Derek Greenwood
Active Member
- Joined
- May 10, 2010
- Messages
- 64
- Reaction score
- 0
- City, State
- Clearwater Florida
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 94 Sport
I have read many times on this forum that the timing chain never needs to be replaced, that it lasts the life of the engine. Well, I am calling bull. I had several problems that wouldn't go away and after I changed out the timing chain its like I have a new engine.
I had a couple of problems that replacing nearly everything else didn't resolved.
It would ping badly. Changing the heads, injectors, and every electronic part on the engine didn't fix it. Replacing the timing chain did.
It wouldn't wind up at all, 3500 rpm was about it. After the timing chain replacement it turns to 4500 with power and will go to redline.
There was a noise coming from the timing chain area. Replacing the chain got rid of the noise.
It has noticably more power.
The timing chain on the Explorer engine is a single row timing chain. It does stretch and it does wear. When I pulled mine I found that it was stretched and that there was wear on the gears. As a chain stretches it will retard the timing which will lower the torque curve. It will increase the cylinder pressure at low revs. Thus the pinging and lousy high rpm performance. The teeth where worn which I will assume is why it made noise.
My motor had 160,000 miles on it. The timing chain replacement was one of the best things I have done. I can now burn regular gas again. It spins up and runs great. I just pulled my popup camper from Florida to Colorado and without the timing chain replacement it wouldn't have been very much fun.
Don't believe that the timing chain lasts forever. If your motor won't rev like it should, if it pings and if it makes noise from the timing chain area then I would replace the chain. It took me 5 hours and I love the results. Even my wife could tell the difference. She noted how quite the engine is and that we are going faster up the hills. She also like how it quite pinging all the time.
I had a couple of problems that replacing nearly everything else didn't resolved.
It would ping badly. Changing the heads, injectors, and every electronic part on the engine didn't fix it. Replacing the timing chain did.
It wouldn't wind up at all, 3500 rpm was about it. After the timing chain replacement it turns to 4500 with power and will go to redline.
There was a noise coming from the timing chain area. Replacing the chain got rid of the noise.
It has noticably more power.
The timing chain on the Explorer engine is a single row timing chain. It does stretch and it does wear. When I pulled mine I found that it was stretched and that there was wear on the gears. As a chain stretches it will retard the timing which will lower the torque curve. It will increase the cylinder pressure at low revs. Thus the pinging and lousy high rpm performance. The teeth where worn which I will assume is why it made noise.
My motor had 160,000 miles on it. The timing chain replacement was one of the best things I have done. I can now burn regular gas again. It spins up and runs great. I just pulled my popup camper from Florida to Colorado and without the timing chain replacement it wouldn't have been very much fun.
Don't believe that the timing chain lasts forever. If your motor won't rev like it should, if it pings and if it makes noise from the timing chain area then I would replace the chain. It took me 5 hours and I love the results. Even my wife could tell the difference. She noted how quite the engine is and that we are going faster up the hills. She also like how it quite pinging all the time.