How to tell if your timing chain has some life in it

[ccbyrne]

Hey all,
I bought my explorer used 3 years ago, since then I've put about 50,000 miles on it, now approaching 170,000 total. Its a 2001 sport and I've heard issues about timing chains breaking and that being the end of the car b/c of the cost to fix it.
Long story short, is there anyway to tell if my timing chain will be okay or even if the possible problem has been fixed?...I need this car for long trips, should I be worried?

 

[BrianDye]

Dunno if theres really a way to test it, but from what ive read, it usually makes an awful noise before it finally goes. (But then again, ive also read members driving it like that for months on end with no problems)

 

[rhauf]

IIRC its not the timing chains that fail, it's the timing chain guides. they get brittle and crack, then the chain flaps around and fails.

seems to be a common problem with chain driven OHC engines from all mfg's.

 

[BrianDye]

Arent the stock tensioners plastic or something?

 

[rhauf]

Arent the stock tensioners plastic or something?

Yes, thats why they get brittle and fail.

toyota (for example) had it right for a short time in the 80s. then they went to the plastic ones which fail like clockwork.

i think all manufacturers use the plastic ones now. seems like a big reliability problem for only a $5-10 savings in manufacturing costs (or whatever)

 

[BrianDye]

I would really like to slap some engineers. Stupid little things like that, they save 5$ per car on, but in the long run it puts so many vehicles out of commision (Nobody wants to drop that much money on an 11 year old SUV), I mean would it have killed them to charge 5$ more on the MSRP?

 

[ccbyrne]

hmm so I guess there is really no indication of whether or not the tensioners have been replaced or not?

 

[BrianDye]

Talk to the previous owner?

 

[sarge816]

The reason they build stuff with cheap plastic parts is so that item will fail. Seriously. It is called Planned Obsolescence, and is very real in many industries. PO supports the entire sub-industry of servicing and parts, which makes billions each year. The main industry that comes to my mind besides automobiles is software - think MS Office 95, 97, 2000, XP, 2003, 2007, and 2010. I've been using MS Office in my job for 16 years, and I would be hard pressed to tell you WTF it actually does much different or any better. But we've had to upgrade it umpteen different times to "keep up" with the industry.

TL;DR: They build **** to break.

 

[2000StreetRod]

timing chain upgrades

Hey all,
I bought my explorer used 3 years ago, since then I've put about 50,000 miles on it, now approaching 170,000 total. Its a 2001 sport and I've heard issues about timing chains breaking and that being the end of the car b/c of the cost to fix it.
Long story short, is there anyway to tell if my timing chain will be okay or even if the possible problem has been fixed?...I need this car for long trips, should I be worried?

The early (1997 to 2000) timing chain components could fail as early as 40,000 miles but last as long as 250,000 miles. I suspect engine maintenance and driving chararacteristics impact the longevity. Various upgrades were made by Ford and all of the upgrades were incorporated in the 2002+ models. The base of the primary (crankshaft to jackshaft) chain tensioner was widened and strengthened and the spring was increased from 3 leaves to 6 leaves. The combination spring/hydraulic tensioners were upgraded and a plastic "pencil" was installed in one of the oil chambers to decrease "dry start" time at the front of the engine. The left and right plastic guide assemblies were reinforced with metal. Unfortunately, the traction side of the right guide assembly was never reinforced and can still break from heat and vibration fatigue. That is why I decided not to invest in expensive performance modifications to my SOHC V6 even though I have installed the latest timing chain components. I installed a pre-oiler to extend the life of the timing chain and other engine components but will switch to a V8 before installing expensive performance components.

Frequently, the engine will emit warning sounds when the timing components are failing. However, some members have experienced left or right guide assembly failure with no warning. If the timing chain on one bank slips a lot then the valves on that bank will be struck by the pistons. Even if warning sounds are detected it is difficult to isolate to the source. I have unsuccessfully used a mechanic's stethoscope and a length of flexible hose. The only reliable way to isolate to a failed component is by visual inspection.: SOHC V6 Timing Chain Inspection & Repair

Since your 2001 may have some of the later components either from the factory assembly line or a recall program you may want to just wait until you hear marbles rattling around the engine at engine start or at 2,500 to 3,000 rpm. Once you hear the SOHC V6 "death rattle" you risk valve destruction if repair is delayed. I suspect timing chain slip is most likely to occur during rapid engine deceleration or when oil pressure is low (as at engine start). When the engine rapidly decelerates chain slack can occur on the traction side of the cassette. The springs in the hydraulic tensioners are not strong enough to keep the chain taught without hydraulic pressure assistance.

