Olds67
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- June 30, 2021
- Messages
- 142
- Reaction score
- 66
- City, State
- Munich
- Year, Model & Trim Level
- 1999 4x4 highclassSOHC V6
But have you never wondered why there’s no mention in Hayne‘s Repair manual of a how to do a tensioner service?!Ford recommends replacement of the tensioners every 75,000mi.
I just replaced mine—probably closer to 120,000mi (oops) and the difference in startup clatter was pretty dramatic. I think @donalds recently cut open an old hydraulic tensioner and found that it has rubber seals in it that may dry out. The spring also weakens over time, and this is what keeps things somewhat under control until oil pressure builds.
I can say with authority that the truck sounded better on both cold and warm start without pre-cranking to prime the system. The old tensioners were clearly shot, and I wouldn’t consider them a ‘lifetime’ component. I should’ve done mine closer to 75k.
I still crank mine to develop pressure on cold start.
Manual tensioners are next for me.
Or did they know that is a risky subject
