Timing chain issues

There only one way to know, peel back the plasticity timing chain cover and see if it’s still in place. You’ll probably have to take a few bolts out but not many, just enough to “peel” the plastic cover back to get a look. If all else fails, there’s always the tried and true way to know for certain- do a compression test on easy cylinder with a basic compression tester you can rent for free from any Auto Zone and other big name parts stores. You take the spark plug out and screw in the adapter that fits your 4.0 Spark Plug Threads and then turn the motor over with no ignition active and see what type of reading you get from each cylinder, you’ll know i any valves are bent by one or more cylinders having a large variation in compression PSI as opposed to the others. This is also almost always a sure fire way to see if you have a blown head gasket or perhaps a cracked/warped head(or a blown head gasket of course), but that’s not the issue. Check the chain, then do a compression test if neeeed it won’t take 15 minutes, you know what you’re doing obviously, so check it out and let us know, we’ll help you out. If valves are bent, I’d suggest buying a good used motor with a warranty for $600-$700 or so and swap them out as it’s much easier and cheaper than buying heads, gaskets, timing chain & related components. I’m saying this from experience in a Ford Dealership and independent shops. I’m not affiliated in any way but try East Coast Auto Source, 540-586-5713. They sell quality engines with a warranty for less than you’d pay for new top end parts to fix your existing 4.0 if it had a serious issue. Just do the process of elimination and see what’s wrong conclusively before spending a penny on it, don’t ask how I know lol! I hope this helps, that’s straight up and honest advice from experience both personally and at work when I was a technician full time. You’ll get it, just try those 2 simple steps, they’re free and will tell you what you need to know 99% of the time. Just record the compression readings from each cylinder, go ahead and do all 6 just to compare the numbers, if there’s a major variance in one or two cylinders you have an issue, but that doesn’t mean anything is bent just go through the process of elimination and you’ll get it. Thanks, see the message below.

I suggest you ask an experienced person listen to the noise.

Hydraulic tappets can click for a while after starting and usually aren't anything to worry about unless the noise becomes louder, harsher and more pronounced as the engine speed increases.

If the clicking is suspected to be timing chain related it would be very unwise to ignore it.

Their is a vacumn pipe from carb to the valve on the bottom of the fuel tank ,,,check it out is pipe split is there a vacumn ? has the valve jammed .

I think you had better have a local shop inspect this for a failed engine connecting rod.

You have a loose cover.

well the plastic piece are from the timing chain guides are either broken or ripped off,and the metal rattling was probably the timing chain,,i think the timing chain jmped or broke and broke the guides,if thats the car you most likely bent the valves in the head,,,i would remove the cam cover and the timing chain cover and see what you got,you may need a engine

pull valve cover and start checking your valve lash and if you do know how i would take it to a shop or buy a repair manuel and a feeler guage from your local auto parts store also check all the rocker arms and valve stems look for brokin valve springs if every thing looks good check valve lash.check timing chain or belt for abnormal wear if its a chain check and make sure its not to loose and if its a belt look for missing teeth on the belt this can cause very serious damage to your engine if its a zero clearence engine.

I would venture to guess that a timing chain guide broke and the chain chewed a hole thought the timing cover. The timing cover also has coolant passing through it where the water pump is attached. If you were running a multi viscosity oil, even it it were a 20-40 and got surprised by a zero degree day, I doubt seriously, it would cause that to occur. That series engine had problem s with timing chain guide failures. However, there usually is some chain rattle well before a disastrous failure. Most of my customers noticed the chain noise before it has caused catastrophic damage.
Sorry you have suffered such a loss. Good luck on your repair. A used timing cover would be the cheapest route. A place in Dallas called Bishops, buys engine cores, dismantles them, evaluates them, cleans the good parts up and sells them at very reasonable prices. They ship all over the country.

what you are hearing is a spark knock or detonation. its not going to hurt anything or cause any damage. if you want to get rid of it than run out all the fuel that you have and fill up with super and see if it changes with premium gasoline. if you look at the fuel door on the inside, it sais premium fuel recommended. also stay with NGK (nissan)spark plugs. You may also need the r/h side rocker cover. the one by the fire wall. the seals inside the cover leak oil into the spark plug hole and you will need to replace it if you find oil in the hole. let me know what you find.

I doubt it is the timing chain. More than likely it is the valves themselves, the seats wear out, and the lifters wear, so eventually the lifters don't pump up as full as they should, so it causes a gap between it and the valve, so it slaps the valve, also the seats wear, so the valve is kinda loose, so that causes a gap between it and the rocker shaft, so you get another slap. If the chain wore out enough to be hitting the block or front cover, you would be having timing issues because it would have to be pretty loose. You may also have a failing oil pump, so it is not suppling the right pressure, which is why you hear it at idle, because under load the pressure goes up and as I said it pumps up the lifter. This guy is a joke if he told you just to drive it till it blows, which would cause significant damage, Then you have to buy a what? use motor for $600 that is no better off than what you got? Then pay someone like this idiot $500 to install it? Right now you could probably rebuild the engine for about $600, and have a brand new fresh motor for your truck. The chain is not too difficult, you can do it in the car, but would be much easier out of it. The head doesn't have to be removed to do it, but you do have to take off the timing cover, which can be a pain, and possibly the water pump, all the engine pulleys, alternator, etc. So thats why I suggested pulling the motor. And, when it is pulled, it would be a great time to freshin it up with new pistons, rings, bearings, have the block done and rebuild the head.