How many miles has your Timing Chain Rattled

[travlincub321]

I have a 2000 Exploder 4.0 SOCH...

I have done a ton of research, reading and so on..... I know it needs to be replaced and fixed, but I have major medical issues right now and can't. I may cut my losses and go find a V8 Explorer like mine (which I don;t wanna do, as mine has nearly new tires, brakes and everything else fixed)

I am at almost 142K.... It doesn't rattle when you start it, it rattles when the idle steps down and its been running and now after running a while there is a bit of a tick, like when the truck is turned off and the cats are cooling down...

Maybe im over doing this in my head, but, is this thing about to Sh** the bed or what?

Truck runs and drives fine and I am getting a nice 18.5 overall mpg with my heavy ass foot.

My question: I have only seen 2 explorers that completly died from this issue... But neither listed miles... How long did you let your rattle go before you fixed it or is it still rattling and you just keep going with your toes crossed??

Again, I know it NEEDS to be fixed, but, unless some one has $1500 to donate or hand to me, I can't do it right now

 

[SoNic67]

To prolong the demise:
Change the oil using an Oil Flush and use oil weight 5W40.
Put the shifter in "N" when at idle (at stop lights).
Replace the two screw-in tensioners NOW - it's easier (and cheaper) then waiting until the chain guides fall apart.

The rear one - shown here with the cover off. Is one of 2000StreetRod's pictures...

 

[travlincub321]

Never thought about the netrual thing. I do use royoal purple, but what is that oil flush

 

[SoNic67]

I use it once in a while, to clean the engine from accumulated sludge. Your oil filter needs to be still "capable" of holding dirt (not after 5-7000 miles).

 

[rb142]

Well, I'm going to disagree. The heavier oil may or may not help. Switching to N at stops will probably make things worse. Lightening the load, and switching the load in and out is going to create even more chain slap. You want some load on the chain, just not too much. Don't rev it up too high or put too much load on it.

Changing the screw-in tensioners is also a mixed bag. It may help your problem, and is pretty easy and cheap to do. But sometimes the chain guides are already cracked and are being held in place by the tensioner. Unscrewing the tensioner to replace it will then let the guide pieces fall out and then you have no choice but to do the full timing job. There's no way to know before hand if the guides will stay in tact or not.

Your description of a ticking indicates to me that you don't have the real rattle yet. You will know it when the guides are broken, and so will the rest of the neighborhood. (The ticking may even be from somewhere else.) While some people have gone a long time with the rattle, once the real rattle started, mine made it a gentle 1.5 miles at most before the engine gave up. Don't gamble with the driving it once the guides fail.

For now, your best option is probably to keep driving it gently, and pay attention for the noise to get worse. Stop driving if it does. If you want to gamble, replace the screw-in tensioners. But be aware that there is a possibility it could result in bigger immediate repairs. Either way it is a warning sign, so try to make plans to repair or trade it as soon as you are able to do so. Good luck.

 

[my98nnj]

I do use royoal purple,

That's probably why you get that slight rattle. That oil is liquid garbage.
Blackstone labs oil analysis proves it over and over.
Put something like Castrol or Mobil 1 if you choose synthetic.

I had a start up rattle for 50,000 miles, never changed and was quiet while running. The truck had just hit 100k when I sold it.

Castrol GTX 10w-30

 

[Bobmbx]

I've busted two Explorer engines. The first was my ST, which rattled about 1 mile farther than it should have. Found On Road Dead about 400 miles from home. IT had 240k miles on it.

The second was my current 06 V6. It rattled for about 10 minutes, then it died. At least that one happened in my own garage. This happened at 180k miles.

 

[SoNic67]

Well, I'm going to disagree. The heavier oil may or may not help. Switching to N at stops will probably make things worse. Lightening the load, and switching the load in and out is going to create even more chain slap. You want some load on the chain, just not too much. Don't rev it up too high or put too much load on it.

That chain has nothing to do with the load, is not driving the transmission. Putting transmission in N will let the rpm go slightly higher, and increase the oil pressure, putting more tension on the hydraulic tensioner. On my worn V8 it makes the difference between 5 psi and 8-10 psi at idle. Enough so the oil pressure needle stops from bouncing.
Same idea with thicker oil, will help building up pressure on tensioners.
Same with the flush before - it will clean up any clogged passages to tensioners.

