What's this noise?

[bigred4x4]

Ok 96 explorer 4.0 started making a rattling noise about two weeks ago sometimes it'll do it in park sometimes not ,does it at low idle under load, no driveability issues but it concerns me hopefully it's not yet again another tranny issue that would make 4 tranny pulls in three years!!!! Also concerned about rod knock but the oil pressure is in spec and it comes and goes so I don't know hopefully it's Something fairly simple what do you think??

 

[Redmanss]

I had an '04 that was making a similar noise, it was the cats going south.

 

[bigred4x4]

Man I hope so it kinda needs new cats any way I'll probably start there and see if that fixes the issue that would also explain a few other minor problems I've been experiencing.

 

[bigred4x4]

Plus I did have some fuel/air issues for awhile about a year ago and the last time I had the exhaust apart it was straight solid black all through everything , so I feel better that it's probably not a flexplate or rods, valves,,etc

It started surging alittle yesterday at light throttle and also a random high idle right before I took the video it also stumbles a bit under very light acceleration the noise comes and goes, sometimes it's barely noticeable just a tick here and there and sometimes it sounds like it's going to throw a rod or shear off the flex plate haha all things pointing to bad cats I hope makes a lot of sense now.

 

[njtinman2001]

did you check your torque converter nuts?

 

[Mbrooks420]

What did you check the oil pressure with? A real mechanical gauge? Is the CEL on?

 

[bigred4x4]

Ok, so, no CEL, i have a mechanical autometer oil pressure gauge on my A pillar that's tee'd into the pressure Port on the block, today I changed the belt tensioner because a noise, well more like a horrible racket it started making and I thought that might of been the noise all along, then 10 minutes later my blower motor gave out after making some noise havnt heard any abnormal noises since the belt tensioner was replaced and the AC is off then again I only drove maybe 15 miles today after repairs I'm crossing my fingers on this one if the original noise comes back I'm back to square one.