When Was the Timing Chain Rattle in the SOHC 4.0 Fixed?

[Arolsma]

As I have said in another post of mine, I will soon be buying a mid 2000s to 2011 Ranger. I haven't excluded other engines, but I would really like a 4.0. After looking in numerous places, I have been unable to find a straight answer as to when/if the timing chain rattle issues were fixed. Some people say only 01s & 02s had the problem, some say it was fixed in the middle of the 03 model year, some say it wasn't fixed until the 05 model year, and some say it was made better at some point but was never fully resolved. So I would like to know if I can consider 4.0s as old as 03, or if I need to look at 04+ or even 05+ models to avoid this issue. I also read that the plunger type screw-in tensioners (whatever the heck those are) should be replaced every 70,000 miles or so on any 4.0 sohc to prevent chain slack which kills the guides. Is this true? Also, I have read in several places that 04s are plagued with transmission problems, potentially ruling out all 04s from consideration. Is this a widespread issue?
Thanks for all your responses in advance; I have already got some very helpful responses to my other post.

 

[DILLARD000]

The best I've been able to infer is that Ford first issued a TSB on replacing the two OilPressurized TimingTensioners in late 1999,
then by late 2000 began factory builds with improved versions of Left+Right OilPressurized TimingTensioners & Front Spring TimingTensioner.
though it likely took a year or more to get all previous built\stocked engines pushed through the supply chain.
I wouldn't venture to say that the TimingTensioner problem had ever been completely "fixed" only improved.
On buying any year model V6~4.0L~SOHC, I would immediately change the two OilPressurized Tensioners, followed by an Oil+Filter change.
As with any machine, maintenance will extend it's life, neglect will shorten it's life.
More info at

Engine Oil Pressurized TimingTensioners

As of this 2020 writing, I'm just dumb lucky, not having had any TimingChain component failure with this 20yr old V6-4.0L~SOHC engine; only issue noticed is momentary rattling during very cold morning starts. The recent removal of the lower Oil Pan & Pump Screen was clean, without any...

2001fordexplorersporttrac.fandom.com

DriveTrain Transmission

This 2001 Ford SportTrac has the factory equipped Ford# 5r55e.4WD+ISS 5Speed Automatic Transmission; this Transmission evolved from prior c3\c5\a4\4r\5r designs dating from the early 1970s, all were produced at Fords plant in Bordeoux France; this 5r55e subversion was fitted in many 2001~2011...

2001fordexplorersporttrac.fandom.com

 

[franklin2]

As I have said in another post of mine, I will soon be buying a mid 2000s to 2011 Ranger. I haven't excluded other engines, but I would really like a 4.0. After looking in numerous places, I have been unable to find a straight answer as to when/if the timing chain rattle issues were fixed. Some people say only 01s & 02s had the problem, some say it was fixed in the middle of the 03 model year, some say it wasn't fixed until the 05 model year, and some say it was made better at some point but was never fully resolved. So I would like to know if I can consider 4.0s as old as 03, or if I need to look at 04+ or even 05+ models to avoid this issue. I also read that the plunger type screw-in tensioners (whatever the heck those are) should be replaced every 70,000 miles or so on any 4.0 sohc to prevent chain slack which kills the guides. Is this true? Also, I have read in several places that 04s are plagued with transmission problems, potentially ruling out all 04s from consideration. Is this a widespread issue?
Thanks for all your responses in advance; I have already got some very helpful responses to my other post.

Best to avoid the SOHC 4.0 in my opinion. Why torture yourself?

 

[rubydist]

The 2000 "improved" guides were still problematic and the 2001 Ranger 4.0 in particular was prone to failure of the guides. I had a 2003 and never had a bit of timing chain issues with it up to 125k when I sold it, but I always used Mobil1 and one of the issues was oil quality impacting the tensioners. My information is that Ford kept making incremental improvements in the system until around 2005, after which they are all pretty stout. The best way I know of to determine if there is an issue would be to note if there is chain rattle for the 1st second or two at startup. If so, I would move on or plan to pull the engine to replace all the timing chain guides. If no rattle at startup, things should be fine.

