- Joined
- Jul 14, 2022
- Messages
- 422
- Reaction score
- 504
- Location
- Florida
- Vehicle Year
- 1994
- Make / Model
- Ranger
- Transmission
- Manual
If it’s running and has a clutch….. dump it
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Actually, the rear chain can be replaced with just pulling the transmission. It is more difficult to do but it can and has been done. I elected to pull the engine when I did the cam timing chain rebuild anyway. Everything is much more accessible plus I wanted to do more than the timing chain system.you do realise that if a rear cam chain breaks/jumps teeth on a sohc 4.0L you will have to pull the motor to replace, only way
If it hasn't been going on to long, you might be ok. Either way, the tensioners need changed. So, you might as well get 'er done and see if they fix the issue. Motorcraft is preffered but Cloyes is a good alternative brand.I have a 03 4.0 SOHC manuel that has 187k miles and to the best of my knowledge has never had the tensioners done. I bought the truck last December from an older couple who babied the truck (oil changes done every 5k miles, etc), so I have a little hope they got the tensioners done, but I don't have any maintenance records that confirm it. When I drive, I can hear a rattle around 2300-3000 rpm that I assume is coming from the rear chain. On a scale of 1-10, how screwed am I?
Not sure if it was going on before I got the truck last December. I first noticed it early-mid January when it got really cold (below 0* F) for a week or two. Not sure if that had anything to do with it, but I thought I’d mention it anyways.If it hasn't been going on to long, you might be ok. Either way, the tensioners need changed. So, you might as well get 'er done and see if they fix the issue. Motorcraft is preffered but Cloyes is a good alternative brand.
When the lube and oils are thicker due to really cold weather, all kinds of extra noises that normally aren't there show up. So, you may be ok.Not sure if it was going on before I got the truck last December. I first noticed it early-mid January when it got really cold (below 0* F) for a week or two. Not sure if that had anything to do with it, but I thought I’d mention it anyways.
Yep, the oil was definitely thicker lol. It took a little effort to move the stick shift, which isn’t too surprising. I would have thought the passenger one was hard to get to given that it’s at the back of the engine, in that the driver side tensioner was the easy one. I guess you never know though.When the lube and oils are thicker due to really cold weather, all kinds of extra noises that normally aren't there show up. So, you may be ok.
Try chaning the tensioners and see what happens. Even if it doesn't fix it, they need to be changed anyway. The front one on the driver's side, under the throttle body and intake is difficult to get to. If you can get the throttle body out of the way, it will give you more room to work but still won't be fun.
They use oil pressure to operate. So make sure you look around and under it real good when you first start it up. A mirror and a flashlight help a lot. You may need to crank on it more to get the crush washer to seat properly and stop leaking.
The passenger side one is accessible from the passenger wheel well at the back of the cylinder head. Easy to get to and tighten down. Leak check it as well once you get the front, driver's side one under control.
It's one of the "benefits" of engine design. The driver's side in in the valley and passenger side is on the outside. It could have been worse. They could have put both in the valley.Yep, the oil was definitely thicker lol. It took a little effort to move the stick shift, which isn’t too surprising. I would have thought the passenger one was hard to get to given that it’s at the back of the engine, in that the driver side tensioner was the easy one. I guess you never know though.