Ahh!! Teh Noisez!

[Dweano]

Ok so I changed my oil today...Had my truck on ramp things...changed oil blah blah...started it up...and I listened...and theres some weird noises coming from my truck...almost like...a diesel idle noise from what seemed like the lower end Maybe from the top? I dunno...my engine seems to be making lotsa weird noises...the steering whines (thats normal right). Also these engines are kinda notorious for ticking and such right? So I probably don't have much to worry about do I? I'm probably just overreacting

 

[mp3deviant721]

Steering pump whine seems to be a common problem. The ticking might be the upper valve train.

 

[trader007]

the marbling sound (which makes it almost sound like a diesel motor) is also common on the 4.0's OHV's. i dont even know what it is, because you can get the same noises on gm motors too.

i use engine RESTORE with all my oil changes now, and it seems to keep that noise from happening. ive also noticed that sometimes you can change the oil too much and you get the noise... its just a weird thing. i really dont know what else to say about it, ive seen some threads about it but nothing too conclusive.

edit- figure that. i found it.

from ranger-forums.com

Quote:
Originally Posted by vansnxtweek
OLD THREAD: Did anybody ever find a fix for this?
Keep in mind the "marbling" sound that some '98-'00 4.0L OHVs are prone to. Apparantly in '98 the pistons were redesigned in order to reduce the engine's overall recipricating mass and hence improve NVH. Unfortunately, this change also resulted in the piston being able to move around in the bore which can sound like marbles rattling around in a can. For whatever reason, the noise seems to be most noticeable right after an oil change. From all accounts (thus far), the condition does not pose any threat to engine performance or longevity. Here's what Ford has to say about it:

Quote:
15226 - 4.0 OHV MARBLE NOISE

Some 1998-2000 Ranger/Explorer equipped with a 4.0L OHV engine may exhibit an engine noise that may be perceived by the customer as a "Diesel" type noise and is known as Marble Noise. Marble Noise is clearly heard when the vehicle is at idle, under 2000 RPM or under very light/no load. High mileage studies of the condition show no adverse effect to engine life or performance. Cleaning carbon from the combustion chamber will have no effect on the Marble Noise condition. Marble Noise is a characteristic noise of this engine and cannot be serviced with an engine exchange.

 

[Dweano]

I have a 96??? Haha. But thanks...I'm just going to assume I have nothing to worry about...if it breaks...I will blame Ford haha. Restore is like $15 a can around here! I used it once tho...dunno if it helped or not

 

[Desert Rat 23]

I wonder if this applies to my truck. Its a 97 xlt 2.3 with a brand new ac system. I hear the same sound that you're describing, but only when the ac is on. I use the pipe and dowel trick to isolate the sound and it seams to be coming from the drivers side right about at cylinder height. Checked the compressor and its not the culprit. Does yours change sound with the ac on?
Anyways, love this little truck. Had it 11 years now and it still runs like a raped date.

 

[trader007]

even if your truck is a 96, i would imagine the same thing can happen over time. all thats happening is the pistons are moving around in the bore, which can happen if you have a lot of miles regardless of the kind of motor you have. really even a brand new motor has pistons that move around in the bore... its the rings that keep the seal.

ive even seen this problem on 2 year old gm trucks too... but from what ford says its mainly because the pistons are so light now that its much easier for them to rattle. i think the fix was to offset the pin that connects the arm to the piston head... that way there is always a small horizontal force on the piston to keep it from rattling.

makes sense anyway... and is actually a good reason to use that gooey motor snot you can buy like stp or whatever...

for it happening only when the a/c is on is weird though, because the rattling should stop when a load is applied to the engine... but maybe yours just doesnt rattle unless you have a slight load on it... who knows.

 

[Dweano]

I wonder if this applies to my truck. Its a 97 xlt 2.3 with a brand new ac system. I hear the same sound that you're describing, but only when the ac is on. I use the pipe and dowel trick to isolate the sound and it seams to be coming from the drivers side right about at cylinder height. Checked the compressor and its not the culprit. Does yours change sound with the ac on?
Anyways, love this little truck. Had it 11 years now and it still runs like a raped date.

I do not have A/C So...No haha

 

[SnowOptix]

Sorry to necro this, but I'd like to let everyone know that this is a great thread and no other site on the internet posted the TSB shown above.

I'd like to add that this is true. However a lot of the sound is brought on by carbon buildup, I have found. This morning, my truck sounded like an outdated diesel (it's a '99 4x4 4.0) only on idle. I decided to steam clean it with water as I have done on so many engines. I warmed her up quite a bit til she was really hot (could feel the heat beaming under the body) and opened a vacuum line that splits from the PCV. It's a small one that looks like it goes to the ABS.

I sucked up 3 big glasses of water, let her sit at 3K RPM for a bit, then did some hard code 3 runs up and down my street (hehe). The throttle response was initially slow but once the water was evaporated through the entire system, it was much smoother than before. And.... THE MARBLING WENT AWAY!! It does it a LITTLE bit now, just about one ping every 15 seconds or so. Guess I got a little more carbon to go.

Anyway, it was a great thing to find! My noise was coming from the bottom as well as the valvetrain of the engine. Thanks for the help guys!

 

[Sasquatch_Ryda]

Just a warning....oxygen sensors do NOT like water, it is better to use a combustion chamber cleaner than water.

 

[SnowOptix]

Just a warning....oxygen sensors do NOT like water, it is better to use a combustion chamber cleaner than water.

Good to know, thank you for that. I've been running a CEL for a month or two that reads a bad O2 sensor so they're already due for replacement. It could be part of the reason why I am having some carbon buildup.

Regardless, it solved the problem. Now I'm not worried, nor embarrassed, to idle my truck for lengths of time.

 

[shane96ranger]

My truck does it a little and it's a 96. My Explorer did it BAD after an oil change and it was a 91 and it had 240,000 miles on it. It's a 4.0, it will last!

 

[4DR99']

Good to know, thank you for that. I've been running a CEL for a month or two that reads a bad O2 sensor so they're already due for replacement. It could be part of the reason why I am having some carbon buildup.

Regardless, it solved the problem. Now I'm not worried, nor embarrassed, to idle my truck for lengths of time.

wouldn't it have been better to use seafoam? or is this a different proceedure? my 99 4.0 does the same thing i was wondering what the hell that was. good to know i'm not the only one hearing it!

 

[feellnfroggy]

For what its worth I have a friend who says that 4.0l are known for having noisy main bearings after 140k. Mine purrs like akitten so I havent been able to verify what he said, but I changed my oil and now I get valve tap real bad on start up untill it starts lubing. usually 10-15 seconds