'01 Sport Trac RIP?

[429CJ-3X2]

I think my '01 ST became a parts truck yesterday. Yeah, this one.. Valve cover bolt rounded off.
I've owned the truck 8 1/2 years putting about 45,000 miles on it (just short of 189,000 now), and this engine has long made extra noises - and I don't mean the exhaust. When I started it after changing the valve cover, standing in front of the truck with the hood up, there was a LOT of clatter. The best comparison I can think of is an engine with solid lifters, and all of them way out of adjustment, and running with the valve covers off. The engine in my '02 has some timing chain noise at low rpms at times, but the sounds from this one have always been different. I drove it roughly 10 miles last Saturday, and driving through a parking lot toward the end of the drive, there was a loud knocking/slapping sound that sounded like it could be either internal or external. I decided then not to drive it except on short trips when time was not a factor. Drove it a mile each way to church twice Sunday, and didn't hear quite what I heard Saturday. I drove it to the church yesterday for my part-time job, with a side trip to the grocery store, and returned home the same way. Round trip was about 4 miles. As I turned onto our 1 lane deadend street, there was a soft pop or thud, and it died. Tried to restart it, but the starter was obviously struggling so I stopped immediately.

Praise God I was only a block from home, so I walked up to get my wife, who wasn't home, and the '02 ST. The street is slightly uphill to our house, and I was able to pull it up to our front yard without help.

Haven't looked at it yet, partly because I need help to get it where I want it. What should/can I check to confirm the engine is done for?

 

[Mbrooks420]

Pull the valve covers, and see if the valves cycle, or do a compression test.

 

[oklagp1200r]

That's why when I start my truck cold I flood start it for four starter cranking cycles to build oil pressure before I start it!!!!! Short drives like you stated will kill a engine eventually too!

 

[Mbrooks420]

It’s almost surely a goner. Anytime a motor makes a terrible sound, and you just keep driving it until it dies, it’s usually the end for said motor. Your final notice was the sound prior to driving it an additional dozen miles.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

I finally pulled the valve cover back off for possible use in my '02, and found these

The larger piece is about 1 3/4 x 1 1/2", and was wedged in the top corner of the head riding on the timing chain. It had ground the reinforcing ribs in the top corner of the valve cover down to almost nothing. The front cassette is gone. The chain could probably be taken off the sprocket as is. Fortunately, the engine was at a low idle when it quit, so it's probably a good candidate for rebuilding - for another truck. I won't rebuild it for this truck because the rest of the truck needs too much work. The floor pan is rusty, as is 1 door, and the rockers, and there's play in the steering. I'd still have a $1500 truck, even with a fresh engine.

 

[DintDobbs]

@429CJ-3X2 Yep... She's dead. Rebuilding and swapping into a different truck is probably the best option!

 

[CDW6212R]

I'm sorry to hear of another SOHC dying, they are great when right, a pain when not. The cost of the parts is now over $500, so the labor and tools, the time, it's hard to justify the work for the current value.


FYI, the USPS has some time ago decided to stop selling their old POVs(the various white specialty trucks); now they literally crush them, while documenting it on video. They did make over 20,000 2nd gen Explorer models, they called them FFV's, which was a 99-01 SOHC complete Ford chassis. I had thought of finding one to buy, to convert to a V8, but now it sounds very unlikely to be possible.

 

[koda2000]

Sorry to hear your '01 ST is having timing chain/tensioner problems. At 189,000 miles that seems to be about the average life expectancy for the 4.0L SOHC engines. Since I rebuilt my SOHC about 4 years ago it's been doing great. The engine rebuild was not difficult once the engine was out of the truck, but quality OEM parts and acquiring the special tools needed was expensive. I also had 2 cracked heads to replace, so that added $500 to my costs There are cheaper replacement parts on the market, but I wanted the best possible results and longevity out of my rebuild so I didn't take chances with aftermarket parts. If you decide to rebuild the engine I still have all the special tools I bought for the job if that helps you.

During my rebuild I found my engine's bottom end was in great shape and required nothing. The 4.0L V6 engines bottom ends are quite bullet-proof.

I use my '01 ST as my daily driver and I'm sure it will easily outlive me at this point. No reason it shouldn't as I've rebuilt/repaired/replaced just about every part on that old truck. Living in the southeast rust is not a consideration so the body and frame are perfect. My interior is a bit cooked but still usable. I replaced by steering wheel and driver's seat bottom recently, but the rest of the interior is perfectly useable if not pretty. If I want pretty, I drive my '01 Eddie B and for hauling dogs to/from the vet there's always the '00 Mountaineer (which now needs a transmission tails shaft seal, something I need to get around to soon).