 

[ccbyrne]

The early (1997 to 2000) timing chain components could fail as early as 40,000 miles but last as long as 250,000 miles. I suspect engine maintenance and driving chararacteristics impact the longevity. Various upgrades were made by Ford and all of the upgrades were incorporated in the 2002+ models. The base of the primary (crankshaft to jackshaft) chain tensioner was widened and strengthened and the spring was increased from 3 leaves to 6 leaves. The combination spring/hydraulic tensioners were upgraded and a plastic "pencil" was installed in one of the oil chambers to decrease "dry start" time at the front of the engine. The left and right plastic guide assemblies were reinforced with metal. Unfortunately, the traction side of the right guide assembly was never reinforced and can still break from heat and vibration fatigue. That is why I decided not to invest in expensive performance modifications to my SOHC V6 even though I have installed the latest timing chain components. I installed a pre-oiler to extend the life of the timing chain and other engine components but will switch to a V8 before installing expensive performance components.

Frequently, the engine will emit warning sounds when the timing components are failing. However, some members have experienced left or right guide assembly failure with no warning. If the timing chain on one bank slips a lot then the valves on that bank will be struck by the pistons. Even if warning sounds are detected it is difficult to isolate to the source. I have unsuccessfully used a mechanic's stethoscope and a length of flexible hose. The only reliable way to isolate to a failed component is by visual inspection.: SOHC V6 Timing Chain Inspection & Repair

Since your 2001 may have some of the later components either from the factory assembly line or a recall program you may want to just wait until you hear marbles rattling around the engine at engine start or at 2,500 to 3,000 rpm. Once you hear the SOHC V6 "death rattle" you risk valve destruction if repair is delayed. I suspect timing chain slip is most likely to occur during rapid engine deceleration or when oil pressure is low (as at engine start). When the engine rapidly decelerates chain slack can occur on the traction side of the cassette. The springs in the hydraulic tensioners are not strong enough to keep the chain taught without hydraulic pressure assistance.

Thank you for the incredibly detailed post. I understand this much more now. Any idea how much the repair is if the chain does fail? Just a rough idea.

 

[2000StreetRod]

timing chain repair costs

Normally when the primary tensioner fails there is no damage to the engine. The engine just is very noisy at mid-range rpm. If the left or right camshaft chains slip enough for valve damage it is usually cheaper to replace the engine with a low mileage later model from a salvage yard than repair it. The replacement of just the timing chain related components can cost anywhere from $1,500 to $3,000 depending on the shop or dealer. The replacement of damaged valve train components would be an additional cost.

 

[sparkykb]

My 01 Sport 4WD died out of nowhere just a few days ago. My Explorer had a rasp at certain RPMs from the day I bought it in 2003, I just thought that was how they all were and never thought about it again. Fast forward 8 years and 90000 mostly trouble free miles. Just driving along the highway the other day and all the sudden it started making a crazy ticking/tapping noise and about 10 minutes later just lost all power and coasted to the side of the road. Timing chain broke and valve damage. Sinking thousands of dollars into a car with 140000 miles on it that is only worth a few thousand anyways just isn't worth it. Ford is giving me 500 bucks on it for a trade in. Awesome. Nothing like a car self destructing on you with no reasonable way to repair it. I may just sell it to a salvage yard. Or drag it out into a field and shoot it.

It is just amazing that a vehicle can seem to be running strong (it was considered the reliable vehicle compared to my wife's Beetle) and then just have a total and complete catastrophic failure out of the blue leaving ya with nothing. I'm a little bitter about it to say the least but I'm sure I'm not the first person it's happened to.

 

[2000StreetRod]

OHC preventive maintenance

Virtually all overhead cam engines require periodic replacement of some camshaft timing components. The Volvo requires replacement of the belt and tensioner at 70,000 miles. Ford's implementation of chains would be superior to belts if it weren't for the plastic guides that break. Ford did a real disservice to its customers designing an engine that requires removal of the engine to replace the rear cassette. Fortunately, the Ford modular V8 OHC engine has the cassettes in the front.

 

[SoNic67]

Other deservice is that they made the engine with higher compression ratio. More efficient, better gas-milage but... valve interference when timing fails.

PS: To check if an engine is interference type, there is Gates selector: "The vehicle shown is not an interference engine unless noted "Interference Engine Application" in the comments column of the Cam Belt application section."