4.0L SOHC When Is It Time For Me to Sell Off My 2011 4.0/sohc Before The Guides Go Bad?

[morsetaper2]

I have read all the disastrous stories of 4.0 sohc timing chain guides going bad on this forum and some of the others. I am aware that the early 4.0 sohc's were the ones most prone to the guides failing. My 2011 4.0 sohc has improved timing chain guides over the earlier years.

My 2011 has 197,000 miles on it. I bought it in 2013 with 9000 miles on it. It has had oil changes every 5000 miles or so. I'm a gentle driver. When I read on here this past winter that the hydraulic tensioners were a maintenance item, I replaced both of them at about 192,000 with Ford OEM tensioners.

I have never heard the "death rattle" from the engine. Ever. And it continues to run strong. Chassis is showing it's age, got some rust on the bottoms of the doors beginning, bed has some rust holes, radiator core support has significant corrosion. I'm in MD and if they even mention snow they start spreading salt. So that figures. Interior mostly decent but does show some wear.

I look over "For Sale Listings" for the later year Rangers w/ the 4.0 sohc and it is a rarity to see one w/ 200,000+ miles on the odometer. You just don't see them. So I'm thinking it may be time to start the hunt for a new truck before the guides fail in it. Thinking I got my moneys worth, and more from this truck. Time to sell it, move on, and avoid any guide failure. Am I just being paranoid?

How many of you have a 4.0 sohc with more than 200,000 miles running the original cam chain guides w/o enduring that failure? How many miles you got?

Just want to try and get a feel of what an average life for the timing chain guides in this engine?

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I have read all the disastrous stories of 4.0 sohc timing chain guides going bad on this forum and some of the others. I am aware that the early 4.0 sohc's were the ones most prone to the guides failing. My 2011 4.0 sohc has improved timing chain guides over the earlier years.

My 2011 has 197,000 miles on it. I bought it in 2013 with 9000 miles on it. It has had oil changes every 5000 miles or so. I'm a gentle driver. When I read on here this past winter that the hydraulic tensioners were a maintenance item, I replaced both of them at about 192,000 with Ford OEM tensioners.

I have never heard the "death rattle" from the engine. Ever. And it continues to run strong. Chassis is showing it's age, got some rust on the bottoms of the doors beginning, bed has some rust holes, radiator core support has significant corrosion. I'm in MD and if they even mention snow they start spreading salt. So that figures. Interior mostly decent but does show some wear.

I look over "For Sale Listings" for the later year Rangers w/ the 4.0 sohc and it is a rarity to see one w/ 200,000+ miles on the odometer. You just don't see them. So I'm thinking it may be time to start the hunt for a new truck before the guides fail in it. Thinking I got my moneys worth, and more from this truck. Time to sell it, move on, and avoid any guide failure. Am I just being paranoid?

How many of you have a 4.0 sohc with more than 200,000 miles running the original cam chain guides w/o enduring that failure? How many miles you got?

Just want to try and get a feel of what an average life for this engine might be?

194k mi. on mine.

Rings will give up the ghost somewhere around 450k according to RonD.

Chains are not that big of a deal from what I've seen.

Mine endured bad tensioners, and boroscope showed guides are fine.

By 2010/11, they had the issues resolved.

Install a pre-oiler if you're that worried, or do a clear flooded engine before you start it to prime the tensioners.

 

[AndrewM]

My wife's '10 Explorer 4.0 gave up the ghost at 215k.

 

[Roert42]

brothers ‘03 has a hair under 300k.

Trans needs rebuild this winter so we’ll probably do a full timing job and reseal the engine at the same time.



If you’re worried about, why not just replace them now before it’s an issue. Get another 200k out if. Do it on your own time so it’s not an emergency.


Cheaper then a new truck payment….

 

[bobbywalter]

with that maintenance history....you would be a fool to sell it.

 

[SenorNoob]

Cheaper then a new truck payment….

I literally just made that argument with my wife yesterday. She's upset that I've forced here to split me on groceries for the last few weeks so I can get other things done. (Mostly brakes and have a working lawn mower.) It's stupid.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Cheaper then a new truck payment….