 

[sgtsandman]

My understanding that the main issues were fixed around 2005-2006. The guides were improved.

It is certainly a thing to change the tensioners every 70,000 miles. It’s a heck of a lot cheaper than paying to get the guides fixed and cleaning all the broken bits and pieces out of the engine.

It cost me $80 plus coolant to do the job and took about 6 hours including getting the driver’s side tension to stop leaking. The factory suggested torque was not enough for the crush washer to properly seal with the Cloyes brand I used (only one that offered a lifetime warranty).

You have to pull the throttle body, idler pulley, and thermostat housing to get enough room to change the driver’s side tensioner. You’ll need a 27 mm deep well socket and a wobble extension to remove and install it. 1 1/8” will work but 27mm is better.

The passenger side one is quite easy to get at through the wheel well. It’s right on the side of the head in the back.

I’ve seen videos where they say you need to prime them first before install but the service manual mentions nothing about doing it. So, I just installed them and cranked the engine a couple of times with the accelerator pedal to the floor to prime them and cut the fuel off.

To stop the leak, I was able to get my 1 1/8” box end wrench in there and tighten the tensioner without tearing everything apart again.

 

[gw33gp]

From what I have seen the 2001 4.0 SOHC engine had the most problems in the in the Ranger lineup. In 02 there were still a few with the chain rattle problem but considerably less than in 01. Later years showed more improvement each year until around 05 and the problem was pretty much fixed.

I changed the tensioners in my 02 at around 100K miles just as preventive maintenance. The old ones seemed fine but I am not sure they were still good. At a little over 250K miles I did a complete cam timing rebuild. I was not having a problem but wanted to avoid having a problem. The guides were still in good condition. What I did find was the mechanical tensioner on the chain that connects the crank to the jackshaft was totally broken off, but the guide was still in good condition. This is something that could happen on any engine, not just the 4.0 SOHC engine.

I was not getting any kind of rattle with that broken tensioner. It appeared to have been broken a while too. I am just glad it didn't jump a tooth or two on a sprocket resulting in the cam timing being way off. That had the potential to cause bent valves. My preventive maintenance fixed something I wasn't expecting, and was well worth doing. I plan to keep my Ranger much longer.

 

[19Walt93]

We sold a pile of sohc Rangers and had very few problems after 03-04. The key is to find one that has been maintained, if you look in the oil cap and it's black, keep walking.

 

[Arolsma]

We sold a pile of sohc Rangers and had very few problems after 03-04. The key is to find one that has been maintained, if you look in the oil cap and it's black, keep walking.

Was it mainly just timing chain related issues you had with the 03-04s? How many miles did you sell them with? Thanks

 

[19Walt93]

Mostly tensioners and cassettes were the problem. How many miles on the trucks? We sold them new and again used when they were traded back in. Some developed noises under warranty(5 years/ 50k) but not many considering the number of sohc Rangers and Explorers we sold.

 

[Arolsma]

How many miles on the trucks? We sold them new and again used when they were traded back in.

Gotcha

So what I can gather is that the 01-02s were more or less junk, the 03-04s were okay, and 05+ ones were fine so long as you replace the tensioners regularly (correct me if I am wrong). Did they change the guides they were using in 03 and improve them again in 05, causing that pattern of reliability? Are 03-04 models fine so long as the tensioners are replaced regularly, or are the guides known to fail fairly often even at that? Reliability is high priority for me, so if 03-04 models aren't great I will simply avoid them. Thanks for all your responses.

