New to the 4.0 sohc

[Tech By Trade]

What happens if I not change the balance shaft chain ?

It keep flopping around in engine make noise, defeat purpose. Better if cut balance shaft chain.

 

[jmvb]

It keep flopping around in engine make noise, defeat purpose. Better if cut balance shaft chain.

Are you kidding me?

 

[Tech By Trade]

Are you kidding me?

Not kidding, if the tensioner on the balance shaft is shot, and you don't feel like dropping the cradle you can just cut the chain off the balance shaft to quiet the rattle. You cant get at the tensioner because its bolted to the bottom of the block above the cradle.

 

[jmvb]

And it is no worries about the engine working without the balance shaft?

 

[Tech By Trade]

And it is no worries about the engine working without the balance shaft?

Lots of them never came with it. People have done it in the past without issue.

 

[Lazerskull]

Hello all, I have two 2nd gen explorers one is a '98 Eddie Bauer with a 5.0 and 59k original miles the other is a '97 Eddie Bauer with the 4.0 sohc German engine which I'm finding I hate!! This 4.0 has only 66k and has timing chain noise how ridiculous! I just pulled the upper intake and replaced the left hydrolic tensioner, now after reading in this forum I see that I need the oil restrictor in the gallery as well..it still has noise that comes and goes driving me crazy, I used a cloyes part and will do the rear soon..but really even being old only 66k Noise?? I've been a mechanic 33 years and I'm not impressed with German engineering! My 5.0 rips up the road and I know I can trust it but this 4.0 POS.. IDK..venting... Is it worth going to the trouble to r/r again just for the restrictor check valve? Seems like the noise is left upper chain like everyone else's..

There's another tensioner for those SOHC it's accessed through the wheel well...

 

[MrQ]

There's another tensioner for those SOHC it's accessed through the wheel well...

Decided to do some grave robbing?

 

[koda2000]

I've owned 4 Gen II Explorer 5.0L V8's and love them. I've also owned 3 Gen II Explorer 4.0L SOHC's and they've been nothing but trouble with them.

Yes, there are 2 hydraulic tensioners on the SOHC V6. The one on the passenger side is on the rear side of the head. It's not hard to change if you go through the passenger side inner fender. However, simply replacing you tensioners may not solve your rattling.

Hopefully your timing chain cassettes have not broken. This is a very common problem with the early 4.0L SOHC engines and it only got slightly better around 2002. The only way to know if your cassettes are intact is to remove the valve covers and look at them. You should also remove your lower oil pan and look for broken plastic debris. The passenger side timing chain cassette seems to be the one that breaks most often, though the driver's side cassette can also break. There is also a mechanical primary chain tensioner (and a mechanical balance shaft chain tensioner on 4WD engines). These don't usually cause problems until around 200,000 miles though.

I just replaced all my timing chain components because my passenger side cassette had broken and my balance shaft tension spring was broken. Replacing the passenger side cassette requires removing the engine from the vehicle. Even with me supplying 100% of the labor the cost, using Ford OEM parts and special tools was probably around $1,500. This wasn't only expensive, but not a job for those weak of heart.

5 years ago, when my driver's side timing chain began rattling, I installed the Ford 00M12 kit (the restrictor kit) which cost me around $90 and it did nothing to quiet the rattle.

Recently people have begun replacing the troublesome hydraulic chain tensioners with a Polaris tensioner (which is manually adjustable and not hydraulic) with success. This manual tensioner has allows stretched timing chains to be tensioned (assuming your cassettes are still intact).

 

[C420sailor]

Zombie threaddddd

 

[MrQ]

I've owned 4 Gen II Explorer 5.0L V8's and love them. I've also owned 3 Gen II Explorer 4.0L SOHC's and they've been nothing but trouble with them.

Yes, there are 2 hydraulic tensioners on the SOHC V6. The one on the passenger side is on the rear side of the head. It's not hard to change if you go through the passenger side inner fender. However, simply replacing you tensioners may not solve your rattling.

Hopefully your timing chain cassettes have not broken. This is a very common problem with the early 4.0L SOHC engines and it only got slightly better around 2002. The only way to know if your cassettes are intact is to remove the valve covers and look at them. You should also remove your lower oil pan and look for broken plastic debris. The passenger side timing chain cassette seems to be the one that breaks most often, though the driver's side cassette can also break. There is also a mechanical primary chain tensioner (and a mechanical balance shaft chain tensioner on 4WD engines). These don't usually cause problems until around 200,000 miles though.

I just replaced all my timing chain components because my passenger side cassette had broken and my balance shaft tension spring was broken. Replacing the passenger side cassette requires removing the engine from the vehicle. Even with me supplying 100% of the labor the cost, using Ford OEM parts and special tools was probably around $1,500. This wasn't only expensive, but not a job for those weak of heart.