Sure he can also do nothing and wait for the engine to die.

 

[Flash]

My first X rattled for about 10,000kms and didn't rattle at start up probably because it was the jackshaft chain rattling.

You can take the cam cover off to get an idea if the guides are going to hold up and you can maintain pressure on the guides when replacing the tensioners.
I recommend that.

 

[boominXplorer]

Well, I'm going to disagree. The heavier oil may or may not help. Switching to N at stops will probably make things worse. Lightening the load, and switching the load in and out is going to create even more chain slap. You want some load on the chain, just not too much. Don't rev it up too high or put too much load on it.

Changing the screw-in tensioners is also a mixed bag. It may help your problem, and is pretty easy and cheap to do. But sometimes the chain guides are already cracked and are being held in place by the tensioner. Unscrewing the tensioner to replace it will then let the guide pieces fall out and then you have no choice but to do the full timing job. There's no way to know before hand if the guides will stay in tact or not.

Your description of a ticking indicates to me that you don't have the real rattle yet. You will know it when the guides are broken, and so will the rest of the neighborhood. (The ticking may even be from somewhere else.) While some people have gone a long time with the rattle, once the real rattle started, mine made it a gentle 1.5 miles at most before the engine gave up. Don't gamble with the driving it once the guides fail.

For now, your best option is probably to keep driving it gently, and pay attention for the noise to get worse. Stop driving if it does. If you want to gamble, replace the screw-in tensioners. But be aware that there is a possibility it could result in bigger immediate repairs. Either way it is a warning sign, so try to make plans to repair or trade it as soon as you are able to do so. Good luck.

I agree, do not switch to neutral at lights. It will take the load off the motor and they will rattle worse.

I also agree with NOT changing the screw in tensioners. When you have a sure noise, the guide is already gone. If you pull out the screw in tensioners the part of the guide you have left might fall and your in a worse boat then where you were. At this point run it till it stops or money prevails, just don't be surprised when it does.

 

[SoNic67]

I agree, do not switch to neutral at lights. It will take the load off the motor and they will rattle worse.

There is no "load off the motor" to be taken off, that chain doesn't drive the transmission, your assumption is wrong.
It will just let the engine idle rpm increase.
Also see this:

... It doesn't rattle when you start it, it rattles when the idle steps down...

 

[boominXplorer]

Have you ever worked on a sohc? Have you ever turned one over by hand? When you do so the tensioner slaps back and fourth. When you decelerate with no load on the motor (trans in N) it does the same thing. I have done about 20 v6 sohc timing chain jobs and if they are still running you can rev them up to 3000 rpm and let off the gas in N or Park and they will rattle, tick, stumble and sometimes stall. That is because the cam timing is so far retarded with the slack in the chain. All that rattling WILL cause more damage.

If the back timing guide is gone (after 150k mi it is common) that means your chain is basically riding on a bolt. All you have to do is gag the throttle just right and that chain will grab that bolt, and shear the jackshaft bolt right off and valves will hit pistons on passenger side. I have seen this situation happen at least 5 times so far.

If the front cylinder head guide is gone it will hang in there for a bit but it can shoot it out right through the valve cover and will instantly start to jump time and run like crap on that bank. I have had an 02 do this with 175k mi before.

I also had a main drive tensioner fail on a 98 and it also broke the stationary guide too. This one had 115k on it and it went from running fine with a little noise to 6 bent bent valves. No matter what oil pressure wont help you here, the tensioners are spring loaded.

Also saying it doesn't rattle when he starts it means he is probably in the truck with the door shut and by the time the idle comes down he is looking under the hood. OR there is tension on the chains as it starts up but as it warms up and idles down they start slapping around since there is no load or tension on the chains. A rattle at idle would either be the rear timing chain riding on the top bolt, balance shaft tensioner gone (9 out of 10 are) or main shaft tensioner (didn't get a revised stronger version till 2005 and are very weak).

In all the trucks I have worked on replacing the hydraulic tensioners would of been a waste of time, once they are rattling something is broken. The only good thing about the 00mm12 (or whatever the update oil flow kit p/n is) is the oil restrictor that goes in the drives side head to keep oil up top.

