wierd noise at start up after sitting

[03ranger4x4]

i have the 4.0 sohc in my truck, and as of recently it started making this odd noise at start up, hard to explain but when it sits for a little bit (say overnight) and you start it it makes a sort of vibration noise from the engine. Its not a knock or tick (i dont think anyway) and it doesnt last long at all, its like half a second then goes away. But its horrible sounding. I would be very concerned and not drive the truck at all if it continued making the noise all the time, thats how bad it seems, to me anyway.

My guess on it is the timing chain(s) and that its loose until the oil pressure returns, which would explain why it only does it when its sits for awhile. But i could (and hopefully) am wrong and its something less serious, any ideas or remedies?

 

[Big Jim M]

chain?

i have the 4.0 sohc in my truck, and as of recently it started making this odd noise at start up, hard to explain but when it sits for a little bit (say overnight) and you start it it makes a sort of vibration noise from the engine. Its not a knock or tick (i dont think anyway) and it doesnt last long at all, its like half a second then goes away. But its horrible sounding. I would be very concerned and not drive the truck at all if it continued making the noise all the time, thats how bad it seems, to me anyway.

My guess on it is the timing chain(s) and that its loose until the oil pressure returns, which would explain why it only does it when its sits for awhile. But i could (and hopefully) am wrong and its something less serious, any ideas or remedies?

I'd take the fan belt off and let her sit overnight. Then I'd see if it made the noise the next morning. I'm not so sure about the oil pressure and the chain. That just doesn't click with me.
Could it be the starter bendix coming out too slowly?
Big JIm

 

[03ranger4x4]

yeah, actually i was thinking it could be the fan itself or somthing related. Like it could be the sound of the clutch on the fan locking up...becuase usally theres a fan noise after the sound. But it always makes that fan noise on start up if it sits for a little while even before this sound came about so im not positive its linked to the fan. Good place to start though, ill check it out.

if it is the fan, i wont even replace shit until the fan completely fails to the piont where it is always locked up and gets very loud. lol

 

[Big Jim M]

Sometimes they fail by flying into the radiator... Sometimes they fail by NOT pulling air and overheating the engine.. A good rule is if you are in doubt about the fan clutch...GET A NEW ONE!
Big JIm

 

[03ranger4x4]

Sometimes they fail by flying into the radiator... Sometimes they fail by NOT pulling air and overheating the engine.. A good rule is if you are in doubt about the fan clutch...GET A NEW ONE!
Big JIm

Yeah i know, lol from the looks of it, its not wobbling or anything, and touching it (obviously with the truck off lol) there isnt any play in the blades. And i can still hear it when i start the truck meaning its still spinning up like it should. My temp needle is the most steady one i have ever seen Its always in the middle after warm up...i never even see it move up or down, which is good.

 

[bruker]

I have nearly the same noise.
http://www.therangerstation.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87138

 

[wahl_7s]

how many miles sound like could be chain tensioners

 

[bruker]

how many miles sound like could be chain tensioners

I thought they only had problems on pre `03 4.0's.

 

[wahl_7s]

I thought they only had problems on pre `03 4.0's.

thats right on the border line by what was describe it sounds to me its possible. take the belt off and see if it happens still, eliminate all the rotating stuff on the front of the engine. could be fan clutch, belt tensioner, idler,water pump dig deeper

 

[03ranger4x4]

Ok so mine didnt do this for like a week striaght, but then this morning it did it loud as hell. I dont understand, reguardless of the problem, why the hell its so random.

bruker, yes it sounds like you have the same problem. The noise is way to quick to even think about finding out where it comes from. And then it wont do it again for a while, which makes this problem very annoying to figure out.

My oil filter is a motor craft filter designed for this enigne and does have an anti-drain back vavle. The oil is "super tech" no name synthetic oil from walmart at the factory reccomended 10w-30.

Something i noticed was i went on deployment for 3 months, and my truck sat the entire time at the on base storage facility (grass lot with fencing). When i got back from the deployment and got around to picking up my truck when i fired it up it was the first time i had ever heard the noise. I changed the oil that week since it was over due already and i never heard that noise again till around now, 2 months later. I only have about 2000 miles on the last oil change.

 

[03ranger4x4]

ok update, i had duty yesterday so my truck sat out in the parking lot since thursday morning, and didnt run till this morning (friday) and when i started it i barely heard the noise. Im not even sure it made the noise.

Now im even more confused. If it was the timing chain oil issue wouldnt it do it everytime it sat for a while? Its entirely random. I did once before and the temp needle was still 1/3 of the way up on the guage.

Well, maybe it is the starter, if it gets more consistant or worse ill pull the starter and see if theres any signs the bendix getting stuck before i destroy the ring on the flex plate or grenade the starter.

if it is the timing chains going at 84,000 miles. Im driving my truck off a cliff and buying a new truck. Not really, but i will be pissed. I hardly beat on the motor and i take very good care of this truck aside from some off roading, which shouldnt mess up the engine anyway.

 

[87fomoco]

Did you figure this out yet? That is kind of what mine is doing. Just mine is doing it more often now.

 

[03ranger4x4]

i really dont think its the timing chain, if you check youtube they have a few videos of explorers making the timing chain noise, and mine sounds nothing like the sound they make. Also, every video ive seen with the chain noise, the upper intake manifold looks different...like theres two little pipes on the manifold, one on each side of it and the 4.0 badge is centered where as mine doesnt have those pipes, and the 4.0 badge is right over the trottle body...so im thinking when they changed the manifold style is also when they corrected the timing chain issue aswell.

this is a year 2000 model sohc 4.0 engine

and mine looks like this...

 

[colby450xc]

Dry valve train..... When I had a car and my truck, i would mostly drive the car unless I needed to haul something. Which would be 2-4 times a week. I'd start the truck and it would tick pretty loud for about 2 seconds then stop.