 

[19Walt93]

The sohc arrived in Explorers in 97 and we sold even more Explorers than we did Rangers. I wouldn't describe any year as junk, the early ones failed more often and the later ones seemed fine overall. I don't remember ever seeing a vehicle have a repeat failure, the worst problem was the cost of replacing the right side/rear cassette. A foreign car owner would shrug off the expense and still love the car, a Ford or GM buyer would hold it against the vehicle. I bought 2 new Rangers with sohc engines, and 04 and one of our last 11's, and I had zero problems with either one but the 04 had 46,000 miles when I traded it and the 11 hadn't quite hit 43,000 when I sold it. The 4.0 sohc is a typical, overengineered, overcomplicated, Rube Goldberg design that the Germans are famous for inventing. I ordered a 4.0 Sohc in the 04 after driving a short box. regular cab 4x4 with a 3.0, 5 speed, and 4.10 gears one day during lunch. Even with 4.10's, the 3.0 couldn't pull a hill on the interstate in 5th gear. I don't like over complicated but I can't stand underpowered, NH is hilly, we have so few flat, straight sections of road that we name them. After we got the piston slap problem in 86 and the broken (Asian) head bolts in 87 fixed, I really liked the 3.0- it Taurus' and Tempo's. A 3.0 might be OK in a 2wd Ranger driven in flat country and not loaded heavily.

 

[gw33gp]

Gotcha

So what I can gather is that the 01-02s were more or less junk, the 03-04s were okay, and 05+ ones were fine so long as you replace the tensioners regularly (correct me if I am wrong). Did they change the guides they were using in 03 and improve them again in 05, causing that pattern of reliability? Are 03-04 models fine so long as the tensioners are replaced regularly, or are the guides known to fail fairly often even at that? Reliability is high priority for me, so if 03-04 models aren't great I will simply avoid them. Thanks for all your responses.

The 01 Rangers were the ones that had the most problems. The 02s did not have nearly as much failure. As I said before, my 02 with over 250K miles had no sign of failure with the cassettes. I have known of several that were still going strong with over 300K miles. Any engine tends to get tired after that unless it has had extremely good care taken with it.

 

[Arolsma]

Does someone have a link to a clip of the timing chain rattle noise?

A 3.0 might be OK in a 2wd Ranger driven in flat country and not loaded heavily.

I have heard the 3.0 is half decent with a manual transmission. Is that true? I don't see much point in getting one with an auto since it only tows a few hundred pounds more than a 2.3 with an auto. On the other hand, the stick 3.0 tows about 1000 lbs more than a 2.3 stick.

The 4.0 sohc is a typical, overengineered, overcomplicated, Rube Goldberg design that the Germans are famous for inventing

Is the 3.0 a simpler, easier to work on engine? I have heard it is more reliable than the 4.0 sohc.

 

[G8orFord]

My '01 had 265k on it when I got it. Granted the guides were shot, but it was still running and wasn't even that noisy. No idea how many miles were put on it after the guides left it, but I'm certain they were the OEM parts (well peices). I did a full rebuild and the engine had never been opened up.

 

[ratdude747]

The 4.0 sohc is a typical, overengineered, overcomplicated, Rube Goldberg design that the Germans are famous for inventing. I ordered a 4.0 Sohc in the 04 after driving a short box. regular cab 4x4 with a 3.0, 5 speed, and 4.10 gears one day during lunch. Even with 4.10's, the 3.0 couldn't pull a hill on the interstate in 5th gear. I don't like over complicated but I can't stand underpowered, NH is hilly, we have so few flat, straight sections of road that we name them. After we got the piston slap problem in 86 and the broken (Asian) head bolts in 87 fixed, I really liked the 3.0- it Taurus' and Tempo's. A 3.0 might be OK in a 2wd Ranger driven in flat country and not loaded heavily.

This is why I think the 4.0 OHV was the pinnacle of the Cologne's design lifetime. Other than pushrod rattle (mine does it a bit when cold ), they seem pretty stout. Sure, the HP isn't sky high, but the torque isn't much different, and at least my 1995 does very well for itself. Much better than the 3.0 1995 I had before... good motor, just didn't belong in a truck. Even a street truck.