Afraid of the SOHC 4.0

[C420sailor]

Mine made it to 202k and was still running strong. Sounded like someone dumped a bag of marbles in it, but ran strong. I swapped it out for a newer engine as a precaution.

 

[chefduane]

the 4.0 sohc is a time bomb. Its not a matter of if but when the chains will go. Plastic components that can cause the engine to detonate aren't a good idea.

>Any< engine is a ticking time bomb. At some point it's gonna' wear out. But if it goes 150K miles before wearing out, don't you consider that ahead of the game? And if you don't want plastic components in an engine, buy an M1 Abrams.

"Bought a Sport Trac, Biggest pile of junk I have ever owned. I plan on letting everyone know about it."

..at least you're upfront about your bias. Gotta' respect that.

 

[lorraine1]

afraid

glad i have a 98 5.0,neighbor has a 2001 with chain sticking through motor ,neighbor bought another one and soon as they got it tried to sell it,needless to say it didnt sell,i was offered a good deal on a 4.0,but i too am afraid of them.

 

[Tech By Trade]

180k KMS out of an 07, which would have the "upgraded" guides. That's about 110k to 120 miles for a catastrophic faiure of which the repair is of higher value than the entire unit. I expect more out of a 40 thousand dollar (new) Canadian vehicle that is 6 years old. Make the contact (rub) points out of plastic, but there is no excuse for using plastic that is baked in hot oil as structure. Catastrophic premature failure is a guarantee.

 

[Tech By Trade]

>Any< engine is a ticking time bomb. At some point it's gonna' wear out. But if it goes 150K miles before wearing out, don't you consider that ahead of the game? And if you don't want plastic components in an engine, buy an M1 Abrams.

"Bought a Sport Trac, Biggest pile of junk I have ever owned. I plan on letting everyone know about it."

..at least you're upfront about your bias. Gotta' respect that.

I'm not the only one, Heres some light reading for you.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=427014

 

[SHARK X]

help me walk away

How about this one on craigslist 1998 with only 53K on it. Would you still not jump at it? http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/cto/5241913245.html

 

[J_C]

^ I'd have no problem with the V6 SOHC at 53K miles but not at anywhere near the $5,900 asking price. For that kind of money you could get a few years newer with the V8.

 

[koda2000]

Nice looking truck and extremely low miles, but wwwaaayyy too much money, especially for a V6. Prices vary by location, but where I live the asking price is a least double what it's worth. Saw a very similar one, also with very low miles, last year for about 1/2 that asking price. It sold w/in hours.

 

[koda2000]

>Any< engine is a ticking time bomb. At some point it's gonna' wear out. But if it goes 150K miles before wearing out, don't you consider that ahead of the game? And if you don't want plastic components in an engine, buy an M1 Abrams.

"Bought a Sport Trac, Biggest pile of junk I have ever owned. I plan on letting everyone know about it."

..at least you're upfront about your bias. Gotta' respect that.

This may be true, but some "time bombs" explode much sooner than others. There's a difference between wearing out and breaking due to a poor design.

 

[chefduane]

I agree. That's why I asked the question about getting 150k miles out of it. If it goes 150k is it still a 'ticking time bomb' or just a car that's wearing out?

 

[masospaghetti]

My 2 cents - there are two good engine choices (4.0 OHV and 5.0) that are much better than the 4.0 SOHC and they are all readily available. Why would you pick the SOHC? You are just exposing yourself to trouble.

It may not be a "ticking time bomb" but its still a poorly designed motor.

 

[chefduane]

Yes, the SOHC is (IMO) an over-engineered engine, what with multiple timing chains, jackshaft setup, etc. But I do not think it is the "piece of crap" that others think it is. The success of the Explorer platform with the SOHC and the numbers that are still on the road clearly demonstrate that. And when it fails, it tends to fail spectacularly - ie. timing guides fail and it rattles to death or bends valves. I think that also plays into the "piece of crap" mindset.

But again, I would like to see the manufacturing numbers of all three engines and how many of each are still on the road. I tried to find the production numbers to no avail, and finding the numbers of still roadworthy SOHCs, OHVs, and 5.0s, is probably impossible.

 

[masospaghetti]

For me, knowing that an expendable part like a timing chain guide cannot be replaced without pulling the motor is enough to never want to buy one. Pulling the motor is expensive. For a lot of these trucks, it's not worth doing and results in the vehicle being junked.

Also it seems the 5R55E transmission mated to the 4.0 SOHC is far more troublesome than than the 4R70W behind the V8, so that is another point of consideration.

 

[beach]

There's really no point in searching out a used sohc. Not a matter of if but when, and it's a pricey and pain in the ass "when". The 5.0 is much more stout, mpg is basically the same and for the most part actually slightly better (we had a sohc 4dr 01' years ago and it was no better on gas city or highway then my 5.0). The V8 trans is much more stout and reliable.

 

[row]

98 2wd sohc

I got this one from my neighbor for free. its got 179k on it . the interior is flawless that's why I want to keep it as a project, im retired. one small dent in the front pass. side. needs rear wiper arm. engine plugs all clean,they were the original plugs. I put a gasket in the tranny and it started shifting out of 2nd again. I think this truck is blessed by the ford gods as one of the few,original,reliable dinosours. spelling not checked.:exp