And this is how I justified supercharging mine and doing all new suspension

 

[ekrampitzjr]

I'm interested in the OP question too. My 2011 has 198,000 miles and will shortly get its third set of new tensioners. The second set was installed about 90,000 miles ago. No signs of any problems from the engine, and I'd be pleased if I could make 300,000 miles without having to replace the timing chains etc.

Preparing a bunch of 200,000–mile service parts now and will get the ATF and trans filter changed at a shop sometime in the next few months, so I've been trying to maintain mine like Morsetaper2.

 

[gw33gp]

The chains and sprocket normally do not go bad. The cassettes are typically only a problem on the early 4.0 SOHC engines if the hydraulic tensioners were not replaced.

I replaced the hydraulic tensioners on my 02 at 100K miles and at 250K miles I rebuilt the cam timing chain system. The cassettes were not broken but were brittle. I don't think they needed to be replaced but I already had all the parts and did a full rebuild.

I am pretty sure I could have just replaced the tensioners, and it would have been good to at least 300K. I am glad I took the engine apart because I found the mechanical tensioner and guide for the crankshaft to jackshaft chain was broken and laying at the bottom of the timing chain cover. I found out later this was a common problem with the early 4.0 SOHC engines. Ford upgraded those tensioners and that failure is rare in the later engines. Of course, I installed the upgraded one.

So, if you replace the hydraulic tensioners about every 100K miles, you should not have issues with the cam timing chain system. I understand using quality oil and frequent oil and filter changes improve the odds too.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

The chains and sprocket normally do not go bad. The cassettes are typically only a problem on the early 4.0 SOHC engines if the hydraulic tensioners were not replaced.

I replaced the hydraulic tensioners on my 02 at 100K miles and at 250K miles I rebuilt the cam timing chain system. The cassettes were not broken but were brittle. I don't think they needed to be replaced but I already had all the parts and did a full rebuild.

I am pretty sure I could have just replaced the tensioners, and it would have been good to at least 300K. I am glad I took the engine apart because I found the mechanical tensioner and guide for the crankshaft to jackshaft chain was broken and laying at the bottom of the timing chain cover. I found out later this was a common problem with the early 4.0 SOHC engines. Ford upgraded those tensioners and that failure is rare in the later engines. Of course, I installed the upgraded one.

So, if you replace the hydraulic tensioners about every 100K miles, you should not have issues with the cam timing chain system. I understand using quality oil and frequent oil and filter changes improve the odds too.

Thanks for this. I want to keep this truck on the road as long as I can and have lined up a shop that can do the timing system work just in case, but the OP question is probably on the minds of everyone who has a later Ranger with the 4.0 SOHC.

I've been using Amsoil's best synthetic and oil filters, changing every 10,000 miles. Since I left Mazda and the Ranger has been my only vehicle, that has meant oil and filter changes about every 6 months at the rate I put on miles.

 

[gw33gp]

The 10,000 oil change interval is not bad but is probably on the limit even for Amsoil. The 6 month interval is good. I ran 20,000 mile oil change intervals but that was with a bypass micron oil filter system. I still changed the standard filter at 5,000 miles. This was done with data from oil analysis. I have now gone to changing oil every year because I don't drive it as much since I bought a new Bronco.

My Ranger has 312K miles on it, and I want to keep it for truck duties as long as I can.

 

[JJMaine]

I dont think the guides typically just "go bad". The issue as everyone else has said it that the tensioners go bad, allowing the chain to slap around and it takes out the guides. If it were me, Id put new tensioners in it, get it undercoated with woolwax or fluid film to arrest the rust and drive the wheels off it. Then again, you couldnt pay me to buy a new vehicle as in from a dealership. I like the old stuff that I can work on in my driveway after watching a few youtube videos and asking the forum for help.

 

[rubydist]

Agreed, drive it till the thing dies a natural death and then move on.

 

[lil_Blue_Ford]

Yeah, I’d drive it till the wheels fall off then consider rebuilding it. There’s nothing new that I’m particularly interested in, it’s all becoming over-engineered, over-priced garbage.

 

[djfllmn]

Yeah, I’d drive it till the wheels fall off then consider rebuilding it. There’s nothing new that I’m particularly interested in, it’s all becoming over-engineered, over-priced garbage.

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