Do these models have the timing chain issues

[dizzlin.diab]

Hi. I had an 01 sport trac that had timing chain issues and i sold it.

I bought a 2008 explorer thinking that these dont have the same issue?? Or was i wrong.

I get this sound once in a while and only in idle and only when the engine has been running for a while.

This is a video:

 

[Explorer_PL]

All 4.0 till 2010 have this problem.
Are those really chains hitting the walls ?
I thought for a moment that that was AC compressor or one of the accessories.

 

[dizzlin.diab]

All 4.0 till 2010 have this problem.
Are those really chains hitting the walls ?
I thought for a moment that that was AC compressor or one of the accessories.

Thats what im trying to figure out. Im having a hard time accepting that thats a chain sound. Need to do more diagnosis

 

[Explorer_PL]

Our 07 with 4.0 makes weird noises too. I tried pinpointing it, took the accessory belt off, still can't figure it out. I think mine is more pronounced when in gear, but not moving.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Pull your belt, and see if it still does it.

 

[michael loibl]

Check the harmonic balancer pulley on your crankshaft. Sometimes it starts to come apart and make awful noises. With my engine OFF, I was able to stick my finger in the bolt hole and could actually feel loose pieces stuck in there.
If so, that’s a pretty easy repair and I did a write up with pictures on here about 2 years ago

 

[Explorer_PL]

Thanks Mike, replaced the balancer with OEM not too long ago.

 

[michael loibl]

Thanks Mike, replaced the balancer with OEM not too long ago.

Yes I remember, you did it from above, I did it from below on a lift at my sisters house. But that noise on the video in this thread sounds like it could be the balancer

 

[Explorer_PL]

That would be nice for the OP. I just listened to mine and I am pretty sure those are chains, 137k......

 

[michael loibl]

I wish I could figure out how to attach a short video of my engine noise in this forum so we could compare.

 

[Mbrooks420]

Upload it to YouTube and post a link.

 

[dizzlin.diab]

I took off the belt to see if there is still a noise. Still there. I dont think harmonic balancer makes a noise if the belt if off???
The sound has began to change. Ive posted a link to another video, i think it sounds more like the chain now.



Few questions:

If it is the chain, the sound seems to be coming from the front. That means its the front chain which can be changed without taking out the engine??

How do i know if it could just be an easy fix like the tensioner? What if i go through changing the whole chain and the problem was the tensioner. How do i diagnose the tensioner?

The sound stays the same through out the whole rpm. It does not get louder with higher rpm. But sometimes it does the little knocking like in the first video when the rpm is decreasing.

Last question:

2 weeks ago, this sound did not exist. I did an oil change and i have no idea about the oil that went in there. Could this be solved by changing out the oil with the proper oil? According to google the correct oil is the wss m2c929 (Something like that). That is not available in my area. But i do have the newer wss m2c913 oil for ford cars. Would i be able to use that instead? Maybe that would solve the problem? It kind of did in my old sport trac. It was doing the cold start chain noise and when i started caring for what oil went in in was reduced to almost no noise.

Thanks

 

[Mbrooks420]

Any real brand of “normal” 5w30 will be fine for your engine. I highly doubt changing the oil will correct it.

If one tensioners is bad the other one probably is’t too far behind. If that’s chain slap it’s bad. I wouldn’t drive the car any more unless you are looking to put an entirely different motor in.

 

[donalds]

Sounds like the front jackshaft tensioner

 

[michael loibl]

The harmonic balance is bolted to the crankshaft, and WILL spin even with the belt off. I’m not convinced that is the source of the noise in your case, but mine sounded pretty similar when it went bad.
If you lay on the ground under the front bumper, you can reach up to the balancer pulley and stick a finger into the Center bolt cavity and feel around for any loose chunks of steel weight. Nothing should feel loose. Takes 2 minutes to check. Here’s a picture of mine with red arrow showing one of the loose chunks stuck inside.