ok, I might me able to help here, but give me a little time after your request.

I can run oasis for you.

I can send you a copy of the tsb

I can sell you the parts for the repair

I can tell you if you have an ESP

I can tell you if you can buy an ESP

I can sell you an ESP www.y2kfordesp.com

send e-mail request to me at parts@y2kford.com and along with what you may need and i'll send you the info.

for parts request please go to my web page and click on contact us link,request what parts you are looking for and I'll send you back the links for those parts so all you have to do is add to cart and process.

Thanks Ed

 

okay, finally on the eighth page i reached the end. This is just my opinion. I too have a 98 explorer. We bought it used at a dealer with around 50k on it. At 176,000 miles, yes 176k, I brought it home on my lowboy, because it sounded like my '83 6.9. Final diagnosis after inspection- main timing chain tensioner, "cassette" on passenger side (rear) cam chain. This means motor removal. Put ALL new chains, guides, tensioners in it for about $500, when you count all the crap you need to buy when you pull a motor. If you do it yourelf, you need the tool to time it, unless you are extremely intelligent, personally, i wouldn't try it and I do everything myself on all 5 of my trucks, 4 quads, and 1 streetbike. I love this little explorer, I think it's sad so many hate theirs. Yea, the design of this motor sucks, but I put approx. 125k on it having done nothing other than service it regularly. I just can't bring myself to complain about a truck that pull starts all my other stuff, and pulls 5 or 6 quads on road trips several times a summer. Any questions feel free. I don't know about recalls or that kind of stuff, but having done this job, I got a pretty good grasp of the mechanical aspect of this particular problem.

 

Was looking at a used 04 ranger with the 4.0 for my wifes mail route..Is this still a problem on the newer 4.0s?? Thanks guys..

 

I don't think the problem occurs with the 04 models... mine is an 02, and there was a TSB for the Main chain tensioner... I just had it replaced, it doesn't rattle anymore. I think the earlier years were the ones that were prone to issues with the chains rattling that went from the jackshaft to the camshaft--very expensive repair if the noise is coming from the rear tensioner--they have to pull the engine.

 

No the problem does not occur on the newer motors. It was mainly for the 4.0's from mid 90's to 2000 give or take a couple of years but the problem is no more.

Willie

www.partsguy.com

 

I have the same problem here with my 01 explorer sport with only 65000 miles on it. I went to the dealer with the TSB 04-15-4 report in hand and they tell me I am not covered because my warranty expired in 04 and that the TSB report is just a mechanic manual to fix the problem. So after I got home I contacted Ford about the problem and they tell me the same thing and it is up to the dealer to fix it or not. I thought there was a secret warranty that covers this problem up to 75000 mile (from reading this forum). can you guys give me some advice thanks.

 

This is terrible and Ford should have fixed all of the cars sold- at least those in the states have a chance, the Explorer was sold in Britain from First generation to second, after that they pulled the plug on UK owners and we have to pay for the 00m12 fix ourselves............so thats the left tensioner and the upper and lower intake seals and a pencil type oil restrictor-thats it.
This is my second Explorer I had a 98 xlt and now own a 2000 Northface- I am sick to the pits with Ford in the UK, if for exampe I wanted all the timing belt tensioners and belts fixed it would cost me near £2500.00!
Who ever heard of using plastic for a critical componant like a timing belt guide/tensioner:

IT SUCKS MASSIVE!

 

I am not standing up for Ford in any way, because I too had to pay to have this issue replaced when I had my 2001 Ranger.


However, I just pulled apart a 2.9L with 250K on it and they use a plastic timing chain tensoner and it looked brand new. There was no wear whatsoever.

Makes me think maybe the chains were way to loose.. I mean a tensioner shouldn't have to put that much tension on a chain if it were the correct size.

 

I have a question...on my '98, there's nothing like a 'knocking' nosie, but when I start it or it'd idling I can hear, very faintly, what sounds like a chain running (with the hood open it's quieter than the injectors, with the hood closed I can just hear it inside the truck). As soon as it's off idle, I can hear nothing. No 'knocking' noise throughout the RPM range.

Is that normal? Or should I be concerned. 117K.

I poked around with a screwdriver as a stethoscope and didn't hear anything that would worry me.

 

The timing chain issue is usually heard when accelerating.

It sounds like marbles being rattled in a coffee can.

 

Oh okay good, thankfully nothing like that, so I'll just continue to enjoy it. Great truck, great engine.

 

Does anyone is this problem was fixed in 02 and up i am thinking of just putting a used motor instead of changing timing chain.thanks,kevin

 

I have a 2002 XLT and I changed the tensioner with an updated kit at 96K km(60 K miles). At that time the local dealer covered all but $700 of the repair (maybe they should have covered all of it - not sure).

Now I have 237 k km (147 k miles) and the old rattle is coming back. So in answer to your question ... the 02's still had the tensioner issue - the TSB on the problem includes the 2002 model year

 

Can anyone tell me what years don't have this problem? Does ford have this figured out and have a fix now? my truck is in the shop now i am hoping to find good parts so i don't have to go through this again.thanks,kevin

 

well finally stopped being so lazy and signed up for this forum, i currently dont have a working truck, it is sitting in the garage with the passenger side head ripped off, also the transmission completly detached, i just havent yet gotton to autozone to get the special torque sockets to take off the rear part of the driveshaft, hmm so what are you thinking i must have transmission problems, nope just a simple timing chain tensioner, or as i hear they are called cassets, i am about to search the internet and try and find a cheap kit, becuase everybody wants 450 dollars for them, i had the tapping at first it only happened when you would start the stuck then it would go away completly, then it just all of a sudden did it a horribly i didnt even think of driving it like that, well took off the passenger side valve cover and guess what was causing the actual knocking, it was the chain grinding into the top of the valve cover, yes the valve cover was holding the chain on, i could visibly see it was the tensioner towards the middle of the engine, in the back, well at that time the last thing i was thinking was that i was going to have to take off the transmission, wont have to pull the engine i dont kno why people say things about pulling the engine but i almost have the space to get at the star screw holding in the tensioner and i didnt even dissconect the rear driveshaft, but anyways ford should be killed for making such a stupid errror, then to try and charge you 450 dollars for the kit, come on ford what the fregin hell anybody know of where i can get the tensioner or cassets as they call them for the back head, and guess what the only tensioner that was bad on the car was the one that you have to pull the trans , they could have so easily made a normal tensioner that was adjustable from the head somebody needs to be seriously fired for such a stupid mistake if anybody needs advice on this or just want to talk to someone bout it id love to hear from u