Hello! New to me Sport Trac owner.

[woody1071]

I just bought a 04 Sport Trac on Saturday Oct 5th. Everything is great so far. The truck has 100,300 miles on it.

It literally feels like a new truck to me. I have never owned a Ford SUV before and after research this potential of someday having to deal with the timing chain issue has me a little freaked out. I can't say that I hear a rattle as described on the Sport Trac forum but I hear a light something but I don't know if that is normal or not. Because of the expense of changing the cassettes if the guides brake I am thinking of going ahead and changing the tensioners as a precautionary measure. I have no idea if this was done before I bought it as I bought it from a small dealer that didn't have any service records.

Do you guys think it would be wise to go ahead and replace the tensioners with out a clear indication that it may need them?

I do already love this truck and I hope it lasts me 100,000 miles. Glad I bought it and I have already done a ton of reading on here. Thanks to all that have contributed to this forum!

woody

 

[FLTRAC]

The problem is mostly with the 01 and 02 models, what kind of noise is it you are hearing?

 

[Bobmbx]

My '02 Trac had 254k on it when the guides went out. What a wonderful sound. That, and the clogged oil pickup/pump system from pieces of plastic floating around in the engine.

 

[Newfy Trac]

2003 and newer had the TSB (tech service bulletin) fix installed. The problem is with the 2002 and older models.

Enjoy your new ride

 

[MidnightRebel07]

The '01-02 Job1 motors had more problems with this issue but the "03-05 and other years still have the problem, just not as bad.

 

[woody1071]

What I'm hearing really isn't much. Maybe a little loose bearings in the alternator or something like that. It is something that I can't even hear inside the vehicle at all even with the windows down.

I don't really even know what I'm listening for. I've heard it described before but I just haven't heard it for myself. I'm just a little freaked out by the some of the stories i've read about. having just bought it I don't want it to happen to me anytime soon. Since it has 100k and I don't know the service history, I was just wondering if anyone thought it would be wise to go ahead and replace the tensioners?

 

[MidnightRebel07]

If you're not sure what to look for and aren't positive that it's the tensioners then start iwth easy cheap things first.

If it'sa squeal then spray some wd40 into the alternator, on all the pulley bearings and into the fan clutch. See if the noise goes away and for how long, you can usually narrow engine bay noises by doing this.

 

[swshawaii]

Or remove the belt and inspect all pulleys, then run the engine for under 60 seconds.
If no noises or rattles when running, you've likely ruled out chain tensioner issues.

 

[woody1071]

yeah, it sounds more like a pulley possibly. It isn't real loud at all it's just there. I will take off the belt and see if I still hear it, then move to spraying lube on each to try to figure out which one if it doesn't make any noise with the belt off.

Thanks I will post findings tomorrow.

 

[swshawaii]

Before removing the belt also check the harmonic balancer with the engine running.

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=302068

 

[woody1071]

I didn't pull the belt yet, but I popped the hood while it was running (yes, it was in park i'm not that fast of a runner). What I hear is definitely coming from one of the pulleys. I was running behind this morning so I closed the hood and took off. I will investigate more but I feel a whole lot better about now.

Thank you guys for all the help! I'll post pics of this truck soon. Nice ride. I love it!

 

[Bobmbx]

I didn't pull the belt yet, but I popped the hood while it was running (yes, it was in park i'm not that fast of a runner). What I hear is definitely coming from one of the pulleys. I was running behind this morning so I closed the hood and took off. I will investigate more but I feel a whole lot better about now.

Thank you guys for all the help! I'll post pics of this truck soon. Nice ride. I love it!

TIP: with the engine running, spray the non-ribbed side of the belt with WD40. It'll screech like crazy for a few a seconds, then quiet right down. If the original noise goes away, you need a new belt. If not, proceed to the pulley lube. And good luck with that.

The placement of the idlers and the tensioner is specifically designed to irritate you.

 

[swshawaii]

You may consider changing to a 1/2" shorter belt if you're changing it. Many Gen 1 ST
owners have switched with great results. Stopped my start up squeal, shudder when parking,
and belt float with heavy throttle. No problem fitting and still within the belt tensioner marks.

http://mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1162118&sitename=mysporttrac

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1220473

http://www.mysporttrac.com/shared/msgboard9e.asp?BOARDNAME=MSG&VIEW=1324835