More chain tensioners

Well i have just taken on a 1998 Explorer, 65000mls, at a good price as
it comes with a slight growl to the front timing chain when starting
and eases / intermitent at revs. sounds like a nylon guide has worn
through.Reading all the posts, the big issue seems only to be with the
front tensioner,am i right in this belief or is the rear one an issue
as well? I am intending to put these faults right and convert the
vehicle to Autogas. My Haynes manual arrives in a couple of days. Any
one got any TIPS on the job?

Thanks Dick

Bigusdickus wrote:
> Well i have just taken on a 1998 Explorer, 65000mls, at a good price as
> it comes with a slight growl to the front timing chain when starting
> and eases / intermitent at revs. sounds like a nylon guide has worn
> through.Reading all the posts, the big issue seems only to be with the
> front tensioner,am i right in this belief or is the rear one an issue
> as well? I am intending to put these faults right and convert the
> vehicle to Autogas. My Haynes manual arrives in a couple of days. Any
> one got any TIPS on the job?
>
> Thanks Dick

Here's a thread with some info on that:
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...p/t-28607.html

Excerpts:
"Ford Motor Company will extend the engine warranty on all 1997 and
1998 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer vehicles built with a 4.0L
SOHC engine for the front cam chain guide assembly.

The additional coverage program will be in effect for 7 years from
vehicle warranty start date or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
(so too late at this point.)

On some of the affected vehicles, the front cam chain guide assembly
may wear or break and cause excessive cam chain noise that does not go
away after five minutes of engine operation.

Dealers are instructed to install a new cam chain guide assembly if the
original is found to be worn or broken. If it has broken and fragments
have entered the engine oil pan, dealers are authorized to clean the
block of all debris, replace the engine oil pick-up and filter
assembly, and install new oil and filter.

By what I was told, if you come in for one of the three (sticking
throttle body, tensioners or intake gaskets) they are supposed to do
all three. They replaced my tensioners, which got rid of that god awful
noise at startup, but if ya pop the hood (which my gas tubes are
failing on, nearly lost some fingers) you can still hear the chain
running across the guides, freakin bikes dont make that much chain
noise."

-Paul

wrote:
> Bigusdickus wrote:
> > Well i have just taken on a 1998 Explorer, 65000mls, at a good price as
> > it comes with a slight growl to the front timing chain when starting
> > and eases / intermitent at revs. sounds like a nylon guide has worn
> > through.Reading all the posts, the big issue seems only to be with the
> > front tensioner,am i right in this belief or is the rear one an issue
> > as well? I am intending to put these faults right and convert the
> > vehicle to Autogas. My Haynes manual arrives in a couple of days. Any
> > one got any TIPS on the job?
> >
> > Thanks Dick
>
> Here's a thread with some info on that:
> http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/...p/t-28607.html
>
> Excerpts:
> "Ford Motor Company will extend the engine warranty on all 1997 and
> 1998 Ford Explorer and Mercury Mountaineer vehicles built with a 4.0L
> SOHC engine for the front cam chain guide assembly.
>
> The additional coverage program will be in effect for 7 years from
> vehicle warranty start date or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first.
> (so too late at this point.)
>
> On some of the affected vehicles, the front cam chain guide assembly
> may wear or break and cause excessive cam chain noise that does not go
> away after five minutes of engine operation.
>
> Dealers are instructed to install a new cam chain guide assembly if the
> original is found to be worn or broken. If it has broken and fragments
> have entered the engine oil pan, dealers are authorized to clean the
> block of all debris, replace the engine oil pick-up and filter
> assembly, and install new oil and filter.
>
> By what I was told, if you come in for one of the three (sticking
> throttle body, tensioners or intake gaskets) they are supposed to do
> all three. They replaced my tensioners, which got rid of that god awful
> noise at startup, but if ya pop the hood (which my gas tubes are
> failing on, nearly lost some fingers) you can still hear the chain
> running across the guides, freakin bikes dont make that much chain
> noise."
>
> -Paul

Well very thanks for that... I will have a look when i pick up the
vehicle. It has a full Ford. Service history so i would expect it to
have been done as should be. However the posts seem to sugest that a
second redesign was done on the chain tensioner, i wonder if this needs
fitting. Also reading your above link i see someone says the tensioner
is machinical and not Hydraulic. Surely its Hydraulic?

Thanks DB