2003 Ford Explorer 4.0L V6 engine failure suggestions?

[Taylor354565]

I have a 2003 Explorer which I bought new. The explorer had about 66,000 miles on it when it began to make a rattle in January 2013. A mechanic told me he suspected the timing chains were bad and to sell it while it was still running. 2 weeks later the explorer died on the side of the road and is now sitting in my front yard.
I have no clue what to do now. I need to get rid of it or get it fixed but I'm guessing the cost of a rebuilt engine may exceed the value of the car if it was running.
Any advice on how to proceed?
I'd like to sell it either 'as is' to someone who wants to fix it or put in a rebuilt engine and then sell it. It can't sit in the front yard much longer.
Would it be possible to find an engine and get it put in for less than $2000?
What would I be looking for in a rebuilt engine other than compatibility? How long would a rebuilt engine last?
List it on craig's list? I wouldn't know how much to ask for as KBB doesn't give a value for cars in 'poor' condition.
What are my options with this thing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't know much about cars but I can probably find an answer or check stuff on the engine if it would help with any questions.

 

[mall]

If all that it needs is a timing chain I would put a timing chain in it...and then if you still want to sell it it will be worth something. A timing chain is not that big of a deal if that is all that it needs...I don't know about the cost to repair the timing, but I would guess maybe $500 or less. If it was running in good condition it would be worth anywhere between $4 to &$7000 maybe a little more or a little less, but not running $1500 or so. So it is worth getting it checked out to get an estimate or two.

 

[Taylor354565]

I was under the impression that when a timing chain broke the engine would be lost. Is it possible that just a chain broke and the engine I have is repairable? Anything I could check to see if the engine might be saved? There is no oil pressure and there was a large puddle of fluid under the car when it died on the side of the road. Everything I've heard and read suggested that the engine would be toast if the chain broke before it was repaired.

 

[drbombay]

Once the timing gear goes, the least you can hope for is bent valves and broken timing components. If it is the rear chain then very often the guide will come up and crack or blow a hole in the valve cover resulting in oil leakage. Engine or transmission removal would be required to replace the gear in the rear. The front gear can be replaced without those removals. Unless you can do all the work yourself including rebuilding whichever head is required, parts and labor costs are likely to be considerable. I could do all the work myself and I pay about half retail for my parts and I still elected to replace the engine with a used unit.

 

[2000StreetRod]

compression test

The timing chains are very strong but the guide assemblies aren't. Usually a guide assembly fails causing the chain to slip. If the chain slips enough the piston will strike the valves (normally exhaust valves get hit before intake valves). Some members have been lucky and had no valve damage when the chain slipped.

To determine if there is internal damage you can remove the spark plugs to eliminate compression. Then slowly rotate the crankshaft by hand checking for piston to valve interference. If you have access to a remote viewer with a light you can visually inspect each valve for damage. If there is no piston to valve interference you can perform a compression test.

Low compression on all cylinders in one bank means the chain on that bank has slipped or is broken. Low compression on all cylinders for both banks probably means the crankshaft to jackshaft chain has broken.

The SOHC V6 is a fairly expensive engine to rebuild requiring special tools and labor intensive detailed procedures. Most members opt to replace the entire engine with one from a salvage yard.

 

[Sam 04 xlt]

See I had a bad issue with mine my chains broke all my tensioners and broke my jack shaft bolt so all I ruined was a head but I just rebuilt it all since I had to pull the motor out did it all AT my buddy's garage it's a great learning experience