'99 e.b. 4.0L SOHC clattering engine noise | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

  • Register Today It's free!

'99 e.b. 4.0L SOHC clattering engine noise

tman1175

Member
Joined
February 26, 2005
Messages
17
Reaction score
0
City, State
seattle, wa
Year, Model & Trim Level
99 eddie bauer
While idling my engine makes a clattering noise. Was told the valves were knocking/tinking. Its been doing this for the past 10,000 miles. Has 74,000 now. What's the problem? Costs to repair? How long can I drive it before I need repair? Had a '91 4.0L SOHC and it did the same...HELP!
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





Don't put it off. It's likely caused by something in the front cam drive system. There was a recall, and many years of the SOHC can use the better 2002+ parts.

It may only be a relatively cheap fix if nothing else is damaged. If further damage is caused by what initially went wrong, hundreds of dollars would be cheap. Then you would probably be looking at major engine work.

Stop driving it as soon as possible, and get it fixed. Good luck,
DonW
 






Don't forget the RH/Passenger side Cam Cassette. Often overlooked. I agree take it to a Ford Dealer now and don't let them suck you dry with fuel system cleaning, tune up etc most will want to get you in 2 or 3 times before they repair your problem. Ford has learned to milk the cam problems for all they are worth.
 






Thanks for the advice.
 






What about the problem with the 4.0L SOHC PLASTIC timing chain tensioner? I have heard that it sounds almost like a bad valve or a miss-fire. The plasic belt tensioner looses tension on the timing chain which could result in a possible jump of chain on the cam. This then if not repaired can result in your valves going out and God knows what else. If left unattended this can easlier result in needing a new motor. There is a recall for this...I belive if you have under 80,000 miles and the vehicle is less than 6 years old you qualify. Check with your ford dealer, if you qualify for the recall they will replace your motor if necessary.
 






So I can get Ford to do the recall on my 99 SOHC with 77k, even though it'll be in a 93 body? ;) :p

I am about to pull apart some of mine to see how it looks.
DonW
 






WAIT DON'T DO IT YET. Not all of the 4.0L SOHC engines were affected by the recall. You need to check with your Ford dealer to confirm your engine has this disaster of a design! If your getting these symptoms I would definately STOP driving your truck and check with Fords for if your motor has the plastic belt tensioner. Unless your feeling really outgoing and just want an excuse to tear your motor apart that is.
 






On a side note if you catch the problem BEFORE it screws the engine, its a really great motor. There is actually a kit you can buy form Ford to upgrade the motor, if they won't cover it. It includes all the parts affected by the recall.

Tipically the symptoms of a miss-fire develop around 80-100K I've been told. Trust me, your boys in the parts dep. up at Ford are WELL aware of this issue. I'm a long time customer at the parts dep. at my local dealer and they all know me well (they hook me up with parts for their cost...emplyee discount is AWESOME). The moment I mentioned I was going to purchase an X they all screamed "DON'T GET THE 4.0L SOHC!!!!"
 






are you sure you have the sohc, you said your 91 sohc did this but the sohc engine did not come out until 97
 






He said he put in a "99 SOHC with 77K" so it is very possible hes affected by the timing chain tensioner...

:edit:
I guess I should read before I post eh? :confused: disregard...
 






I haven't started the swap, yet. I'm collecting parts still. I have the small "kit" with a tensioner, gaskets, and a plastic "orifice tube."

The plastic part is what I was told that mine needed. I have only started the 99 SOHC four times. Each time there was a rattle for a short 1-2 seconds. My Ford shop foreman suggested that I might just need that plastic piece, which will hold oil pressure when the engine is off.

Can the VIN number be used to find out if the cam drive system is updated already?
Thanks for any help,
DonW
 






whats this buisness about the cam? I haven't heard of any isus with it. I know that the plastic belt tensioner on the timing chain isu cannot be ID'ed by the VIN.
 






but it can be id'ed by the build date which is in the vin
 






Cool, thanks. All of the rumored problems are around the cam drive(tensioners, gears, etc.) Several people here have mentioned replacing one or more of these.
DonW
 






Good point Billy177...

I belive all the rumors are related to the tensionor...which yes if it jumps the cam it would seem like a cam isu. I could be wrong. I have done quit a bit of research with my fellow brothers at the parts counter and the service desk at Fords about this isu.

My uncle Frank has a '98 XLT with the 4.0 SOHC and he took it to a Ford dealer who ID'ed it to NOT be one of the affected motors. He said that the tech told him that there was a certain type of metal on the motor that was different on the ones that wern't the problem motors. I'll check with him and get back with you guys.
 






I thought I read somewhere that someone suggested that some teeth were plastic, like older V8 timing chains(gears). Could they have meant just the tensioner, or plastic guides wearing? If the only wear parts to worry about are the tensioners, and guides, then a build date check might save me some labor. :)
DonW
 






I'm not entriely sure about the plastic teeth on the cam gears (i think thats what your talking about). I'm actually going back up to the parts department tomorrow morning, those guys seem quite educated on the 4.0L SOHC X motor, I'll ask them about any other plastic parts in the motor...

when you say guides, are you talking about the walls on the cam gear?
 






There are many post concerning these issues if you search. Here is the short version.
LH and RH cam tensioner assemblies consist of a hydraulic tensioner that pushes against a tensioning arm or lever that contacts the chain, attached to the tensoning arm is a guide that supports and positions the chain. The tensioning arm and guide are call a chain cassette. The 97 to at least 99 have guides that are entirely plastic (cheap plastic at that) these are prone to breaking which allows the cam chain flop around. You now have uncontrolled variable valve timing(haha) which leads to detonation or potentialy bent valves. To resolve this furd redesigned the guide with actual real metal supports and replaced them only by request, no recall (0m00a1 or whatever). The great thing is that they did not redesign or do anything about the RH cam cassette, which is very difficult to replace. Just because you had the recall work does not mean that you are out of the woods. I had the LH recall at 50k and at 80k my RH cassette broke into about a hundred pieces.
 






amessie said:
...uncontrolled variable valve timing(haha)...
omg that made me chuckle.

so the RH cassette needs to be replaced too and there is no replacement package for this tensioner?

can't you just buy the RH cassette for the newer '99+ motor and use that to replace it or have they redesigned the motor so much so that they are not compatible?

So a '98 would definately be afftected by this issue? because a Ford dealer checked out my uncle's truck and they said his SOHC motor was not one of the problem motors.
 



Join the Elite Explorers for $20 each year.
Elite Explorer members see no advertisements, no banner ads, no double underlined links,.
Add an avatar, upload photo attachments, and more!
.





I had the dreaded idle chatter too on a 99, I changed first just the tensioners
as per the recall....note Ford Venezuela just laughed...I had to pay for all.

The rattle stayed but did impove slightly for a while but then got worse,I then replaced all timming chain /tensioners and gears required.
thats 2 fronts and two rear sets

The local shop keeps complete sets of parts required, he has at least 1 truck per week requiring this.

Problem gone nice quite engine...but did cost
 






Back
Top