Ford's take on SOHC tick...

[Nate1]

I called Ford today, and one of the concerns I asked him about was my timing-system tick I thought I had.
He kindly explained to me that I had none of the usual culprits, and that the SOHCs use a system of 5 chains to get timing done, and there were not rocker arms... everything was direct...

He offered a much more explainable solution which I think I buy and may save people alot of greif.... but I dont know if it is common/due....

Is it possible that the tick I am hearing is my fuel injectors firing? He said that when they age a little they just tick, and he said don't worry about... if one suddenly stops ticking you know you've got a problem.

I don't know... I think he was right... just scared me like I didn't have enough oil pressure or something
-----Nate

 

[dogfriend]

You can test his theory by using a mechanics stethoscope to listen to the injectors directly and see if it is the same noise you are hearing. Ive listened to the injectors before to see if they are all working the same, and they do make a ticking noise, but your engine would have to be fairly quiet otherwise for the injector noise to be noticeable.

 

[C5 Pewter Coupe]

what's up with Ford and their use of excessive use of timing chains on their SOHC engines.. the 427 SOHC had a timing chain that was 7 ft long, and our 4.0 SOHC has 5 timing chains...

 

[yob_yeknom]

5 chains? Umm... there's 1 chain on the front of the engine and 1 on the rear.

If you count the chain from the crank to the jackshaft you have 3.

If you have a 4x4, there will be one more chain going to a balance shaft.

That still is only 4 chains maximum, and they're not all timing chains.

 

[Nate1]

Nope, I'm not sure where, but the Ford tech I talked to defanitly said the SOHCs have 5 chains in the engine... I could call back and find out if you want.

 

[dogfriend]

I just looked at the Service Manual, and I agree with Monkey Boy, there are (4) if you have 4wd, (3) if you don't. There are two camshaft chains (called cassettes in the service manual), there is one jackshaft chain (analogous to the timing chain for OHV) and for the 4wd applications there is one additional chain for the balance shaft. The oil pump is gear driven off of the jackshaft.

 

[yob_yeknom]

You can hear injectors firing, and it is a ticking noise. You can't hear them with the hood closed or while going down the road though, they're not very loud.

If you've got a tick, start with the pulleys. Take the belt off and rotate them by hand to feel if they have any roughness in them. If none are it, go get another opinion about the sound, I think the Ford guy was feeding you a line.

 

[jazz_master221]

I've noticed for sometime a slight ticking noise from my 97 sohc 4.0 ...it's so faint that it could be coming from the middle part of the block...i'm glad to hear that it could be injecters.....i have 78 k on my 97 x...and i've had it for almost 2 years with the only failure being the ac swith on the ac compressor...and from what i've been told none of the recalls or tsb have been done on it ...i purchased the extended mechanical warranty on it when i bought it used about 18 months ago ...so before the warranty expires i will take my x to the dealer for a through check up..in the 18 months i've driven it 6k....if i let it sit for 3 days or more on a cold start up you can here the cam chain tensioner make the rough noise for about a split secound ...which i would say is caused by all the oil draining from the upper part of the engine

 

[Nate1]

Might want to look into having TSB 00M12 and 01M01 looked into... they are both very important to do on the first few years of SOHC engines.

 

[Nate1]

Indeed yob, this tick cant be hood with the hood closed, unless you've heard it before and listen closely for it. With the hood open it can be unnerving becuse you definatly hear it coming from the block, and because it is so near the top it sounds like the cam system. Makes more sense that it is the injectors though, because there are only 3 ticks per side....
I guess its a SOHC thing

 

[explodr04]

i have a ticking sound but i can only hear it on the driver side of the car not the pass.

 

[Katmandu]

5 chains? Umm... there's 1 chain on the front of the engine and 1 on the rear.

If you count the chain from the crank to the jackshaft you have 3.

That still is only 4 chains maximum, and they're not all timing chains.

What is the jackshaft and where is it located ??

Which Chain has the Primary Chain Tensioner ??

How many Tensioners are there in this engine ??

 

[dogfriend]

From the Service Manual:

 

[frickea86]

From the Service Manual:

Where did u get that service manual program...that looks like it can be very helpfull....sorry off topic

 

[sharpshooter73]

Where did u get that service manual program...that looks like it can be very helpfull....sorry off topic

EBay is your friend...

 

[dogfriend]

Where did u get that service manual program...that looks like it can be very helpfull....sorry off topic

Old thread: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56654&highlight=DIY