Ford - Explorer :: 2004 - Harsh Rattle From The Top Of Engine
Feb 9, 2013
I'm posting for my brother who owns this Explorer 4.0 Valve rattle. As he went to lunch yesterday, he noticed his Explorer started running odd. Wanted to die a few times, lost power. He made it back to work fine, but on his way home it developed a harsh rattle from the top of the engine. While driving, he thought it was an exhaust leak. Got out of the vehicle when he got home and realized it was something worse.
When I made it to his house to look at it, the engine was still warm and the rattle was still there. Changed the oil with a Motorcraft filter (had a Fram on it before.) Started it and it sounded fine for about 20 seconds, then the rattle slowly came back. I've read a lot about the timing chain and tensioner issues, but not sure if this is it or not.
Most of those issues sounded RPM specific, where once this starts rattling, it's always rattling. It also seems to lack power and has a random misfire. I started and stopped it in 30 second intervals this morning and it got to the point where I would have to hold the accelerator to the floor in order for it to start. Where should I start?
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I own a 2004 Explorer Eddie Bauer Edition with 182,000 on the clock that has developed a very annoying engine rattle. The rattle started just shortly after having some service done on the truck. I had the P/S, Brake, Transmission and Rear diff fluids replaced. I also had the A/C system evacuated and recharged along with replacing the A/C manifold line and rack and pinion. The noise is most noticeable at first start and goes away when driving.
I took it to Ford and they said that the timing belt tensioners were bad so they were replaced, but the noise was still there. Then they replaced the serpentine belt tensioner and pulley, but again noise is still there. I refused to have Ford do any more work since I had already been charged almost $1500 for repairs and the problem was not fixed. They said the next thing would be the balance shaft or rebuild the engine. The truck runs fine, smooth and does not shake at idle. It just has this awful noise.
Here is a video of the noise : [URL] ......
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I bought a 97 4.0 SOHC about 2 weeks ago with 85k miles on it. I noticed a slight rattle coming from the engine after I got home. I bought it from an individual who I don't think was aware of the problem. I did some investigating on FTE and talked to a friend who has a 98 that locked up at 40k with timing chain problems. After listening to the engine and reading posts I determined it was either the tensioner and the chain guides or both.
I took it to my local dealer to have them check it out. I told him I thought it was 1 or both of these problems. And was aware of the Owner Notification Programs for these issues. And that the tensioner ONP 00M12 was expired but not the guide ONP 01MO1. He said it sounds like the tensioner, and that 99% of the time that was the problem. I said go ahead and check it out, but while your in there could you look at the guides and replace them if they need it since they are covered. He said " They will look at them and replace them if the need it". They ended up just replacing the top tensioner.
I got the vehicle out the next day and 50% of the noise was gone, but a rattle persisted. I took it back and pointed this out, their mechanic said it sounded like it could be the catalytic converter. but they would have to listen more closely to determine where the sound was coming from. Of course my suspicion is and was the chain guides all along. So this morning he called me and said it is a timing chain area noise, but they don't think it is the guides they think it is the middle tensioner. Big surprise, they don't think it is the guides, so I said go ahead and spend 5.5 hrs of labor to tear it down and see what the problem is. He said if it turns out to be the guides it is covered under the ONP. But if its the bottom tensioner "bend over" actually he didn't say that last part, I was paraphrasing.
So here we are, grabbing my ankles waiting for word on the cause. I told him when they get it torn down I want to come down there and physically inspect the problem, he was fine with that. Here is my deal regardless of the problem, they should not have charged me for the original 5 hrs of labor to replace the top tensioner, if that did not fix the entire problem, they could have replaced that one when they reassembled the engine after checking out the guides. And not only that but why are they so resistant to say it is the guides, Ford is the one who foots the bill. Not only that but if it is the middle tensioner as well how do they know the guides are not contributing to the sound, and if so they should be covered and they should only charge me for the parts for the 2 tensioners.
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I have a 2005 Ford Explorer with a 4.0 SOHC while the engine is running the left side timing chain rattles. I replaced the timing chain and guides and tensioner, the engine has good oil pressure but the noise is still there.
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I have a 1997 explorer sport 4x4 4.0 sohc It has a real tuff time with cold starts sputters won't hold and idle sits at about 500 rpm once its warm its not as bad still has a low idle.
Also i have a constant engine rattle thinking left front cam tension-er
Also throwing and check engine light odb scan tool shows o2 sensor position two is bad
I was thinking intake gaskets and new tension-er is a good place to start.
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My 2008 F150 rattles (from engine area) when I let off gas while in traffic or in a drive-through. It almost feels as though it's going to stall. Drive thru, parking lot, traffic are all examples. "Stop and go" push the gas to move forward and quickly let off gas. I let off the gas there is a large rattle coming from my engine. Not sure if it's miss-firing or if it's an exhaust leak or a timing chain issue. I'm having trouble trying to figure this out because it does not happen all the time and have been unable to re-create when I go to the mechanic.
