timing chain rattle question

[bmlawson2003]

Ok I have an 01 xlt with 142000 miles on her. So recently I have developed, what I believe is a chain rattle at idle after the the x has warmed up. No rattle at high rpms or anything. It also has a intermittent hesitation when idling in gear. So I have read ever timing chain post in here and come up with the conclusion I must have a broken guide somewhere. The reason I think that is after I bought the explorer I did my first oil change and had some white gritty material come out of the pan. I assumed it was plastic from broken guide. So yesterday I decided to pull the valve covers and inspect. After pulling both covers I discovered that there are no visibly broken guides front or rear. So my question is could I have just a weak hydrolic tensioners? The inside of the motor is the cleanest I have ever seen for a vehicle with this many miles. Any guidence is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[koda2000]

most probably the dreaded timing chain death rattle, especially if your finding gritty stuff in your oil pan. to my knowledge, the hydraulic tensioners when worn (usually every 75K) may cause noise, particularly at startup, but don't cause grit in the oil pan.

 

[2000StreetRod]

2WD or 4WD?

If you have 4WD you could be hearing the balance shaft chain rattling from a failed tensioner. Also, the primary tensioner could have failed but that usually results in rattle at mid-range RPMs. Pieces of flat metal in the pan are indicative of primary or balance shaft tensioner failure.

 

[bmlawson2003]

I don't think it was metal of any sort. It looked almost like calcium deposits.