 

[2000StreetRod]

2WD or 4WD?

. . . I am at almost 142K.... It doesn't rattle when you start it, it rattles when the idle steps down and its been running and now after running a while there is a bit of a tick, like when the truck is turned off and the cats are cooling down. . .

Normally, rattle from broken cassettes is loudest when oil pressure is low or the timing chain is dry (slapping against metal) - especially at engine start. Rattle from a worn out primary chain tensioner typically occurs at engine mid-range rpm. It is extremely rare for an engine to fail due to a bad primary chain tensioner. If your vehicle has 4WD then your engine has a balance shaft. A failed balance shaft chain tensioner (fairly common at 150K miles) can rattle at idle and is not as harsh as cassette rattle. Engine failure due to a bad balance shaft chain tensioner is rare.

A ticking sound is not representative of a cassette failure. Have you tried to isolate the location of the sound using a flexible hose? You may have an exhaust manifold leak or a sticking valve.

 

[brettb]

i had a slight noise, changed tensioner bolt and it lasted about 100 miles before it lost so much tension it was running rough. it also broke the new tensioner and pieces fell into the timing chain cover. i would def not change that tensioner if i could do it over. i could still hear the chain rattling away when i cut the engine. i think mine might still be good after a complete timing chain set but i got lucky.

 

[TwiztidRat]

Mine has had the death rattle for about 4 years. 215k on the clock, rattles at start up and driving. At this point I'm just waiting for it to die but so far the engine doesn't miss a beat.

 

[travlincub321]

Sorry for the delay..I have had a slight set back with my health and life is nuts..

I am going to get the tick checked out... It sounds like a bad cat converter.. I can smell a little something getting hot too and when the truck is worked hard it gets slightly sluggish

I've noticed you can only really hear it between 2500-3000 rpms and you can sometimes here it in the rig... But it doesn't skip a beat... You just can't floor the throttle, this explorer has the most bizzare gas pedal. Which maybe related to this or not IDK

I am gonna make a few calls and see what I can do to get something worked out to get it fixed..

Im hopeful.. I see so many 200k+ explorers and there are explorers galore here in portland and all over, and none really for sale, SO I am not gonna dump it.. I will find a way to get it fixed.. ANd the seats re done

 

[TerryinAustralia]

I think I've dodged a bullet. I've just bought a really nice 1998 Explorer, the seller said it had the "usual timing chain rattles", which sounded more to me like a dry serpentine belt. When I compared the pics of the OHV V6 compared to the SOHC V6, I determined that my engine is the earlier engine.

The downside is that it's down about 50 BHP on the SOHC engine, but (I presume) it doesn't have the chain tensioner issues of the later engine? What goes wrong with the OHV V6? Cheers, Terry. ;D

 

[Flash]

I

I also agree with NOT changing the screw in tensioners. When you have a sure noise, the guide is already gone.

I don't (fully) agree.

If the tensioners are replaced at the first sign of rattle destruction of the guides can be avoided, unless of course it's the jackshaft chain which it was in the case of my XLT.

At start up and before the oil pressure gets up enough to get the tensioners working the chain will thrash around and destroy the plastic guides.
Actually, the plastic guides will probably disintegrate at some stage anyway and really need to be replaced with the steel backed guides.

But if the tensioners are replaced at the first sign of rattle then the plastic guides won't be subjected to the start up thrashing. Unless it's the jack shaft chain rattling.

 

[Flash]

I think I've dodged a bullet. I've just bought a really nice 1998 Explorer, the seller said it had the "usual timing chain rattles", which sounded more to me like a dry serpentine belt. When I compared the pics of the OHV V6 compared to the SOHC V6, I determined that my engine is the earlier engine.

The downside is that it's down about 50 BHP on the SOHC engine, but (I presume) it doesn't have the chain tensioner issues of the later engine? What goes wrong with the OHV V6? Cheers, Terry. ;D

We usually only got the OHV in the manuals.

It's pretty easy to check, the SOHC has a big, plastic engine cover on it with SOHC on it.

You're right, the OHV doesn't have the timing chain problems but I think the '99 SOHC had the better steel backed guides so keeping up with tensioner maintenance will keep it going.

 

[travlincub321]

I did replace My tensioners at 132k. So 10k ago