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Good to hear from you koda!

 

[koda2000]

Good to hear from you koda!

Yeah, still kicking. Most of my wrench turning these days is on my daughter's Fusion and my tractor (not that I'm complaining).

 

[oklagp1200r]

Sorry to hear your '01 ST is having timing chain/tensioner problems. At 189,000 miles that seems to be about the average life expectancy for the 4.0L SOHC engines. Since I rebuilt my SOHC about 4 years ago it's been doing great. The engine rebuild was not difficult once the engine was out of the truck, but quality OEM parts and acquiring the special tools needed was expensive. I also had 2 cracked heads to replace, so that added $500 to my costs There are cheaper replacement parts on the market, but I wanted the best possible results and longevity out of my rebuild so I didn't take chances with aftermarket parts. If you decide to rebuild the engine I still have all the special tools I bought for the job if that helps you.

During my rebuild I found my engine's bottom end was in great shape and required nothing. The 4.0L V6 engines bottom ends are quite bullet-proof.

I use my '01 ST as my daily driver and I'm sure it will easily outlive me at this point. No reason it shouldn't as I've rebuilt/repaired/replaced just about every part on that old truck. Living in the southeast rust is not a consideration so the body and frame are perfect. My interior is a bit cooked but still usable. I replaced by steering wheel and driver's seat bottom recently, but the rest of the interior is perfectly useable if not pretty. If I want pretty, I drive my '01 Eddie B and for hauling dogs to/from the vet there's always the '00 Mountaineer (which now needs a transmission tails shaft seal, something I need to get around to soon).

Can you please explain more on the replacement of the drivers seat bottom? Did you do it yourself and where did you find the new bottom?

 

[koda2000]

Can you please explain more on the replacement of the drivers seat bottom? Did you do it yourself and where did you find the new bottom?

My driver's seat cushion and foam were in rough condition when I bought my '01 ST in 2015. The leather was in shreds and the foam was torn and missing on the outside bolster. I'd looked into getting new replacement foam and leather from theseatshop.com. They had the leather, but the foam is unique to the Sport Trac seat and discontinued. I originally covered my front seats with a set of Cover King ballistic covers, which fit/worked okay, but my seat cushion was very uncomfortable. I bought a used cloth driver's seat from a 2005 Explorer. The seat would have right bolted in, but being a newer power seat, the electrical connections were very different. I ended up removing the '05's cloth seat bottom cover and seat foam and installed it on the ST's seat frame. The foam is slightly different because the bottom frame on the ST has these 2 metal loops that stick up where the regular Explorer bottom seat frame is just flat. I cut slits the Explorer seat foam with a razor knife to fit over the metal loops on the ST's seat frame and installed the cloth Explorer cover When done I reinstalled the Cover King as my other seats are grey leather.

My main concern was comfort and not so much appearance. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the leather ST seat cover and the regular Explorer foam (assuming it's still available) from the theseatshop.com and installed that. I've replaced 2 Explorer/Mountaineer seat bottoms from theseatshop (both leather and vinyl) and have always found their quality, fit and appearance to be excellent. They are also very helpful and have video's telling you how to go about replacing your seat covers. If your ST has manual seats and you can find a good used '01-'05 driver's seat you can live with that would be the least expensive and easiest way to go.

 

[429CJ-3X2]

Can you please explain more on the replacement of the drivers seat bottom? Did you do it yourself and where did you find the new bottom?

Which seats do you have? I replaced the driver's seats in both my '01 and '02 Tracs with Gen 2 Explorer seats for personal comfort reasons. The '01 seats are cloth covered low back seats with the adjustable headrest. The '02 seat is a cloth covered high back without a separate headrest. Both seats were in good condition when I took them out. I doubt I'll ever need either.

