Factory Fix for Death Rattle - True?

[Lussoman]

I'm a Ranger noob looking at a 4.0, but worried about buying a 2005 144kmi. one from a dealer with unknown history. In my death rattle research, I came across this YouTube:

Starting at 2'10", he talks about factory improvements on the 4.0 timing cassettes, saying that after 2004, the factory basically fixed the problem. You folks with long 4.0 experience--is this true?

 

[rubydist]

Pretty much, but you still should change the tensioners roughly every 75k to make sure they are not allowing the tensioners to be loose at startup.

 

[Dirtman]

Yes Ford did "fix" the issue at the production level in 2004-2005ish. But like @rubydist said, the tensioners should still be changed religiously and only with FORD tensioners. If so the engine will last a very long time and 144k wouldn't bother me at all. If you're looking at a 4.0 truck and it rattles though just walk away... It's too late... engine needs to come out.

However even if you find an earlier 4.0 sohc it doesn't mean it still has the "bad" chain guides. Many where fixed under warranty or recall anyway.

 

[sgtsandman]

Changing the tensioners isn't a bad job. The right side is down right easy going through the wheel well as described in the video. The left side is a bit more tricky. The belt idler pulley need to come out so you can remove the thermostat housing in order to get enough room to remove and install the tensioner. The intake hose and the throttle body will need to be pulled as well.

While you are at it, you might was well change the P.O.S. plastic thermostat housing (they get brittle and crack over time) with an aluminum one and change the thermostat (the previous owner probably never did it) since you will have those out already. That one gave me a bit of a problem leaking oil after the engine warmed up. The factory spec torque wasn't crushing the crush washer enough to get a good seal and was leaking oil into the valley.

So, something to look out for if you are doing the work yourself and something to look for if you are paying someone else to do it. Stick with the factory thermostat for the change. The temp range will be correct and they seem to be the most reliable.

 

[Lussoman]

Some 4.0s just have a brief rattle on startup (weak tensioner springs), then quieten on oil pressure buildup. What do you think about walking away from one like that? I suspect that's one of the more common DR happenings I will come across.

Yes Ford did "fix" the issue at the production level in 2004-2005ish. But like @rubydist said, the tensioners should still be changed religiously and only with FORD tensioners. If so the engine will last a very long time and 144k wouldn't bother me at all. If you're looking at a 4.0 truck and it rattles though just walk away... It's too late... engine needs to come out.

However even if you find an earlier 4.0 sohc it doesn't mean it still has the "bad" chain guides. Many where fixed under warranty or recall anyway.

 

[sgtsandman]

Some 4.0s just have a brief rattle on startup (weak tensioner springs), then quieten on oil pressure buildup. What do you think about walking away from one like that? I suspect that's one of the more common DR happenings I will come across.

If it goes away after initial start up, it would be worth considering. I would use it as a bargaining tool to try to reduce the selling price. Since you will have an educated guess as to the condition of the engine, but it is still just a guess. Buying a used vehicle, you are almost always buying something off someone looking to unload some sort of problem they don't want to deal with. It could be an easy problem or it could be a expensive one. Not to mention people have been known to rig a repair that will last long enough to unload the vehicle and screw the next person.

 

[Lussoman]

....Not to mention people have been known to rig a repair that will last long enough to unload the vehicle and screw the next person.

True dat. Yeh, there's quite a few videos on changing the tensioners, I've been spinning wrenches for more decades than I care to remember, so do it myself. Thanks for the tips about the thermostat housing & 'stat.

I'm going to have a look at the 4.0 tomorrow or Friday, and there's a 3.0 down in Oregon that I should look at too. What are your feelings about the 3.0 vs. 4.0?

 

[Dirtman]

3.0 is a more reliable engine in my opinion but It's also a dog compared to the 4.0 sohc. Neither are bad engines, I'm just not a fan of the idea of having a timing chain on the back of the engine on the 4.0 sohc since if things do go wrong you need to pull the engine. But it's proven itself reliable and many are still driving around with well over 200,000 miles on them.