5 years ago, when my driver's side timing chain began rattling, I installed the Ford 00M12 kit (the restrictor kit) which cost me around $90 and it did nothing to quiet the rattle.

Recently people have begun replacing the troublesome hydraulic chain tensioners with a Polaris tensioner (which is manually adjustable and not hydraulic) with success. This manual tensioner has allows stretched timing chains to be tensioned (assuming your cassettes are still intact).

I just... Really?

Does nobody look at dates anymore before they post?

 

[allmyEXes]

?

 

[koda2000]

@MrQ - Yes, it's an old thread, but @[B]Lazerskull[/B] revived the 2016 thread yesterday, 7/31/2020, (not considered good form, but people sometimes do this). That's what w'ere now responding to.

@Lazerskull was voicing his opinion/displeasure with the SOHC engine (one which I happen to agree with) and sounded like he was asking if it made sense to attempt a fix. I just stated my experiences with my 3 4.0L SOHC engines, which have not been good. I also tried to educated @Lazerskull as to several options at his disposal. Whether he decides to try any of these options or get rid of his truck is totally up to him.

If you don't like my SOHC "diatribe" or personal opinion of the 4.0L SOHC engine don't read it. Feel free to put me on your ignore list and you'll never have to see my comments/opinions in the future. I've already added you to mine.

 

[Lazerskull]

@MrQ - Yes, it's an old thread, but @[B]Lazerskull[/B] revived the 2016 thread yesterday, 7/31/2020, (not considered good form, but people sometimes do this). That's what w'ere now responding to.

@Lazerskull was voicing his opinion/displeasure with the SOHC engine (one which I happen to agree with) and sounded like he was asking if it made sense to attempt a fix. I just stated my experiences with my 3 4.0L SOHC engines, which have not been good. I also tried to educated @Lazerskull as to several options at his disposal. Whether he decides to try any of these options or get rid of his truck is totally up to him.

If you don't like my SOHC "diatribe" or personal opinion of the 4.0L SOHC engine don't read it. Feel free to put me on your ignore list and you'll never have to see my comments/opinions in the future. I've already added you to mine.

All I know is my friend sold me a 1997 Explorer XLT V6 SOHC and he was afraid of it blowing up. And I did a little research and found there's two timing tensioners you have to replace every 80k or so. Once I replaced those it's been running smooth ever since. That's all. But there's two tensioners. There's actually three but the third is behind the engine so it's impossible to do. I seem to be okay with replacing just two.

 

[allmyEXes]

Here is what I did to my "newest" 1997 4.0 SOHC. click there> SOHC Front timing chain guide replace and main timing chain guide replace

 

[donalds]

@MrQ - Yes, it's an old thread, but @[B]Lazerskull[/B] revived the 2016 thread yesterday, 7/31/2020, (not considered good form, but people sometimes do this). That's what w'ere now responding to.

@Lazerskull was voicing his opinion/displeasure with the SOHC engine (one which I happen to agree with) and sounded like he was asking if it made sense to attempt a fix. I just stated my experiences with my 3 4.0L SOHC engines, which have not been good. I also tried to educated @Lazerskull as to several options at his disposal. Whether he decides to try any of these options or get rid of his truck is totally up to him.

If you don't like my SOHC "diatribe" or personal opinion of the 4.0L SOHC engine don't read it. Feel free to put me on your ignore list and you'll never have to see my comments/opinions in the future. I've already added you to mine.

Shoot hope I'm not on that list

 

[MrQ]

Shoot hope I'm not on that list

It's saner company...

 

[GT2000]

Well since people revived this old thread, ill post my opinion too. I love my 5.0 explorer, but, I had a 02 Ranger with 207k on it 4.0 SOHC, original motor and i was told it had 3k mile oil changes most of its life. It had a startup rattle and just a slight rattle while running. I got it with 201k thousand, and had a trans put it. I BEAT THE SNOT out of that truck! I was in high school, It had 4.10 gears, and was a one tire fire, i had junk tires on it. I was always doing burnouts in that thing, revving the heck out of, and in the rain it was the "drift truck" Was fun and dangerous in the rain, i'd be going up a slight incline in the rain under normal throttle and it would we spinning the whole way up, i go around a corner sideways, etc. Never did spin out with it, i could always save it haha. If i wanted to actually get somewhere or pullout in the rain i used 4x4. I could get all 4 to spin in the rain if i hammered it. I changed the oil every 3 when i had it, but hardly ever checked the level because it DID NOT burn oil. I sold it, and in a way, I miss that truck. The SOHC is a dumb design no doubt, but mine "TOOK A LICKIN AND KEPT ON TICKING- or rattling....

 

[donalds]

TOOK A LICKIN AND KEPT ON TICKING- or rattling

Lmao