HELP! rods about to go on explorer. need an engine or sell it

[swede1970]

I have a 97 explorer 4x4, 127,000 miles. well taken care of. single mom looking for excellent used motor - cheap. or i need to sell it. not sure what im doing, but need transportation.

 

[scucci]

Check the for sale section:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=8

 

[mojoe]

Who diagnosed the "rod" problem?

 

[swede1970]

my son and his friends, plus the sound is awful, like marbles banging

 

[safn1949]

I have a 2000 for sale http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=305699 it's high mileage but runs and drives good,the post will list all of the good and bad.

 

[2000StreetRod]

rods or timing chain?

Does your son know the difference between rod knock and timing chain rattle? If you have the SOHC V6 engine and it sounds like marbles rattling its probably one of the timing chains. I believe there are sound clips available of the so called "death rattle".

Here's a fairly good example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVeh9eIMztc&feature=related

 

[jremington59]

my son and his friends, plus the sound is awful, like marbles banging

I agree it sounds more like the timing chain.

 

[swede1970]

thanks guys! i listened to the youtube and it kind of sounds like that. i hate to drive it anymore, because it sounded like a knock in the beginning (about June of last year) now its that marble sound.

 

[mojoe]

The good news is your engine can probably be fixed. The bad news is it could need to be pulled out. What motor is it?

 

[swede1970]

4.0 sohc 4x4

 

[mojoe]

Yeah, that's what I thought. The sohc has timing chain guide and tensioner issues. 2000StreetRod has excellent write ups about this issue. Use the search feature. It will tell you what you're up against and you can take it from there. If it's just the tensioners you might be able to get out cheap but if not it could get pricey. One thing to remember is these sohc's like oil changes alot. Not a good place to try and save money.