Ok so i gotta E150 with a 4.2 around 137,000 miles original engine lots of newer parts (water pump, alternator, transmission etc)

Been having a real bad rattle that I just cant figure out.
The rattle is not too bad when i start it up, but it gets worse (in order of how bad it gets) 1 when i put it in drive, 2 when I turn the wheel, 3 real bad if i crank on the AC.

The noise goes away when driving though, but comes back when i stop.

The noise seems to be coming from the bottom left passenger side. (checked it out with a real stethoscope (not a one for a vehicle, but one a doctor would use)

The rattle does not seem to be consistent more like random knocking.

Pulled all the plugs one at a time and it made the same noise I wanted to rule out a rod knocking and as far as i know that does.?

Put on a new gas filter and tried some better gas inside no change it seems.

Checked for loose bolts, mufflar etc (been looking through the site and checking the problems others seem to have)

I do have a fram oil filter on it, but best quality one and have been using them without issue previously. (i read somewhere to avoid them and will in the future it seems motorcraft is the way to go)

Last night i pulled off the belt and checked the pulleys and they all seem to be ok one moves a little slower than the others (top idler pulie) but it doesn't have any play and none of them rattle when i spin them.

Gonna go check it out some more right now, but any help would be appreciated and if i figure out the problem i will also post to the site to try and help anyone else with the same issue....

THANKS in advance...

 

Moved to correct forum.

 

Hey thanks for moving it sorry for any trouble it caused ya (new user), but been looking round the site allot for help with the van and engine.

For lack of a better idea I unhooked the battery ran the lights (they didnt work just wanted to be sure to drain any juice) to reset anything in hopes of it helping but no change as i assumed would happen.

spun all the pullies and checked for a rattle and the only one that seems to have any play is the power steering and it doesn't rattle it just moves in and out a little (no side to side or much to cause worry) Plus the sound is from the other side of engine it seems.

Gonna have to break down and bring it to the shop if i can get er in, but gotta use it today so will post what i find out to try and help others on the site as well.

Thanks any help still would be appreciated dont know if the shop is gonna be an option depens on what life throws at me...

Gotta bout 1000 miles on the new oil (added some lucas to it as well) but using the better fram filter... Does anyone think changing to a motorcraft would be worth it at this point?

 

hi, when you changed the oil last did you see signs of antifreeze, milky in the oil. any drop in coolant level ? the reason i ask is when i first got signs of gasket failure it showed up when i applied load to the engine such as working the power steering hard and as engaging gear the engine revs dropped off causing a knockin.
your engine may be like mine in the 1997-99 age group that had a possible lower intake gasket issue.
in regards to changing the filter i would not worry too much.
keep in touch , bokker.

 

Sorry for delay life has been crazy.

No, I have not noticed any drop in coolant level nor did the oil seem out of the ordinary other than it was a little black, but it needed changed and wasn't dark as I have seem some "just fine" engines. I looked close for any metal in the oil and still do just about everyday (look at the stick in bright daylight for any signs of metal glistening). No drop in oil pressure or loss of oil in either.

I switched out the pulley that didn't spin as fast as the others, but no difference. Also i found a vacuum line that was damaged and was leaking and/or closing when the engine was running so i also changed that.
Other than that i really haven't had much time to deal with the issue, but i have been driving the van and it seems to be running great (other than the rattle).

If a pulley spins and seems ok is it fine or is there any way to check them? (i mean the idler pullies)

I do notice that the only time i can hear the rattle while driving is when i turn on the AC. IT took me awhile to figure that out as i dont use the AC much unless i am extremely hot as i try and take care of the engine as best as possible. So my guess thus far is the that is has something to do with the AC of which i am probably going to end up biting the bullet on and taking it to the shop next week as long as i can make some money this week to pay for the tab as my inspection is due as well (pa inspection is a pain, but as bad as the drivers are here i am glad that everyone has to have good brakes)

Before i take it in I may go ahead and buy the belt that fits without using the AC to see if the rattle goes away.

Was my idea of removing each spark plug wire one by one and cranking the engine correct that that would indicate which rod was knocking if in fact it were a rod knocking? Of course i hope the issue is minor, but also i fear the worse as I have used the van to travel many miles pulling a small trailer up and down many mountains, but i have always treated her well and hopefully it pays off when i figure out the problem.

I do notice that the van does not start quite as easy. IT usually fired right up for years no problem at all, but now (not all the time) it takes a couple cranks to get her going.

Anyway I will update the page when i figure it all out to help out the site and help any others who have the same issue.

THANKS for the help thus far and any thanks for having the site as it has helped me with other issues, just cant quite get this one figured out...

PEACE

 

hi, there have been some reports of noise from the engine fan, when the viscus clutch starts to fail ? just a thought! bokker.