 

[oklagp1200r]

My driver's seat cushion and foam were in rough condition when I bought my '01 ST in 2015. The leather was in shreds and the foam was torn and missing on the outside bolster. I'd looked into getting new replacement foam and leather from theseatshop.com. They had the leather, but the foam is unique to the Sport Trac seat and discontinued. I originally covered my front seats with a set of Cover King ballistic covers, which fit/worked okay, but my seat cushion was very uncomfortable. I bought a used cloth driver's seat from a 2005 Explorer. The seat would have right bolted in, but being a newer power seat, the electrical connections were very different. I ended up removing the '05's cloth seat bottom cover and seat foam and installed it on the ST's seat frame. The foam is slightly different because the bottom frame on the ST has these 2 metal loops that stick up where the regular Explorer bottom seat frame is just flat. I cut slits the Explorer seat foam with a razor knife to fit over the metal loops on the ST's seat frame and installed the cloth Explorer cover When done I reinstalled the Cover King as my other seats are grey leather.

My main concern was comfort and not so much appearance. If I had it to do over again, I would have bought the leather ST seat cover and the regular Explorer foam (assuming it's still available) from the theseatshop.com and installed that. I've replaced 2 Explorer/Mountaineer seat bottoms from theseatshop (both leather and vinyl) and have always found their quality, fit and appearance to be excellent. They are also very helpful and have video's telling you how to go about replacing your seat covers. If your ST has manual seats and you can find a good used '01-'05 driver's seat you can live with that would be the least expensive and easiest way to go.

Thank you!

 

[oklagp1200r]

Which seats do you have? I replaced the driver's seats in both my '01 and '02 Tracs with Gen 2 Explorer seats for personal comfort reasons. The '01 seats are cloth covered low back seats with the adjustable headrest. The '02 seat is a cloth covered high back without a separate headrest. Both seats were in good condition when I took them out. I doubt I'll ever need either.

My 01 ST has the electric powered tan leather adjustable headrest seat.

 

[lincolnlocker]

I think my '01 ST became a parts truck yesterday. Yeah, this one.. Valve cover bolt rounded off.
I've owned the truck 8 1/2 years putting about 45,000 miles on it (just short of 189,000 now), and this engine has long made extra noises - and I don't mean the exhaust. When I started it after changing the valve cover, standing in front of the truck with the hood up, there was a LOT of clatter. The best comparison I can think of is an engine with solid lifters, and all of them way out of adjustment, and running with the valve covers off. The engine in my '02 has some timing chain noise at low rpms at times, but the sounds from this one have always been different. I drove it roughly 10 miles last Saturday, and driving through a parking lot toward the end of the drive, there was a loud knocking/slapping sound that sounded like it could be either internal or external. I decided then not to drive it except on short trips when time was not a factor. Drove it a mile each way to church twice Sunday, and didn't hear quite what I heard Saturday. I drove it to the church yesterday for my part-time job, with a side trip to the grocery store, and returned home the same way. Round trip was about 4 miles. As I turned onto our 1 lane deadend street, there was a soft pop or thud, and it died. Tried to restart it, but the starter was obviously struggling so I stopped immediately.

Praise God I was only a block from home app, so I walked up to get my wife, who wasn't home, and the '02 ST. The street is slightly uphill to our house, and I was able to pull it up to our front yard without help.

Haven't looked at it yet, partly because I need help to get it where I want it. What should/can I check to confirm the engine is done for?

First - Greetings everyone! This is my first post to this forum. Besides my '01 Sport Trac (Gold, 2WD), my wife drives a '98 Econoline Custom Van (Black & gold ext. - originally was a lease to some Boilermaker fan). She calls her van "The Land Shark" & yes, we're Buffett fans.

I've been searching around to see if I could find if my question may have been previously post - no luck. I hope that a good thing.

OK - my issue. The exterior lower rear window seal of my '01 recently became dislodged and finally ripped completely out. Now, I am looking to replace it so I don't have water dripping into the window motor area. Initially, I was told I would have to replace the entire window for around $800. After picking myself up off the floor, I decided there HAS TO BE another way... So, HELP!!!

In advanced, Thanks for your input & insight.

 

[DintDobbs]

@lincolnlocker Excuseable, perhaps, if it is your first post, but you have found yourself in the wrong place.

You should start your own thread in this section

2001-2005 Explorer Sport Trac

All questions related to the 2001-2005 Explorer Sport Trac model.

www.explorerforum.com

describing the problem as you did here in @429CJ-3X2 's thread. This is his thread, describing his issue.

Pics would help. I can only guess that you're talking about this part here

but you might mean the one on the bed window glass. In any case, somewhat more information is required, but please provide that information in your own thread. We will happily assist you with your problems if you will respect the format of the forum.

P. S. We also know that this is actually your 38th post on EF.