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I have a weird rattle right before shifting (in certain gears) and when revving it between 4-6k. I had it checked out by a tranny guy and he said everything was fine. It was the same guy that rebuilt it after blowing through gears 2 and 3. So I checked the heat shield and its on there solid but I did notice something.
Now I'm no mechanic or anything so Im not even sure if this is right or not but it looks like there a thin cover over the side of my tranny held on by two bolts, the metal has snapped clear off the bolt on one side and I believe that is causing the rattle. Here is the picture (this may or not be the tranny, like i said, I am no mechanic and rarely do work on my engine or anything.)
That black bolt on the bottom is what holds it on, but the metal before the bolt is snapped off, Could that be my rattle?
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It's a 2004 4wd 4.6 v8 with 140,000 miles. My wife was driving around town today and had to park it at her daughter's house because even if you floor it,the engine will only rev to about 1500-1800 rpm's and idles really low,maybe 600 rpm. she said right before it started running bad,there was a bad smell. Also there is a humming/rattling noise that sounds like it's coming from the upper intake/throttle body area. I went and looked at it,tried to pull codes.
The check engine light isn't on and there are no codes stored in the computer. A couple of days ago,there was code po420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold (Bank 1)and the check engine light was on. Engine was running fine. I cleared the code,and it never came back. I am not sure this is related,just trying to give all info possible.
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I have a 2004 Explorer with the V6 engine. Twice I have had the engine die while I was setting the cruise control at speeds around 35 MPH. I shift into neutral and it starts right up but it sure startles you when it seems that you can't turn the steering wheel. What causes this?
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My wife's 2004 v-6 has finally come to the point of harsh downshifting between 2nd and 1st,that she finally said something to me about it and that is unusual as she has the kids and music going so she hardly ever notices anything like that. I took it to the dealer at the 60k service and demonstrated the problem to them. Well, they did some software update 01210000 and it was supposed to be fixed. Well it isn't. and of course as before it does this intermittently so after they updated and drove it for a mile they considered it fixed. BUT it still does it.... It is a real harsh clunk/downshift just as you almost stop going from 2nd to 1st ? you feel it and hear it ....
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I just bought a very clean black '03 GTI and love it, but the car feels like it is beating itself to death every time I hit a bump, or crack in the road. It seems a new rattle or squeak pops up with each hit and I was wondering if there is anything to calm the harshness out a bit? I don't mind a hard ride, but I wonder if the car does!
It is completely stock, so still has the 18 wheels with BFG G-Force tires and stock suspension. Looking for suggestions on tire/wheel changes or shock upgrades to smooth the harshness? I don't do road courses or track days, so the handling can suffer in exchange for a bit of smoothness. I don't want to alter it too much away from stock (other than, say, shocks) so I won't be looking for full suspension changes.
The only other odd things are the interior fan will slow way down when first accelerating away and I've noticed a bit of engine hesitation on light throttle, usually second gear around 2.5k rpm. A firmer application of go pedal keeps it from happening, but sometimes I just want to be able to putt and not zoom.
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So my Explorer is a 2004 Eddie Bauer v-6 with about 93K miles, great condition, very clean and never had any issues. I've had it about 6yrs.
For maybe 3-4 years now the truck has seemingly randomly gone into Engine Failsafe Mode in the message center. I haven't noticed any pattern here as to when/why this occurs. The wrench icon lights up as well as the Service Engine Soon light. Sometimes I seem to notice a change in power/performance but often I don't. There are times when this happens every few days, and sometimes it goes weeks without occurring. Often it just goes out of Failsafe Mode after I've turned the truck off and restarted and seems fine again. For all of these years this has been a nuisance more than anything and so I assumed(hoped) it was just a sensor issue and nothing to be worried with.
A few days ago the truck actually shut off while driving...losing power, immediately after it kicked into Failsafe Mode while driving slowly down a straight road (no inclines or anything). Today it went into Failsafe mode, and it kept running, however the gas pedal did nothing...I couldn't accelerate at all though I still had power. Coasted to a stop. Turned truck off, started right up and the gas pedal worked fine. 15 minutes later same thing...this time when I coasted to a stop...I noticed that when I put truck in reverse I WAS able to back up using the gas pedal but couldn't go forward. Turned truck off, ran fine though still in Failsafe Mode...drove home where it sits now.
Don't really wanna drive it now though I need it as my only source of transportation. I did have the scan done on it at Autozone a month or so ago and got the P2106 "Throttle Actuator Control System--Forced Limited Power" reading...which of course means nothing to me...and the guys who worked there had no idea either. I had the oil changed at Midas yesterday where they checked fluids and all that good stuff...I mentioned it before hand and they said they looked at anything they could and couldn't find anything without running diagnostics on it...I didn't have them do this as it is quite costly and at that point I hadn't experienced the issue with losing acceleration/gas pedal functioning while driving down the road.
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I have a 2004 explorer that has a clicking/rattling noise in the front of the engine. What i found is that the bottom pulley has a sleeve or ring inside of that pulley that is just floating loosely back and forth. What this is or what it is supposed to be ??? If it is a bad part, what is the best way to fix it ?
