SOHC Death Rattle Prevention?

[westdime]

Well there are alot more that don't fail ratio wise,and mine had 130,000 on the stock parts and they were in good shape....all I'm saying is don't wig out and contact congress cause you have the rattle....at the end of the day it's up to the person if they can put up with it.

 

[CDW6212R]

You can feel free to wig out or not.

If the engine is rattling, that is proof that something is not "in good shape." That is a perfect reason to do something constructive. Ignoring it is not constructive.

 

[ws65]

Just talked to a guy at Ford service, he told me that if you don't have the rattle or ticking then your good...he said that if you kept your oil clean it should last a long time with no issues...he said that it was basically a lack of oil pressure that made the tensioner and guide wear out faster than it should...take it with a grain of salt; don't know if he's blowing smoke or what...maybe the more knowledgable guys in here good chime in on what the Ford service guy said.

 

[CDW6212R]

The head tensioners need replacement because the internal mechanical spring weakens over time. That is common sense and Ford evidently didn't test them long enough or in such a way as to discover that some weaken far sooner than they should.

The plastic guides I was told by a shop manager are slightly better now, a different material. Take that for what it's worth. I speak with Ford mechanics occasionally, they have a great wealth of internal information. I hear a small part of it once in a while.

 

[westdime]

Just talked to a guy at Ford service, he told me that if you don't have the rattle or ticking then your good...he said that if you kept your oil clean it should last a long time with no issues...he said that it was basically a lack of oil pressure that made the tensioner and guide wear out faster than it should...take it with a grain of salt; don't know if he's blowing smoke or what...maybe the more knowledgable guys in here good chime in on what the Ford service guy said.

I'm sure the better the truck is takin care of will factor in....I contacted 3 dealers in my area and they all told me the same thing....don't bother unless it is so bad it does it all the time. So I ignored them and took it to my local mechanic and left it with him while I was on vacation. 5 days later he called me in FL. and told me he didn't think it was bad......compared to a 98 Explorer he had there that had 300,000 miles on it and it rattled like a bucket of bolts ALL the time. Long story short I told him since he had it and I had the money to burn to go ahead and do it. I'm not here to argue that they don't fail and that you shouldn't get it checked out.just trying to give some other input than the panic I read on this site and others.....

 

[baron4406]

Well my death rattle has gotten a bit worse now, my guess is the dealer i got it from used heavy oil with some additives in it....lol. It rattles like crazy with 5w-30 mobil 1. So I did the 00m12 kit tonight. Well hopefully my intake gaskets were bad because the new tensioner did nothing......in fact the tensioner I took out seemed to have a stronger spring. Not sure what to do now, I could replace the guides- but that is a monster job i think. Its really rattling at 2500-3500 rpms now- however I think it always did I just didn't hear it because it was winter and my windows were up.

 

[westdime]

It may be your back cam tensioner is/was the one that's rattling....I think if it does it all the time at idle and all threw the rpms it should be replaced IMO....but I think if it is just when it's cold or at 2500-3000 it will run along time IMO

 

[baron4406]

It may be your back cam tensioner is/was the one that's rattling....I think if it does it all the time at idle and all threw the rpms it should be replaced IMO....but I think if it is just when it's cold or at 2500-3000 it will run along time IMO

No you can really hear the front chain rattling badly when you have the hood up. Gonna do searches on replacing the front chain guide. I'll replace the rear tensioner too.

I'm incredulous some overpaid automotive engineer thought plastic would be a swell thing to use on something as critical as a timing chain guide. Wonder why no one wants American vehicles anymore? I recently had to turn in my previous vehicle, it was a lease. It was a 2005 Nissan Xterra. Twice as much power as this Explorer and got 16mpg back and forth to work compared to the Explorer's 12mpg. Really miss that Xterra now!

