Engine knock...kinda

[Effieman]

My friends 2006 Ranger started making a loud clanking noise the other day. He thought it was a bad lifter or something. But being a 4.0 SOHC, kinda doubt that.
Anyways, when he started it, I felt the front of the driver's side valve cover, and it was like something was trying to push it's way through the cover. It wasn't too hard to determine where the noise was coming from, it was easily felt. It runs fine, and has no CEL. Is there something on the front of the valve train on these engines that break?

 

[RonD]

Yes, the tensioners on the two long timing chains

There is one on the front drivers side, you can change it by pulling out thermostat housing, need a 27mm socket to remove it

Do it sooner that later or guides will break and then if becomes a long disassembly process to get to the front chain
Rear passenger side chain requires engine to be pulled out, so not a bad idea to change both of these tensioners every 70k miles or so

Use OEM Motorcraft tensioners, not the $40 3rd party ones

 

[Effieman]

How do you get access to the rear one? Not easily?

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

How do you get access to the rear one? Not easily?

Yes, the tensioners on the two long timing chains

There is one on the front drivers side, you can change it by pulling out thermostat housing, need a 27mm socket to remove it

Do it sooner that later or guides will break and then if becomes a long disassembly process to get to the front chain
Rear passenger side chain requires engine to be pulled out, so not a bad idea to change both of these tensioners every 70k miles or so

Use OEM Motorcraft tensioners, not the $40 3rd party ones

 

[Effieman]

Pull the engine every 70K? Good thing they're not an interference engine. Think he has around 130K on his.

 

[RonD]

??

Timing chain tensioners should be changed, not the timing chains

Passenger side tensioner is toward the back of the block and is easier to change that the drivers side, best way is to remove passenger side front tire and get at it thru wheel well, also good to change rear spark plugs that way

 

[rackdaddy]

Pulling valve cover to check for broken guide rails, timing chain guides are made of plastic they degrade and brake into small piece and make their way into the oil pump. you can not assess the guide bolt with out removing the engine or trans from the engine, on the rear right. Mine failed at 100K. suggestion pull and replace all timing gear, oil pump, crank bearings, you don't need special tools, a socket and allen wrench for setting timing.

 

[Uncle Gump]

They are an interference engine...

 

[Mike Tonon]

I’ve got about 80,000 miles on my 07 and still good. I thought these were NOT interference engines?

 

[RonD]

4.0l OHV was non-interference
4.0l SOHC is interference

If a timing chain breaks on the SOHC the cam's stop positions will be with only a few valves partially open so no piston strike
If an SOHC cam gets out of time then valves can strike pistons