 

Hey,

Thanks for the help, but i did change the fan clutch last year (after changing the water thermostat, water pump and adding in an extra fan). Yea the fan seemed to be working fine, but when ever since i changed it that sucker roars and keeps it nice and cool.

I did some more checking last night and i am almost but sure it's gotta be the AC as I stated previously it gets the worst when i turn on the AC and i can only hear it while driving when the AC is on.

Going to take her in on next wednesday to and pay the piper to figure out the issue. I will keep the site updated to help as usual.

THANKS EVERYONE!

 

Just checked in and read this thread. Seems like you have been pretty thorough in your troubleshooting.
Given all you have done, I'd say you are to the point of having the AC compressor checked.
I hope we are all wrong with our assessment and the service shop finds something simple and inexpensive to fix.

Thanks and keep us posted.

 

I have an appointment at the shop for this Tuesday, but yesterday i went ahead and bought the belt that eliminates the AC compressor and the noise was not near as bad, but its rattles bad when the initial start and when i turn the wheel at a stop.

Otherwise the rattle goes away when driving.

Talked to a mechanic buddy of mine who told me that the screen in the oil pan is probably clogged up and its the rod bearings making the rattle.
So i am going to change the oil again today (been using synthetic for years and got the best Bosch filter this time around no more fram filters...) and gonna use some motor flush when i do so.

Then in about 500 miles gonna change it again and use the motor flush again. I hope that will work it out, but it seems i might have to drop the pan, clean the screen and take a look at the bearings of which will be new adventure for me and hopefully I can handle it all, but working on the blacktop is getting harder and harder in the heat (wish i had a lift), but i got so many new parts, time, and love into this van i can't let her go...

From what i know the oil goes through some pretty tiny holes and when i am driving the oil is pushed faster so that the bearings rattling get the oil they need so hopefully i can get this worked out as there is no way i can pay the shop to tear into the engine.

Hopefully i can at least get the inspection sticker (PA inspection and emmissions)
Still no loss in coolant or oil.

Will update when I get more figured out and get it back from the shop. I want to help out the site as the site has helped me as well.

THANKS ALL!

 

So now we can see that the additional load (AC and power steering pump) are making the knocking sound worse.
Maybe your friend is correct. I sure don't know.

FWIW... I don't recall a handful of oil related failures here over the years. And 137,000 miles seems early.

Are you the original owner? If not, then I guess you might not know the service history prior to your purchase.
If you are the original owner, and have been good with oil change intervals, I can't imagine clogged oil galleys.

I have used only 'regular' 5W20 oil with 5K change intervals and at 228,500 miles, I'm still getting along just fine.

Well, thanks for the update and continue to keep us posted.

 

I am the 2nd owner of the van. I bought it from a childhood friend of which i know at least took care of the oil changes. I have put some hard miles on the van though pulling a small trailer up and down the mountains and hills of PA, WV, and east Ohio.

Changed the oil out yesterday (5w 30 synthetic Valvoline).
I only had about 1500 or so miles since the last change and the engine oil did not appear to be to bad, but I went ahead and used some motor flush. It was the kind you add to the oil let her run for 5 min and then drain.

When i drained the oil it had turned black I assume from gunk build up that the motor flush had broken loose.

Took her for a spin and the rattle is completely gone. So this leads me to believe that it was the rod bearings making the noise the whole time.

I want to drop the oil pan clean the screen and check or maybe replace the bearings, but it seems that may not be within my capability as the book tells me I have to raise the engine up with a lift somehow and i just dont have the means to do so as i am working on the van on the street and dont have a garage.

So kinda stuck on what to do, but my plan is to run this oil for no more than 500 or so miles and run some sea foam and check it constantly and as soon as i hear the rattle or the oil gets dirty then i will change it again and use more motor flush.

So any suggestions on a better type of flush i can use with next change would be helpful. I have read some on the matter, but it seems everyone has a different idea on the subject. I just used some regular motor flush, but it seems there are some more expensive better alternatives, but I am not sure if they are going to have a better result.

Still scheduled for the inspection on Tuesday, but with the rattle being gone hopefully there should be no issues as far as getting the safety inspection, but i am concerned that the bearings could be messed up and could cause more major issues with the engine.

Still has good oil pressue, still no loss in coolant or oil.
IT fires right up now too.
Fingers crossed...

 

When I was younger my dad raced and built alot of engines.He bought a 76 LTD Landau from a friend of his.When he came home with it,it was making an awful knocking noise.He pulled the valve covers and you could barely see the rocker arms from so much crud and junk built up on them.He drained the oil,which came out in a jell like stream,put on a cheap filter,and filled it with 4 quarts of kerosene and 1 quart of 30W oil.He did this 4-5 times until the knock was gone.He pulled a valve cover and some of the rockers were still covered but were alot cleaner then before.