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I have a 08 2.0T sedan with 97K that I have been chasing a "shuttering" feeling in the front end when I go over harsh bumps like railroad tracks and frost heaves that we get on roads here in NE.
At this point the front suspension has had a lot of improvements done and problem still exits.
Front suspension work over last 6 months:
- New LCA Bushings (solid rubber style rear and Whiteline front)
- Koni FSD Shocks
- VW DG Sport Springs
- 034 Density upper strut mounts
- Meyle HD Sway Bar Link
- ECS Sub Frame Bolt Kit
After all this there is actually an increase in this shuttering feeling most likely due to a firmer suspension now with new springs.
The car drive fantastic, the feeling that there is something loose up front and the shuttering feeling when hitting harsh bumps is diving me crazy.
In addition, I drove a local VwVortexer's 06 Passat that is riding low on coilovers and it did not have this same shuttering from the front so pretty sure what is going on in my car is not normal.
Completely went through front suspension last night and tripled checked that everything is tight and secure!
Also, have upgraded sub frame bolts with ECS kit and checked all the bolts to make sure they are tight and all is good.
Since after all this work and substantial $$$ investment the problem is still there, should I be looking at motor mounts ?
The engine/tranny is no where near secure sitting in the existing mounts, have noticed two things that have been this way for quite awhile.
If parking brake is not on when tightening or breaking loose lug nuts car has a lot of rock back and forth and you can see engine moving a lot if hood open.
Last night I put a large screw driver between right side mount where piece from engine goes into frame mount and I can move engine side to side with minimal effort about 1 1/2" or more.
One more thing, when coming to a slow stop at the last downshift just before you stop I get a light clunk from left side somewhere and if you slow down from 50 mph or so to 25 to 30 mph and then put gas back on you get a left side clunk too but not always. Does it sound like bad mounts?
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I just replaced the front and back motor mounts on my 02, 1.6 automatic accent. The front replacement mount was 1/2 inch too wide at where the bolt goes through, but made do. Now, the idle, but that's it. Before, it was vibrating somewhat at idle and lots of steering wheel vibration at highway speed. Now, I have no vibration of the wheel at highway speed, so it's like I eliminated one problem and made the other worse. I am hoping that the mount being too wide is the problem as I ordered the correct one. While taking it apart, I also noted the bolt through the front motor mount is incredibly small compared to the hole and this was true on both the original and the too big replacement. Why is this? Assuming that I swap out the too big mount for the proper and it still vibrates, than what?
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Just wanted to make sure this isn't a problem? Sometimes after a drive, usually longer ones, when the engine has heated up and running for around 20ish minutes, I hear a harsh bubbling noise coming from the engine.
I popped the hood and wanted to see where it was coming from, I touched around and felt the dipstick (oil) vibrating, but then I felt the oil pan and couldn't feel any bubbling in there.
Also I disconnected the battery as the bubbling was going on, and as soon a I did that, it had stopped.
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I just changed my spark plugs the other day and since then my engine is hard idling and skips and jumps while I'm driving it. I'm being told I either need to change the spark plug wires or the coil packs. So my question is which do I need to change? And is there anyway to test which one I need to replace?
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4.6 liter V8 limited.
Problem 1 : Driving into a small town I slowed to 35 mph and set cruise control to hold speed. Suddenly a loud warning tone/ beep sounded and the engine shut off. I coasted into a parking lot and restarted and drove the rest of the way home without incident. (another 1-1/2 hour drive). Could I have had an auto shut down because of a low fluid sensor or something similar?
My cold antifreeze was below the cold fill range but still was visible in the container. The temperatures were not high and the heater still worked. All other levels were normal.
Problem 2 : It also have an irritating buzz in the dash some where. Sounds almost like you would imagine a speedometer cable could sound, except no cable. Could it be the speedometer? It is intermittent and seems related to either speed or RPM.
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I have an 04 ford explorer, with severe coolant leakage. I am far from an expert but it seems like it's coming from the center engine block, but I can't get much access in to tell. What's going on?
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I'm in a situation where I may be having to tow my 3500# boat/trailer with my '04 Explorer 4WD (this is well within the max tow limit, per the manual). I have the 4.0L with the 5 spd auto tranny and 3.73ls gears. I've towed the boat a handful of times with this vehicle and had a good experience every time. Now I'm looking at this being my primary towing vehicle, towing once or twice a month in the summer. The car only has 48000 miles on the ticker and is in pristine condition, so mechanically it's sound.
I asked my mechanic what he thought of this arrangement and he hates the Explorers, so he's giving a biased response. Have any of you towed something on a somewhat regular basis with this, or a similar, vehicle? Any issues? My mechanic keeps going on about the transmission seal blowing when under a heavy load.
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I have a 2.4 Petrol, 16 valve engine in my Santa Fe which produces a rattle on startup when cold. When warm it starts normally. Oil and filter change makes no difference. Timing belt changed 40K ago. No other effects felt with regard to power or noise once initial noise/rattle has stopped after 2 to 4 seconds.
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