...2003 Exploder 4.0L 4WD...balance shaft...182k
...timing chain rattle...tensioners are spring loaded hydraulic pistons
...thinking of running...thicker viscosity oil...15w50
Wow! I would definitely NOT run 15w50 in a V6~4.0L~SOHC.
Unless driving Sahara desert 130f conditions, 15w50 is much too thick compared to stock 5w30; suspect 15w50 would clog those Tensioners PDQ.
Is chain rattle just during very cold starts; does it continue with engine warmed up?
Your profile is sparse on vehicle specs & climate\driving conditions.
I drive HighAltitude cooler conditions, 0w20~FullSyn Winter, 0w30~FullSyn Summer, good results. 0w prefix means oil is same thickness cold or hot, so OilPressurized TimingTensioners get oil quicker at ColdStart. In a more typical climate I'd use 0w30~FullSyn year round; in a hotter climate 0w40~FullSyn year round. Those TimingTensioners+Guides need a good Supply\Flow of Oil; thicker Oil may increase Pressure but not Flow. Whatever oil weight you choose, most critical is that you change the Oil+Filter often.
Sounds like you should
~ drop OilPan
~ check for broken TimingGuide pieces
~ clean OilPump screen
~ confirm presence of BalanceShaft, seen up thru engine girdle, mounted in front of OilPump
If you don't find broken pieces in OilPan, you may be lucky & not have broken guides yet
~ replace LeftFront+RightRear OilPressurized TimingTensioner with new FordOE only
~ dont use cheap Chinese Tensioners, they fail often+early
If you find broken pieces in OilPan, you need to
~ open left+right ValveCovers
~ inspect LeftFront+RightRear TimingChainGuides\Cassettes
If LeftFront Guide\Cassette is broken, it can be replaced without pulling engine.
If RightRear Guide\Cassette is broken, replacement requires pulling engine.
Hope this helps.
Detailed info on replacing OilPressurized TimingTensioners in a V6~4.0L~SOHC at
As of this 2020 writing, I am just dumb lucky, not having had any TimingChain component failure with this 20Year old V6-4.0L~SOHC engine; the only item noticed is momentary rattling with very cold morning starts. The recent removal of the lower oil pan & pumps screen was clean without any...
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16mm+13mm+10mm+5/16"HexHead Wrenches+Sockets+Driver+SwivelExtension+Ratchet Clean PuttyKnife: ThinBlade Oil Filter OffOnlyWrench For TightSpace: GearWrench Or ModifiedWrench CatchPan, ReCycleContainer, AbsorbantLitter, ShopRags, WheelChocks, Jack, JackStands Carb+Throttle SprayCleaner: CRC \...
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Oil+Filter changes are an often neglected, greasy, lowly task, however they do preserve & extend a vehicles life. For vehicles or engines under warranty, best to Use+Document OEM spec Fluids+Filters+ServiceIntervals, so to not void that consumer protection. For a new vehicle\engine, changing all...
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