Ohv startup rattle/metallic sound | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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Ohv startup rattle/metallic sound

Brem95

Elite Explorer
Joined
September 7, 2019
Messages
187
Reaction score
38
Location
Canada
City, State
Alberta
Year, Model & Trim Level
97' Explorer Sport OHV
Hey everyone just wondering if anyone experiences the same sound on startup in the cold (mostly).

It sounds like a quick rattle or metallic pinging upon startup then goes away. A co worker has a ranger with the ohv engine and makes the exact same sound upon startup. Is this normal or should it be a cause for concern?

Thanks and stay safe
 



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Yeah, it’s definitely not normal.
 






Yeah, it’s definitely not normal.
Wasn’t sure if it’s an issue that many experience or just me... could be a loose heat shield or something bad. I’ve visually inspected but don’t see anything to be loose or broken
 






I’m sure someone will have better ideas. It should start smooth like every other healthy engine though.

I did end up cutting several heat shields of my previous Mounty.
 






I’m sure someone will have better ideas. It should start smooth like every other healthy engine though.

I did end up cutting several heat shields of my previous Mounty.
Yeah no kidding I’m just hoping it’s something minor. It only happens in cold weather. I saw that it could be a weak starter... hmm time to do some
More digging after work.

it starts smooth just a weird audible sound.
 






Is your starter drive possibly not retracting after starting?
 












A video would be awesome
My first thought
Valve train wear push rod wear rocker arm wear
Due to poor oil a flow on startup

Just from hours of reading this forum over the years

Startup sounds like a can full of rocks for about 2 seconds then smooth as butter my friend Jack's truck
1995 been doing his for years
Look at the bright side at least its not marbling
 






There's a condition on the OHV that's sometimes described as "marbling" (or marbles-in-a-can sound) that actually IS normal. Something to do with wrist pin clearances.

My old '00 Sport was louder than my current 98. Despite the noise, it was trouble free until we gave it away at ~225,000 miles.

So it depends if you are talking about this sound "Marbling" or something else.
 






Thanks for the input I will upload a video hopefully later today.
 






Service Bulletin Number: 13270
Bulletin Sequence Number: 609
Date of Bulletin: 9909
NHTSA Item Number: SB6090699
Make: FORD TRUCK
Model: EXPLORER
Component: ENGINE
Summary: VEHICLES WITH THE 4.0L OHV ENGINE MAY EXHIBIT AN INTERNAL LOW END NOISE THAT IS DESCRIBED AS A DIESEL AND / OR MARBLES IN A TIN CAN RATTLE. *TT


This info is from 1999 but the problem is the same
 






I always believed that to be a sticky lifter. After sitting for a while (like overnight), it has drained, and takes a few seconds to pump back up with oil.

Does your sound only happen after it has been sitting for some time, or upon every startup throughout the day?
 






There's a condition on the OHV that's sometimes described as "marbling" (or marbles-in-a-can sound) that actually IS normal. Something to do with wrist pin clearances.

My old '00 Sport was louder than my current 98. Despite the noise, it was trouble free until we gave it away at ~225,000 miles.

So it depends if you are talking about this sound "Marbling" or something else.

If it's the "marbling" described above, it is normal for these vehicles. My 1999 OHV does it. I remember reading somewhere that using an engine oil heavier than 5W-30 would muffle the noise a bit. I personally first noticed it after I did an oil change. Thought I had done something wrong, "was the truck making that noise before?!?!" After some googling it appears to be normal. Maybe the previous owner had a heavier oil in there so I didn't notice it before I used 5W-30.
 






Thanks for the responses everyone. I just changed oil so maybe that’s why I notice it more. It’s normally when it’s cold and sitting for a bit.
 






Valve train wear
IMO normal on a older truck but can be fixed
 






My blue OHV Sport had a similar rattle, and got to the point I was getting afraid to
drive it. It sounded like a timing chain rattle, so I replaced the chain, tensioner, and
sprockets and that fixed it.

Upon teardown, I found wear on the tensioner that was probably making the chain
loose and causing the rattle. Or it could have been the tensioner itself vibrating against
the chain. Or the tensioner might have been sticking, since it's designed to move when
taking up chain slack. You might try some synthetic oil in it and see if that helps...
 






My blue OHV Sport had a similar rattle, and got to the point I was getting afraid to
drive it. It sounded like a timing chain rattle, so I replaced the chain, tensioner, and
sprockets and that fixed it.

Upon teardown, I found wear on the tensioner that was probably making the chain
loose and causing the rattle. Or it could have been the tensioner itself vibrating against
the chain. Or the tensioner might have been sticking, since it's designed to move when
taking up chain slack. You might try some synthetic oil in it and see if that helps...
All oil ran is synthetic, will take a look at tensioner/all moving parts and valve train Thanks

It's lowish mileage


- Don't you love how the hard to get to parts are normally the cheaper ones. Haha
 








Example
 







Hmm, hard to tell from the video but that sounds more like a pulley rattle to me caused by a bad bearing. Check all your drive belt pulleys with a simple/inexpensive stethoscope tool. Put it on the unit that the pulley is driving and it will pick up the noise from the pulley’s bearing. If not, and it may be internal to the engine, try changing the oil and substitute one quart of oil for one quart of Lucas Heavy Duty Oil Stabilizer or Lucas Oil Stop Leak (similar products). They really do work. I have had great success with using Lucas products in many vehicles to quiet noises, stop minor leaks, etc. They are safe to use in motors and transmissions. Follow the directions.
 



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ohv timing chainand the tensioner
OR
the cam synchronizer

are both suspect for that noise at cold start

To eliminate hte belt driven accessories as the culprit remove the belt and then start the truck
While the belt is off try spinning your pullies by hand
It could be as simple as a bad idler or tensioner pulley in the serpentine system
If it is inside the engine then I would suspect either the synchro or the timing chain
 






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