New 2021 Limited........2.3L engine rattle on acceleration

[BarryT]

New to the "Forum"....... I purchased a 21 limited with the 2.3l about 2 months ago. I' noticed, from a stand still, when I accelerate moderatley I'm hearing a , sounds like, lower end engine rattle as it shifts through the gears. No noise under soft acceleration and no noise crusing or accelerating when cruising. Only hear it from a dead stop with a moderate 3000 rpm accel. My initial thought was bearing noise so I brought the vehicle into the dealer. Well......we took it for drive, the tech drove it, he agreed......."ya I hear something".....another tech went out said he couldn't duplicate the noise. Bottom line they had no other vehicle to compare it to so they gave me a " no issues found" report. My question.........is this a normal noise for the 2.3L ? Anybody have input? Appreciate it....Thanks.

 

[peterk9]

Welcome to the Forum Barry.
I haven't been able to find any threads on this but I'm sure someone will respond. I don't have that engine so can't say if it's normal or not.

Peter

 

[BJB94]

Mine does it also since new now 15k miles. Sure it’s just the way it is. I will be putting on a 2020 engine cover soon and see if that helps at all.

 

[Denise65]

New to the "Forum"....... I purchased a 21 limited with the 2.3l about 2 months ago. I' noticed, from a stand still, when I accelerate moderatley I'm hearing a , sounds like, lower end engine rattle as it shifts through the gears. No noise under soft acceleration and no noise crusing or accelerating when cruising. Only hear it from a dead stop with a moderate 3000 rpm accel. My initial thought was bearing noise so I brought the vehicle into the dealer. Well......we took it for drive, the tech drove it, he agreed......."ya I hear something".....another tech went out said he couldn't duplicate the noise. Bottom line they had no other vehicle to compare it to so they gave me a " no issues found" report. My question.........is this a normal noise for the 2.3L ? Anybody have input? Appreciate it....Thanks.

I purchased a new Explorer with the 2.0l Bi Turbo engine about 2 months ago. I have driven almost 3000kms and all of a sudden it started to make the engine rattle noise as you are describing. It's horrible, sounds like an old diesel engine used to. I took it to the dealer yesterday and got a very short reply the "that is what they sound like"..... but they have asked me to bring the vehicle back for the engine computer system to updated. I have read on other posts it's something to do with the timing belt wearing? I have zero knowledge of diesel engines, first time buyer and I am horrified to think I have to accept this new sounding engine. So my noise is only present when the vehicle is under load, usually revs under 2000 rpm. It happens when engine cold and hot. So disappointed.

 

[BarryT]

I purchased a new Explorer about 2 months ago. I have driven almost 3000kms and all of a sudden it started to make the engine rattle noise as you are describing. It's horrible, sounds like an old diesel engine used to. I took it to the dealer yesterday and got a very short reply the "that is what they sound like"..... but they have asked me to bring the vehicle back for the engine computer system to updated. I have read on other posts it's something to do with the timing belt wearing? I have zero knowledge of diesel engines, first time buyer and I am horrified to think I have to accept this new sounding engine. So my noise is only present when the vehicle is under load, usually revs under 2000 rpm. It happens when engine cold and hot. So disappointed.

I couldn't accept the "that's normal" and the anticipation of continued hassle. I traded it to a dealer, not one I purchased it from, and upgraded to the "Platinum". 3.0L twin turbo. What a great improvement over the 2.3L, no rattle and super quick.

 

[peterk9]

I purchased a new Explorer with the 2.0l Bi Turbo engine about 2 months ago. I have driven almost 3000kms and all of a sudden it started to make the engine rattle noise as you are describing. It's horrible, sounds like an old diesel engine used to. I took it to the dealer yesterday and got a very short reply the "that is what they sound like"..... but they have asked me to bring the vehicle back for the engine computer system to updated. I have read on other posts it's something to do with the timing belt wearing? I have zero knowledge of diesel engines, first time buyer and I am horrified to think I have to accept this new sounding engine. So my noise is only present when the vehicle is under load, usually revs under 2000 rpm. It happens when engine cold and hot. So disappointed.

Welcome to the Forum.
No one here that I know of has the Turbo Diesel engine but most that I have heard always seemed to have some clatter. Is that what you are referring to when you said rattle or is that in addition to it? Take it back and have the update done to see if that affects it.

Peter

 

[Lobo1625]

I think you're experiencing what is most commonly referred to as Detonation/Pre-Ignition/Engine Knock. I experienced this on my 2020 Limited with the 2.3L under VERY light loads as well. A simple check to see if this is your issue, is to use a higher octane gasoline. While the 2.3L is rated to run on low grade 87 octane, the engine will not perform as well as possible and "slight rattling" may be present. I tested this myself by filling up with premium (93) for a few tanks and letting the computer relearn how much timing it could give the engine. The computer did allow for more timing and I did start to notice a small performance gain, as well as marginally better fuel economy. Most importantly, it also eliminated the rattling noise I was also hearing. I am now running Mid-Grade (89 here) and not noticing the noises. Your results may vary, but it does state in the manual that "For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended" Hope this helps.