Help with other car

[Bill R.]

engines myself and haven't seen any timing chain problems on any of them i work on... Hate to say it but if i had to take a guess without seeing it or hearing it i'd guess a spun rod bearing from the description you give.

Well, after a whole days work, I nearly have the timing chain cover off, to look and see if one of the guides broke, per Joshua's suggestion. It is not a trivial task, to say the least. Pull vibration damper and all accessories except the A/C, valve covers, drain oil, drop the frame reinforcement bracing, pull the engine compartment brace. Am in the process of dropping the oil pan, that should be the last piece before the cover comes off.

On the plus side, there is no oil starvation in the valve train, and it is extremely clean, not like those sludgy pictures Bill R posted a while back. The right bank has a bit of varnish buildup, where the left does not. Cam lobe wear looks to be normal, with only marks from the rollers. If it isn't something in the timing chain area, then it is looking like either a broken piston pin, causing slap, or a sticking valve, as has been suggested. If it is the piston, I will be in the market for a low mileage 4.6L SOHC within a days roundtrip drive.

[stargazer_61]

engines myself and haven't seen any timing chain problems on any of them i work on... Hate to say it but if i had to take a guess without seeing it or hearing it i'd guess a spun rod bearing from the description you give.

The real puzzler is that it just happened. No noisy warnings. The Mrs. shut it off, and a few hours later goes to leave in it, starts it up, that's it. Other than the racket, it seems to run okay. Idles as it should, warms up normally. I haven't "driven" it, other than to put it into the driveway to start taking it apart, but have started it quite a few times trying to isolate the cylinder by pulling plug wires, to no avail.

I can hear the noise inside, with a hose for a stethoscope, from the left cylinder bank if I take off the oil cap or PCV line. I cannot hear the noise inside by listening to the oil pan, but it is pretty loud down there. It is quieter, but still present on the inside, of the right cylinder bank if I remove that PCV line. It is a tapping or a rattle, definitely not a knock or a tick.

People knock Fords, but they aren't so bad. This one has always been dependable, the top does not leak, and it is fun to drive. Stuff breaks on them at 124k miles just like it does on BMWs. I am guessing that it will be more economical to buy a low mileage engine from a dismantler than it will be to pay someone to fix it if I am not up to the task.

[Five35]

if the motor is bad, do me a huge favor.. please put a PI motor in there so you can actually have fun with the car

You'll pay prolly 500 more and its well worth it (The PI motors are the SOHC out of the 99-04 GT's which made 260HP opposed to the 215 of the others)..

You'll thank me later