Saddle Tramp]

Thanks guys. I'm going to go with cloyes and a temp sensor O ring.

 

[sgtsandman]

One item of note and it may just be an example of one. I had to tighten the Cloyes tensioners tighter than factory specification in order to get them to not leak oil. The left side one (driver's side) under the intake was the worse of the two and it took a few tries to get it to stop leaking oil into the engine valley. Otherwise, they have been functioning great.

 

[DILLARD000]

Yep, had to SpiralWrap some TeflonTape around the left Tensioner Washer plus a few extra LbFt,
due to a scarred seat on the left Head in my 2001, before it would seal & stop squirting oil.
That was using a new MotorCraft Tensioner+Washer, so that may be common no matter the brand Tensioner+Washer.
There's just not much room for error, the way this Tensioners OilPassage & Seat are designed.