Time for a timing chain?

[4rd Xplora]

Having a slight issue with my truck. Under heavy acceleration I'm getting the pinging issues. Several times I've used 93 octane but it's has not changed the pinging. I also get the rattle when climbing steep terrain. I'm thinking the chain may be getting a little too worn. Truck runs fantastic but has over 300K on her, around town and 90% of the time highway it's normal till it downshifts into a lower gear for hills or passing. If you ease into it, it accelerates normal. I have used Sea Foam and also pulled the plugs and put trans fluid in each cylinder once to help clean out any carbon deposits. Time for a chain or some other timing issue? It's a 4.0 OHV. Thanks in advance.

 

[koda2000]

The overhead valve 4.0 does not have the timing chain issues that the SOHC engines have. There is a timing chain between the crank and cam shaft and it has a tensioner which are subject to wear.

At 300,000+ miles your engine now has excessive wear on many parts. Is it worth replacing the timing set w/chain and guide? Only you can answer that. On the bright side, the labor and cost of doing this job on the OHV engine is not very high.

Personally I'd just drive it gently until it dies and then maybe install a reman engine. It sure doesn't owe you anything at this point.

 

[4rd Xplora]

Thanks Koda.

 

[Runnin'OnEmpty]

I replaced the timing set on my OHV last year, and it's not a hard job. Hardest part is removing and reinstalling the harmonic balancer for which you'll need a puller. I bought a Sealed Power set which included the chain, both sprokets, the tensioner and gaskets.

The tensioner is what wears. It's made from a composit material and has a stronger spring in stock form than the replacement kit had. I suspect the stronger spring contributed to the tensioner wear.

 

[4rd Xplora]

Doing the job is a 2-4 hour job including beer time. I was just looking to see if anyone else had this issue and it was not related to the timing chain. I will replace the chain at some point since I plan on keeping this unit but until then I'll take koda's advice, except for driving it easy. Just finished a 525 mile round trip. Had the cruise set a 80 the whole way. LOL!!!!!

 

[fast_dave]

Having a slight issue with my truck. Under heavy acceleration I'm getting the pinging issues. Several times I've used 93 octane but it's has not changed the pinging.

4rd Xplora; For $11 and 15 Minutes of your time, have you tried cleaning the MAF SENSOR with CRC Brand MAF sensor spray?

You can't tell with your naked eye, but sometimes the (2) Sensors within the MAF are dirty enough that you need to fill the black plastic cap of the MAF SENSOR SPRAY with the cleaning fluid, and sit your MAF SENSOR on top of the cap, allowing the (2) sensors to soak in the cleaning fluid.

After a few minutes of soaking, lift the MAF SENSOR off of the cap of cleaning fluid, and use a NEW Q-TIP soaked in the cleaning fluid to wipe off the wire mounted sensors. You might be surprised as you watch the head of the Q-TIP turn grey as you wipe off the sensors.

The sensors are heated to remove oily residue, but over time that "burnt" residue builds up on the sensors and can lead to the computer not reading properly and thus causing pinging.

Additionally, remove and clean the AIR TEMP SENSOR that is in the rubber air snorkel - it's downstream from the MAF, and before the Throttle Body. Remove & Clean that as well with MAF sensor cleaner and a Q-Tip.

Finally, disconnect the battery for a half an hour and let he computer re-set itself, so it re-learns it's parameters.

Hope that helps -

 

[4rd Xplora]

4rd Xplora; For $11 and 15 Minutes of your time, have you tried cleaning the MAF SENSOR with CRC Brand MAF sensor spray?

You can't tell with your naked eye, but sometimes the (2) Sensors within the MAF are dirty enough that you need to fill the black plastic cap of the MAF SENSOR SPRAY with the cleaning fluid, and sit your MAF SENSOR on top of the cap, allowing the (2) sensors to soak in the cleaning fluid.

After a few minutes of soaking, lift the MAF SENSOR off of the cap of cleaning fluid, and use a NEW Q-TIP soaked in the cleaning fluid to wipe off the wire mounted sensors. You might be surprised as you watch the head of the Q-TIP turn grey as you wipe off the sensors.

The sensors are heated to remove oily residue, but over time that "burnt" residue builds up on the sensors and can lead to the computer not reading properly and thus causing pinging.

Additionally, remove and clean the AIR TEMP SENSOR that is in the rubber air snorkel - it's downstream from the MAF, and before the Throttle Body. Remove & Clean that as well with MAF sensor cleaner and a Q-Tip.

Finally, disconnect the battery for a half an hour and let he computer re-set itself, so it re-learns it's parameters.

Hope that helps -

Tried it and it has seemed to have helped/solved the problem. I run the K&N CAI on my truck and I figure after the last cleaning a small amount oil got thru to the MAF. Usually I wait a week after cleaning before reinstalling and sometimes longer, but this time I installed it after a few hours. The only thing that filter's good for is noise on a stock 4.0 OHV anyhow

 

[fast_dave]

I run the K&N CAI on my truck

Seriously - Those K&N's will do it all the time ;-)

Glad to have helped!

 

[swshawaii]

Just a reminder:

When Do I Clean My K&N Air Filter?
Cleaning your K&N Air Filter is not required if you can still see the wire screen on the entire air filter regardless of how dirty it may appear. If you have not experienced a decrease in mileage or engine performance, chances are your K&N air filter is fine and does not yet need to be cleaned. When the screen is no longer visible some place on the air filter, it is time to clean it. Check out these pictures of dirty and clean air filters to help determine if your K&N air filter needs cleaning.

K&N replacement air filters that fit in the factory air box can go up to 50,000 miles before cleaning is required and large conical filters on a K&N air intake system can go up to 100,000 miles before needing to be cleaned, depending on your driving conditions. If your K&N air filter is used in dusty or off-road environments, they will require cleaning more often. We recommend that you visually inspect your air filter once every 25,000 miles to determine if the screen is still visible.

How to Clean a K&N Air Filter - K&N Filters Cleaning Instructions