I tried everything any suggestions?

[mentalattica]

1997 XLT 4.0 OHV, 87K

ok, i started noticing a knock as posted in my previous post. only knocks loud when car is in gear, and being beside something solid (drive-thru, car, wall etc...) amplifies it.

It is not the engine as far as I see, I removed the serpentine belt and started it and put it in gear and no knock. So I replaced the belt and tensioner (with new ones), cleaned the MAF sensor, bent the Cat. Heat shield down, used Slick 50 engine treatment, replaced plugs (wires look good), used stp fuel sys. cleaner.

I do notice the "Air Clim" that the belt wraps around left of the battery turns on and off every 10 seconds (clicks before spinning) or so and there is always condensation on dripping from the car. The A/C is never on, just to be sure I looked at my other car and a friends car and their "Air Clim" only clicks and comes on when the A/C is turned on and running.

I also noticed that both the old and new tensioners slightly rocks left to right, and more so when in gear... is this normal?

I have ran out of ideas and ran out of options i have seen in the forums, any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Mbrooks420]

The AC runs in all heater setting, except foot only. There may be 1 other setting it doesn't but in most it does. I assume you are talking about the air conditioning compressor. How loud is the knock? Does it increase with rpm. Does turning the ac onto max have any affect?

 

[mentalattica]

thanks for the response mbrooks420,
the a/c being on max did not affect anything. the knocking is pretty loud, it's to the point that it's embarrassing. the knock slightly increases with acc. but not much.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Maybe you have another sound coming from another area. Sounds do travel around. Did you check your transfer case in different settings to see if the knock changes? How about using an oil pressure gauge on your engine to see if you have the corrent amount of oil pressure? Sometimes if a belt is too tight, it might cause bearings to get noisy.

 

[mentalattica]

i do admit the sound is extremely hard to pinpoint. im ok with basic repairs, i wouldnt have been able to replace the tensioner and belt without this forum.
so can you tell me where my transfer case is and what i should look for? same with the bearings?

is there an easy process for replacing the bearings?

 

[Mbrooks420]

In park or neutral the t case shouldn't make any sound. Did you spin th ac compressor when the belt was off? Maybe it is having a problem with the clutch.

 

[mentalattica]

i did spin it last night, it was hard to spin but did with no noise then i unplugged it and ran the car with it unplugged, acceleration is better but the knock is still bothering the mess out of me. The knocking is extremely minimal if not gone when in park or neutral. So that does sound like the transfer case?
Is this something I can fix or replace?

 

[Mbrooks420]

It could be a bad u joint on the driveshaft. If it is a moving condition the t case is a possibility.

 

[mentalattica]

I guess I'll spent another night under the truck tonight, I'll try to figure out where the Transfer Case is and where the U joint is. Anyone know of any diagrams online?

 

[Mbrooks420]

The transfer case has the drive shafts coming out of it, and is behind the transmission. The u joints are on the driveshft.

 

[mentalattica]

thanks mbrooks420 you've been helpful , i'll spend my night checking out the t case and u joint, i'll post any new findings.

btw, do you know how to disconnect the fan without having to remove it? is there a wire harness?

 

[Mbrooks420]

The motor cooling fan? It is a fully mechanical thermal clutch. I didn't notice your post count, Welcome to the site.

 

[mentalattica]

Thanks for the welcoming Mbrooks420, I love the forum everyone is very helpful here. I wouldn't have tried half of the things I did without the forum.
I noticed a lot of people kind of ignore the "knock" or "pinging" post because they have been covered many times but I have researched and did my share of reading before posting and none have worked for my paticular situation.

It seems the sound is coming from the passenger side of the vehicle, but I can't exactly identify where so I'm trying the process of elimination (I have the extra time on my hands right now) I want to try to rule out the fan. I just bought my explorer and only got a 1k warranty that has expired because they told me "it'll work itself out, drive it normally for a week" as with any new vehicle I put a lot of miles on it the first 2 weeks so now I am in a bind and can't afford any costly repairs. After cleaning my MAF sensor my car has been running rough and the exhaust is smoking (I live in new orleans so it's not cold down here), and it's sputtering when trying to keep a consistant speed, I hope I didnt do anything to harm it.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Did you use some sort of alcohol to clean it, or another type of chemical? Some chemicals leave a film, like WD40. You would only want to use something that will clean, and dry immediately. Here is a link to an excellent article on MAF sensors: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=149646&highlight=mass+air+flowHere is another useful link: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1388264#post1388264

 

[mentalattica]

Thanks for the links Brooklynbay,
I used Carb Cleaner to clean it, i didn't wipe it though just sprayed and let dry. Maybe I'll try alcohol next.


To all the other viewers of this post sorry for keeping it alive so long without any updates.

 

[BrooklynBay]

Try alcohol with a Q-tip, but be very careful on that fragile wire inside of it!

 

[BrooklynBay]

Here are some more useful links: http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=136883&highlight=t-20
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147716&highlight=t-20
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=143739&highlight=t-20
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=96926&highlight=t-20
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=138048&highlight=t-20