Help! I need your timing chain stories.

[auwhoisyourdaddy]

Hi Guys,


I need help with your stories. I have a 4.0 sohc with a bad timing chain rattle and would like to know what could happen as a result of letting the problem go and not replace the guide and tensioners..........

if you have experienced and kind of engine failure first hand i would greatly appreciate your story

thanks heaps

 

[BrooklynBay]

Welcome to this forum! I've moved your thread into the stock 95-01 section. You should replace the timing chain & tensioner before they completely fail if you know that they are starting to act up.

 

[Joe Dirt]

Explorer powerplant death.

 

[janolsson]

My back chain snapped as i turned the engine off, i think.
I haven't pulled the head yet but i don't have compression on one cylinder. Don't know the state of the piston.
I imagine that if either the rear or any of the front chains broke at any higher rpm then you are looking at pistons, valves, rockers, seats and a big hole in the wallet.
As you are running with bad guides and tensioners there will be bits in the pan that will block the oil pickup and may starve the engine of oil and as such cause all sorts of bearing damage. Also the chain may be wearing the inside of the front cover depositing slivers of metal in the oil and eventually wearing thro the cover.
If you do the research and have the time and tools you can do this yourself at a reasonable cost. If your not upto it put a used motor that has had the chains done in it
Regards

 

[McSlug]

Best case scenario:
The noise will get so loud you will be too embarrassed to drive it,or the chain(s)
will jump a tooth or break resulting in loss of cam timing and engine failure.

Worst case scenario:
The metal springs in your primary tensioner fall and catch in your primary chain, causing it to jump off the cog, causing a collision between your pistons and your valves, valve hits rocker arm with great force, rocker arm hits valve cover with great force, valve cover cracks, oil sprays from valve cover onto exhaust manifold, resulting in thick toxic smoke, consumed and blinded by said smoke, you run off the road and smash your car, but you and your passenger are ok thanks to the dual air bags, but now you can't even put another engine in because you car is a write off.

Seriously now, the only good thing I can say about the timing issues is you get fair warning. But there is still potential for major damage before timing failure. You will have pieces of plastic guide in your system, it can catch in your oil pickup tube causing low oil pressure, or block a journal and starve a critical part.

I replaced my front components 3 months ago it was easy and I saved $4000
Anyone who has done this fix will tell you it's worth it and to do it ASAP.

Start planning,start reading,start the job and start a thread about it.
People will follow your progress and help you if you get stuck.