 

Another old school practice: add a quart or two of transmission fluid and the rest you regular oil. Transmission fluid is not really a good engine lube but it has been known to clean out some crud. I'd not drive it around. Maybe idle for 15 mins and repeat a few times.
And this only if nothing else worked.

I don't recall ever hearing anything bad about Marvel Mystery Oil. I'd be inclined to try a quart of that rather than SeaFoam.

 

Any recent updates? Check out my thread, my 4.2 has a rattle knock, also. I am getting close to pulling the timing cover to check the chain. Now that I have read your thread I am thinking about changing the oil and see if that makes a difference first. I am wondering if we have the same sound. What confuses me is, sometimes mine rattles and other times it sounds smooth. Good luck with yours!
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...ith-video.html

I have heard about adding trans fluid to clean motors, also. It has detergent in it which releases and then traps dirt and contaminates. There is a recall on Olds Auroras in which if they have a tapping lifter, you are supposed to run the engine for a bit with 12 qts of trans fluid in it to quieten the lifter.

 

Hey Everyone SORRY for the delay in response and THANKS to everyone who tried to help me out on this one.

Update is not so good.
I ran the engine for a little over the 500 miles and had just bought another round of oil, motor flush, and marvel mystery oil to proceed with my previous plan of cleaning out the engine as best i could.

The original sound never came back and the oil stayed clean (and still looks clean).

The BAD news is I decided to take the van on one more trip before the oil change about 100 miles as the oil didnt look bad and the engine seemed to be running great and even seemed to have a bit more HP as i left the belt which bypassed the A/C. ANYWAY about 10 miles from home (pulling a 5X8 trailer loaded) and the engine lost power slowly on the highway (not electric power engine power) I took the next exit downshifted and finally it came to a complete stop after i turned off the street and it was still running, but it would not move and it was making a horrible higher pitched rattle. I turned the engine off and it hasn't started since.
When i try and turn the engine it makes a horrible high pitched rattling sound (way different than the sound before) and it seems to be coming from inside like between the flywheel/plate and the crankshaft.
I have tried to diagnose the problem, but i am no mechanic I learn as i go and always have being poor and fixing whatever i can myself to save the money.

The starter engages the flywheel like it should the teeth on both look good, but the crankshaft does not spin.
Also i am almost certain i can hear the fuel pump when i turn the key.
There was also a drop in coolant probably 4 inches on the overflow.

So I am really not sure what the problem is for sure.
I thought it had to be the engine being seized cracked head or something major and it may be the case not sure before i thought it was the timing chain and started to tear it apart to check it out and now have the front of then engine taken off mostly got the clutch fan belt and radiator off and all the stuff in the way up front mostly.

So I was going to go ahead and keep on tearing into it , (this being the first time this far into this engine) Thing is I put a large socket on the nut of the crankshaft and gave it a turn to try and check if the engine was seized, but it moved and i could hear air moving like it had compression and the chain must be intact if i can turn it and the engine turns. Thing is its real hard to turn (I do have all the spark plugs still in) I can use force and get it to do a 1/4 turn at a time with just a larger sized socket wrench (no breaker bar).
So i have had people tell me that it should not crank at all with the plugs in, but others tell me since it cranked its not seized and the book tells me to turn the crankshaft to check if the engine is seized, but says no more than that. So it does turn just hard to turn.

So I am kinda at a loss on what to do next as i dont know what the problem is.
The starter turns the flywheel and it will ba move the crank like it just turns a tad bit and it makes a horrible sound like gears inside not catching or something.
The check engine light came on when the van was losing power/breaking down, there was a 4" drop in coolant from what i can remember being inside the overflow tank,but the oil looked good still.

I am pretty certain. i ruled out all other problems like battery power, fuel, starter, flywheel, etc the easy stuff or stuff i know or could figure out.

I gotta lots of money in this van its got all new brakes, tires, bearings, and a newer transmission I had put in last year so I wanna salvage it as it only has 140000 miles on it and the engine has always had its regular oil changes, but i have put 30,000 HARD miles on it too pulling a loaded 5X8 trailer for work up and down big hills in western PA, WV, and east ohio and last year had the first overheating issue which took a couple weeks to figure out being the clutch fan after changing the water pump thermostat to one the opens at a lower temp and installing an extra fan to keep it extra cool on the hot long summer drives.

Any Sorry for such a long post, but figured i needed to give as much information as possible to get the correct help with the issue. THANKS


So any help would be appreciated. Should the crankshaft turn? IS my engine seized? Could it be some type of great that connects the flywheel to the crankshaft? Should i go ahead and tear it apart (not really knowing what i am getting into so much)?
Or should i try and get a engine diagnose electronically?