The 3.0 is just an old fashioned pushrod motor from the stone ages so it's easier to work on. But again, it suuuuuucks as far as power is concerned. Even the 2.3 DOHC 4 cylinder has more guts than the 3.0.

As for a rattle at startup, if it's a dealer tell them not to touch the truck before you look at it. Tell them you want to start the engine stone cold. Some sellers will warm up the engine before a buyer shows up to mask any noises from a cold start up so if you get there and the engine is already warm, be suspicious.

 

[Lussoman]

Yeh, the 3.0's only weak point as i understand it is the cam synchronizer shaft, don't let it go so far the gear teeth get chewed up.

I was wondering if I should tell the dealer to let me start the 4.0 from dead cold, thanks for confirming that. If it rattles briefly (1-2 sec.) on startup, would you still buy it?

 

[Dirtman]

Every engine has some noises on a cold startup so that answer is subjective lol. If it ticks or rattles lightly for 10-20 seconds or so, than no I wouldn't be concerned at all if everything else checked out. If the noise is obnoxious or lasts for several minutes then I'd probably pass...

Like @sgtsandman said, use any noise as an excuse to bargain. It's a dealer, complain about everything and annoy them to death until they just want to get rid of you and the truck at any price. I bought my 2009 brand new as a leftover and I still complained to the point they practically paid me to get off their lot.

Dealers work on commission so the more time they waste answering your 4 million questions about an old pickup truck the more time they are stuck not making a sale on something of more value...

 

[Lussoman]

Good advice dat, me likey. I tend to be polite, but will try and overcome it.

BTW, for funsies, here's a video how a guy fixed his startup rattle--pretty dedicated dude.....

He doesn't actually start the engine until near the end.

 

[Dirtman]

Good advice dat, me likey. I tend to be polite, but will try and overcome it.

BTW, for funsies, here's a video how a guy fixed his startup rattle--pretty dedicated dude.....

He doesn't actually start the engine until near the end.

Kind of an insane solution. You could just hold the gas pedal to the floor for 5-10 seconds while cranking when it's cold to prime the oil pump before starting the engine...

 

[Lussoman]

On an old Range Rover I had with an unbelievably loosey-goosey engine, I installed a push button that put 12v on the starter solenoid with ignition off. Worked great.

 

[sgtsandman]

Of the engines offered in the Ranger, the 3.0 is perhaps one of the most trouble free engines. Just don’t plan on getting anywhere fast. There is a reason they are nicknamed the 3.slow.

Reving the engine will give it a bit more get up and go because the power band is higher up in the RPM band. If you buy a truck with a stick, you can do that better than one with an automatic. The other way is to re-gear the axle(s) with a lower gear in order to force the engine to rev higher sooner.

The engine was designed for use in a car which tends to be lighter and it shows.

A plus and a minus to the original Rangers is that the powertrain tends to be off the shelf items that already exist to keep production costs down.

The plus is that they tend to be proven items with the issues and work arounds already known and hashed out.

The negative is that the powertrain parts tend to not be designed to be in a truck.

I can’t speak about transmissions so much since I’ve only had the latest manual transmission in the original Rangers.

Engine wise, the most problematic tends to be the 2.9. Partly because they do not like to be over heated. The other problem is there was crap left in the engines during manufacturing due to labor issues that went on when they were being built.

I don’t know enough about the 2.8 or the 4.0 OHV to say much about them. I do know the 4.0 OHV is based off the 2.9, so the over heating issue is still there. Like the 2.9, as long as it’s kept properly cooled, they seem to not to be too bad.

Keep in mind that the original Rangers are 10 years old or older now. So, you’ll be dealing with age issues as well as whatever negligence the previous owner may have done to them.

 

[Dirtman]

The negative is that the powertrain parts tend to not be designed to be in a truck.

Even the new rangers still don't have an engine actually designed for a truck. The 2.3 EB is still based on a FWD Mazda car engine from 20 years ago...