Clickitty Clack, clack,clack,clack.....

[BabyDuck]

So, my Explorer decided to make a new loud clack clack clack clack noise yesterday. I get in, turn the key and it happened. It never really stumbled or started missing. Holds RPMs fine, while in park. I have not driven it for fear of damage. The Explorer is a 4.0 SOHC 1998 4x4. It has had a rocker arm slip position and rattle around and my father, the mechanic, took her down to the valve covers and simply put the rocker arm back in position. Worked great until now. This Explorer has been a GREAT vehicle. We got it after my wife joined the AirForce. This little red SUV has taken me from Mississippi, to San Antonio, to Mississippi to South Carolina and back and forth multiple times. It is our ONLY vehicle and my wifes younger sister who had to move in with us because she was prego...just had her baby YESTERDAY. Yes the Explorer is sitting in our driveway on base with a baby car seat strapped in the back...my wife and sister are still in hospital...TALK ABOUT LUCK...Any loud CLICK, CLACK, RATTLE etc noises you could possibly think of, please let me know. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!

 

[rb142]

Well, the main loud clack/rattle problem is the infamous SOHC timing chain guide failure problem. Hopefully it isn't that. If that is the case, you are looking at an expensive repair, and you need to do it before you slip a tooth and destroy the engine (been there). There are mountains of threads on this site about that problem. Search for 2000StreetRod's threads. That fix requires pulling the engine (say $500 to do it yourself, $1500 to have it done). If the chain slips, it becomes an engine replacement for $3k up.

But it will take a lot more information to diagnose the noise problem than what you have said. Where is the noise coming from? What does it sound like? Is it speed related? Temperature related? Etc. You need to do some checking around, or get a mechanic to check it out for you.

If it is the chains, don't wait to fix it. Some have driven for years with the rattle. Mine ran for ten minutes before it was scrap iron.