Ok.. Just picked up a 93 ATX that had an upper engine rattle. Before actually seeing or hearing the car I assumed it just needed its 60K service since it has 113K on the clock. When I got there the noise was much worse than I figured it would be. The car started and ran fine though. I got it home and pulled the intake and valve covers off and dont see a problem. In the trunk was a box that had used shims in it and it was obvious someone had recently had the intake and stuff off. The noise sounds like a rocker arm hittin the inside of the valve cover. I know this car has no rocker arms but thats what the niose reminds me of. Is there anything they might have screwed up doing the service that might make this clacking sound? The back chain seems a little looser than the front one but nothing major. None of the cam lobes look bad and all the shims look good. Also the plugs were completely submerged in oil. They were all double platinum Motorcraft and looked like they had been in there a while. Factory maybe? It has factory wires and nothing looks damaged at all. Under the valve covers was actually very clean. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks..
Engine Rattle. Help Diagnose Please. LONG
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SHO--ripper
928 Euro
First off do a 60k. Valve cover/plug well seals,plugs, wires,timing belt,CPS, and water pump. Did you listen under the oil pan to see if it was the rod bearings knocking?
I am going to check the clearance but I dont want to have to change shims unless it needs it. I planned on all new gaskets and new belt. A friend of my dads use to be the Service Manager at one of the Ford lots here so we are going to try and talk him into comeing out. Yes its definately in the top. The bottom end sounds fine. I am guessing the engine sounded fine before whoever did the shims got ahold of it. My guess is he did something wrong but what?
projectSHO89
SHOless In St L
If the noise was coming from the vicinity of the cam chains, one or both of the tensioners is bad and the chain is slapping the cover. You already noticed that one was "a little looser" so you've probably found your culprit already.
SEARCH for "cam chain tensioner" for 30+ threads with info that might help you.
As for the oil in the wells, standard advice is to clean them out thoroughly before removing the plugs to keep the oil and crud out of the cylinders. New gaskets will keep them clean and dry.
Steve
<small>[ May 27, 2003, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>
SEARCH for "cam chain tensioner" for 30+ threads with info that might help you.
As for the oil in the wells, standard advice is to clean them out thoroughly before removing the plugs to keep the oil and crud out of the cylinders. New gaskets will keep them clean and dry.
Steve
<small>[ May 27, 2003, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: projectSHO89 ]</small>
Yamaha V6
SHO Enthusiast
Here's a pic of a bad rear tensioner (Notice the slack in the chain):
How tight should the chain be? Mines not anywhere near as loose as the one in that picture. Its just apears to be a little looser than the front but then again the tensioner on one side is under and one is over so it could just be a preception thing because of where the tensioners are located.
SLOSHO89
SHO Member
Here is a guess for you....
When I bought my SHO it had a rattle/knock to it. I was told it was a bad lifter. I knew SHO's didn't have lifters. So I adjusted the valves which were out of spec. But that didn't help. I swear it sounded like an upper end problem. Long story short, it turned out to be a bad rod bearing making the noise.
I would recomend draining the oil to see if there are any metal peices floating around. Get a magnet on a stick and run it thru the oil and in the pan. If you find big chunks....drop the pan and check it out.
Don't spend all your money on a 60k, because that IS NOT YOUR problem. If it is making an abnormal noise it is something physical. Like something banging against something else. Check the oil then check all the clearances on the valves.
Efren
When I bought my SHO it had a rattle/knock to it. I was told it was a bad lifter. I knew SHO's didn't have lifters. So I adjusted the valves which were out of spec. But that didn't help. I swear it sounded like an upper end problem. Long story short, it turned out to be a bad rod bearing making the noise.
I would recomend draining the oil to see if there are any metal peices floating around. Get a magnet on a stick and run it thru the oil and in the pan. If you find big chunks....drop the pan and check it out.
Don't spend all your money on a 60k, because that IS NOT YOUR problem. If it is making an abnormal noise it is something physical. Like something banging against something else. Check the oil then check all the clearances on the valves.
Efren
gosho89
New Member
to add to slosho89 advice, take a oil sample which will determine the metals and contaimints in the oil. You should be able to get a sampling bottle from a local oil distributor or Caterpillar dealership. Price runs about $20.00. I do this every oil change just to keep everything in check.
One other thought that can cause a rattle, a loose dampner bolt. Trust me on this I just expierance this over the weekend, had a call from a shoforum member that I had done a valve adjustment on last summer. He said his local "ford" technician had diagnoised a noise to the valve train. I pulled the intake and front valve cover, inspected and verified the gaps on the first two up lopes, I then went to turn the crank with a 1/2" ratchet and noticed the bolt was turning but not the crank. Needless to say we button the engine back up and the SHO owner then removed the dampner cleaned the area and retorqued the dampner with loctite to 125ftlbs. Amazing no more rattle.
One other thought that can cause a rattle, a loose dampner bolt. Trust me on this I just expierance this over the weekend, had a call from a shoforum member that I had done a valve adjustment on last summer. He said his local "ford" technician had diagnoised a noise to the valve train. I pulled the intake and front valve cover, inspected and verified the gaps on the first two up lopes, I then went to turn the crank with a 1/2" ratchet and noticed the bolt was turning but not the crank. Needless to say we button the engine back up and the SHO owner then removed the dampner cleaned the area and retorqued the dampner with loctite to 125ftlbs. Amazing no more rattle.
Yamaha V6
SHO Enthusiast
I used that picture because it's PAINFULLY obvious there's something wrong.
Chain slapping can occur with even a little slack. If you can take a 1 1/16" wrench & move your exhaust cam back & forth without the intake cam moving exactly in time, then your tensioners are not doing their job & need replacing. If you feel the "whack" in the cover at the bulge / relief for the chain & not somewhere else, chances are it's up there in the tensioner. If you feel it elsewhere, look elsewhere. Sound travels incredibly in this engine. What you think is in one corner can be somewhere else many times.
Rod Bearings: I agree, do them. However, the "run a magnet" thing doesn't work too well on copper & lead. wink
Best of luck!
Chain slapping can occur with even a little slack. If you can take a 1 1/16" wrench & move your exhaust cam back & forth without the intake cam moving exactly in time, then your tensioners are not doing their job & need replacing. If you feel the "whack" in the cover at the bulge / relief for the chain & not somewhere else, chances are it's up there in the tensioner. If you feel it elsewhere, look elsewhere. Sound travels incredibly in this engine. What you think is in one corner can be somewhere else many times.
Rod Bearings: I agree, do them. However, the "run a magnet" thing doesn't work too well on copper & lead. wink
Best of luck!
SLOSHO89
SHO Member
hehe, Oops
Thats true, I did get some big chunks of something on my magnet though.
Efren
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