 

[baron4406]

Well on a lark I changed the 5w-30 mobil one to 15w-15 cheap oil and it quieted it down alot, in fact you only hear a slight rattle at 2500-3500 rpms. So I assume this is what the previous owner did.

 

[CDW6212R]

That is common, and simply masks the problem. The problem is still there, no better, but you don't notice as much. That's not good, you should pay attention to symptoms, not hide them. Good luck,

 

[baron4406]

That is common, and simply masks the problem. The problem is still there, no better, but you don't notice as much. That's not good, you should pay attention to symptoms, not hide them. Good luck,

Oh I plan too but I've been doing searches for a couple of weeks, and I have a ton of questions. Can ya help?

There is simply not enough info on this site to do the job. Is a factory service manual better or something like a Haynes manual?

I've read about alot of members doing this job, that means alot of these tool kits are in the hands of members here. Point is i have alot of trouble paying $150 for a tool kit I'm gonna use once. Are there any guys here willing to lend/rent the tool kit to other members.

You guys have a sticky about the parts you need, there should be a sticky about this whole procedure since its probably the most common and critical repair on the 2nd gen Explorer.

My rear tensioner is coming this week, I'll install that probably Thursday. I want to start this job when its warm, so I can be using my motorcycle as my primary vehicle.

 

[CDW6212R]

Yes I agree. There were two largest threads about this, which haven't been posted in for a year or more. Those had the most detail in them, with parts and pictures.

Do buy a Haynes manual etc, the cheapest will do. The hand written instructions will lead you through many of the details which may be left out here. I tried to emphasize the big point in these threads. You may even be able to pull up a page on the web of the procedure.

 

[baron4406]

Ok thanks I'm a very experienced mechanic, I can change a 2.2/2.5 timing belt in my sleep, 2.0 DSM too. I've built motors from a 383 and 440 mopar, to several 2.2's and a few intercooled turbo 2.0 DSMS. Built manual trannies too. For almost everything I've worked on the Haynes manuals are a joke. Its why I asked about then for this job.So its not like I'm afraid of the job. I have a garage with every air tool you can imagine too. I'm just mulling over whether its worth doing it to a 162,000 mile motor. Whats bizarre is the motor doesnt smoke or use oil, doesnt seem to have any blowby. Heck I dunno if its even the original motor. I guess i better decide soon.

 

[CDW6212R]

The cheap manuals are poor, but the odd couple of things not mentioned here will be there.

These 4.0's all are very reliable besides the SOHC valvetrain. The short blocks of the SOHC are almost identical to the 4.0, crank, rods etc. I have learned gratefully that the SOHC has wonderful head gaskets. The OHV 4.0 head gaskets suck compared to these. I have hit 270 and 282 degrees due to a failed electric fan, and frozen radiator. The only damage each time was losing coolant and the thermostat. I highly recommend a Failsafe thermostat, they lock open when overheated.

The cam timing is done by tools alone, no timing marks or gears or splines. It has infinite range of timing. The biggest key is to spend plenty of time making sure that you are at TDC with the tool. I mention that before more than once. The TDC tool can be played with to fit the crank better, or good, or worse. The process is not precise, it can easily be off by a degree, or several. That can mean a big difference in performance. Start at TDC and keep checking to stay on TDC.

It is important to be in the area of TDC from the beginning until the final two cam setting steps. Each cam is set separately, the tools are used on one head at a time, plus the TDC tool(crank). The TDC must be perfect only at those final steps. The rest of the time it's just to keep the heads near TDC while the cams are disconnected.

I learned that the hard way, not having read any instructions first. I loosened the jackshaft bolt as soon as I got inside the timing cover. I had not yet set the engine to TDC. The cams both moved an unknown amount. I then realized that they could only be reset at TDC. That meant that I had to move the crank, and each cam individually(they are not connected without the jackshaft), back to TDC. I did that, but it took some time. I was about 150 degrees away from TDC. So please begin at TDC, then the cams don't move enough to be any big deal. Regards,