Tensioners replacement fail

[Ranger5100]

Hey guys,
This is my first post on the forum. I did some searching first and can't find anyone who has had the problem I am having. We are stumped so I am going to describe it as best as I can: I have an 02 Ranger with the 4.0 SOHC. It has 137,000 miles on it and since I got it (about 3000 miles ago) it has made a rattle on startup. It would only last half a second till oil pressure built up, and everything pointed to timing chain tensioners. I was told that it's an easy fix; the springs wear out so all you have to do is put new tensioners in so I bought a set off a forum user who had extras. We put the rear one in first, Started up the engine and it still did the rattle for a second but seemed fine otherwise. Next we did the top one. Once we got it in, we started the truck and it rattled like crazy and the rattling did not go away. Pulled tensioner out to check it, looked fine, tried it again. Same thing. We did some research, Found out the tensioners need to be primed with oil first. Took both out, primed them, and reinstalled. Same thing , rattles continuously. So we thought we were sent bad tensioners. Bought brand new ones and primed them and put them in. We started it up and it rattled loud first, then got quiet. I was excited as the process of taking them out takes about an hour and we had now done it about 4 times. Took the truck for a ride and in less than and quarter mile it started rattling again. Extremely frustrating. At this point, we think there must be something we don't know about. A how to video found on YT made it seem like this would be quite simple. We are mechanically inclined but not extremely familiar with this engine. Based upon my explanation, did we do something wrong? I can't understand how this could have made my problem 100x worse instead of solving it. Thank for reading and Thank you for your help in advance.
Bill

 

[black_demon69]

just a shot in the dark but could it be oil pressure. like a bad pump or too much wear on the rod and main bearings, or bad lifters, flat lobes on cam. don't know for sure as i said just a guess..

 

[Ranger5100]

just a shot in the dark but could it be oil pressure. like a bad pump or too much wear on the rod and main bearings, or bad lifters, flat lobes on cam. don't know for sure as i said just a guess..

Seems like a reasonable guess but what doesnt make sense is why the problem would suddenly develop when we put new tensioners in.

 

[Ranger5100]

I will not be offended if someone tells me I ruined my engine. Just need help with this :Bump:

 

[black_demon69]

if oil pressure is low and tensioners are hydraulic then it is possible that the tensioners would not function.

 

[Ranger5100]

if oil pressure is low and tensioners are hydraulic then it is possible that the tensioners would not function.

What could cause oil pressure to be low when it was not low before I put the new tensioners in?

 

[adsm08]

It's possible that the chain guides were worn, and running it without priming the tensioners made things worse.

Replacement really is as easy as it looks like it should be. Once the tensioner wears though, chain guide damage starts, and after that it's a crap shoot how long they last. You may well have finished one off, by the sounds of it the front one.

 

[Ranger5100]

It's possible that the chain guides were worn, and running it without priming the tensioners made things worse.

Replacement really is as easy as it looks like it should be. Once the tensioner wears though, chain guide damage starts, and after that it's a crap shoot how long they last. You may well have finished one off, by the sounds of it the front one.

That's what I'm fearing. I don't think I mentioned that both tensioners were aftermarket - NOT motorcraft. Any chance putting in genuine ford parts would make the difference?

 

[adsm08]

Anything has the potential to be bad out of the box.

 

[Ranger5100]

Anything has the potential to be bad out of the box.

Yeah true. Probably going to have to have a real mechanic look at it

 

[Snoranger]

Did you try putting the original tensioners back in? If your problem goes back to the same as before... It's the tensioners. If your problem stays the same... It's time to replace the cassettes.

 

[Ranger5100]

Did you try putting the original tensioners back in? If your problem goes back to the same as before... It's the tensioners. If your problem stays the same... It's time to replace the cassettes.

We only have one of the original tensioners. Other one was modified to use as a thread chaser after I crossthreaded the new one by accident. That being said, as of now I believe both are making noise. I could replace one with the original and if it gets quiet, then I'd know what the problem is as you said.

 

[Ranger5100]

Put an original tensioner in. Problem just as bad. Time to pull this 4.oh no out one I convince my dad it's not an oil pressure problem.....

 

[Ranger5100]

Put some Genuine Ford Tensioners in and it's quiet! Lesson learned, stay away from aftermarket junk! When it comes to valve train components, spend the extra money for ford parts. We were ready to pull this engine. Turned out to be that simple

 

[txgocartB3000]

Yeah, good on you.

Nice to hear some good news every once in a while.

Ray