New engine noise: new motor or timing chain tensioner?

[The4bangertj]

At idle today I noticed a lot more noise than normal. It’s only at idle I hear it. Driving sounded great. No concern at all really. Oil level is full. Pressure was normal. But idle sounds like this

Not a year ago I swapped this motor in. Got it at 160k and have put 6k on it. The sound is very front heavy it doesn’t sound like anything related to the cylinders. My thought is it’s the timing chair tensioner? I know it’s hard to tell from the video but I really don’t want to do another motor swap in a drive of my inlaws bc I already live in their basement and this is still my daily.

 

[Feralkid]

Exhaust leak?

 

[lBasket]

That sounds like ass

 

[The4bangertj]

There was some leak. I found one manifold bolt in the header heat shield. I put that back in after. So while you might hear some of that the sound is very obvious up front and not on the driver side.
It does sound terrible but if I blip the throttle it sounds totally healthy and normal.

So sound being up front and only idle, can’t hear it in the back or any rasp in the exhaust , oil pressure and level are totally fine. Leads me to think it’s the timing chain and I really want it to be and not the motor.

 

[GregBelleville]

At idle today I noticed a lot more noise than normal. It’s only at idle I hear it. Driving sounded great. No concern at all really. Oil level is full. Pressure was normal. But idle sounds like this

Not a year ago I swapped this motor in. Got it at 160k and have put 6k on it. The sound is very front heavy it doesn’t sound like anything related to the cylinders. My thought is it’s the timing chair tensioner? I know it’s hard to tell from the video but I really don’t want to do another motor swap in a drive of my inlaws bc I already live in their basement and this is still my daily.

If you have an automotive stethoscope you could place it on the timing cover to see if you can isolate the noise to there.

 

[jeepguy03]

To me it sounds like timing chain or something with the harmonic balancer pulley.

 

[TJ4Jim]

They usually sound like a diesel at idle when there's slop in the timing chain. Replaced 2 timing sets over the years both sounded that way.

 

[Zorba]

They usually sound like a diesel at idle when there's slop in the timing chain. Replaced 2 timing sets over the years both sounded that way.

That's good to know - and it does sound like a diesel.

 

[Feralkid]

Are the spark plugs tight?

 

[The4bangertj]

Are the spark plugs tight?

Ya it’s definitely not either side it’s up front. Thus I originally thought it was a bad pully so I pulled my belt to make sure.

 

[TJ4Jim]

Ya it’s definitely not either side it’s up front. Thus I originally thought it was a bad pully so I pulled my belt to make sure.

$5.99 stethoscope at HF, listen to the timing cover and it will tell you everything.

 

[lBasket]

Can't you do it with a screwdriver

 

[Moglocker]

Can't you do it with a screwdriver

If you have a really LONG screwdriver,a short one would not be good with my hair

 

[The4bangertj]

Did the timing chain, gears, and tensioner today. The old tensioner wasn’t working. It was getting stuck at only putting some tension not all the way. So replaced it all and now that sound is gone. So the bucket of bolts noise was the chain.
Bad news is I do have a tick noise still. So unless my header is cracked something is still wrong inside the motor. The tick is very subtle and everyone I know personally says just to throw some additive in and run it till it dies. So I’ll start putting money aside for a reman motor since another junk yard just isn’t worth it if it goes as fast as this one did (one year so far)

 

[TJ4Jim]

Did the timing chain, gears, and tensioner today. The old tensioner wasn’t working. It was getting stuck at only putting some tension not all the way. So replaced it all and now that sound is gone. So the bucket of bolts noise was the chain.
Bad news is I do have a tick noise still. So unless my header is cracked something is still wrong inside the motor. The tick is very subtle and everyone I know personally says just to throw some additive in and run it till it dies. So I’ll start putting money aside for a reman motor since another junk yard just isn’t worth it if it goes as fast as this one did (one year so far)

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The 2.5 headers do crack a lot and make stupid noise, installed an oem survivor a few weeks ago.

 

[The4bangertj]

Ya ima listen to it more tomorrow bc the short time I did listen it was definitely on the driver side where the header is but want to see what it does when I gets up to temp. I’d love for it to be just the header but we’ll see.

 

[Zorba]

Did the timing chain, gears, and tensioner today. The old tensioner wasn’t working. It was getting stuck at only putting some tension not all the way. So replaced it all and now that sound is gone. So the bucket of bolts noise was the chain.
Bad news is I do have a tick noise still. So unless my header is cracked something is still wrong inside the motor. The tick is very subtle and everyone I know personally says just to throw some additive in and run it till it dies. So I’ll start putting money aside for a reman motor since another junk yard just isn’t worth it if it goes as fast as this one did (one year so far)

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Whose timing kit did you use? I understand that some of them are the wrong size or something.

 

[The4bangertj]

Whose timing kit did you use? I understand that some of them are the wrong size or something.

Melling off rockauto. Seemed to match perfectly though.

 

[JKP]

Whose timing kit did you use? I understand that some of them are the wrong size or something.

It was the Cloyes for the 4.0. Crank pulley won't fit on crank.

 

[Zorba]

It was the Cloyes for the 4.0. Crank pulley won't fit on crank.

That's what I've heard too. What about Melling for the 4.0?