a few explorer questions, if i may ;)

[dion_edwards]

hey guys. im glad i came accross this site as im from australia and theres not much, if any mechanics who know a single thing (that i know of) when it comes to these engines, i love my american suv lol. and wanna keep it going so if anyone can help i have a few questions,
firstly, its a 97 4.0 sohc xlt 4x4.
its doesnt rattle at all but does suffer from a 1-2 second ruff start,
my guess is the spring in a tensioner is slack and keeps the chain lose until oil pressure builds up. if i start it again within 5-6 hours its starts quite as.
always starts and runs fine, has a slight tic from underneath, only when a wall is next to me can i ussually hear it.
i rang the local ford dealer, told him i wanted a rear tensioner to give it a go myself since it looks easy, he said dont touch anything coz if i do something else will break, that was his opinion.
am i just damaging stuff by starting it every day when its like that???
it has 220,000ks on the clock,

the second thing im not so worried about coz it doesnt effect how it drives
its the heater, i cant select cold, theres always hot air from the vents, even set to off, the a/c works coz when i turn it on it leaks ice cold water, but doesnt come into the car, just hot air lol.

ill leave it there and see what you guys think.
thanks again

 

[dion_edwards]

well im sad to say it, but the conclusion ive came from over here is,
the best option for me would be to sell the vehicle while its running still hahaha
if its dies from the bad starts im stuck, its gonna cost more then the explorer itself costed to fix and register, to rebuild the engine would set me about 4000 and that would be the only smart answer as a second hand engine would probably die again the same way, and a new one cost more then the cars worth to get from america over here, i cant put a v8 in it, as our 302's are differently built for aus conditions, they dont go in, any ideas just incase it doesnt sell for the price i want??