how many miles can I get out of a 2007 4.0 liter engine?
- Thread starter slippygater
- Start date
The 4.0s have three common issues.
1. Oil sludge: Look down the oil filler and see what the engine looks like internally with a small flashlight. A light gold of brown coating on the non-moving metal and plastic parts is okay. A dark brown coating of ANY deposits whatsoever means move on to a different car.
2. Timing chain component failures: This will almost always be on of the plastic timing chain guides, and is most easily identified by a rattle on start-up that may or may not get worse when the engine warms up and/or is revved up. In particular, listen closely to the passenger side rear of the engine, as that timing chain is usually the one that has a guide fail first. The front chains, tensioners and guides can be replaced with the engine in the car. The rear chain and its components require engine removal to access.
3. Coolant leaks: I've seen 4.0s with coolant leaking from head gaskets around the 100k mark, but that's relatively rare. What is far more common is a leak from a cracked thermostat housing.
If any of those issues except the thermostat housing are present, I'd walk away. All of that said, the 4.0 is a neat engine that sounds good and makes respectable power for its size and technology while getting decent fuel economy. The problem is, they're frequently given to younger drivers that don't maintain them, leading to the three issues above.
1. Oil sludge: Look down the oil filler and see what the engine looks like internally with a small flashlight. A light gold of brown coating on the non-moving metal and plastic parts is okay. A dark brown coating of ANY deposits whatsoever means move on to a different car.
2. Timing chain component failures: This will almost always be on of the plastic timing chain guides, and is most easily identified by a rattle on start-up that may or may not get worse when the engine warms up and/or is revved up. In particular, listen closely to the passenger side rear of the engine, as that timing chain is usually the one that has a guide fail first. The front chains, tensioners and guides can be replaced with the engine in the car. The rear chain and its components require engine removal to access.
3. Coolant leaks: I've seen 4.0s with coolant leaking from head gaskets around the 100k mark, but that's relatively rare. What is far more common is a leak from a cracked thermostat housing.
If any of those issues except the thermostat housing are present, I'd walk away. All of that said, the 4.0 is a neat engine that sounds good and makes respectable power for its size and technology while getting decent fuel economy. The problem is, they're frequently given to younger drivers that don't maintain them, leading to the three issues above.
The one I bought, the father took care of it so his daughter would have a safe ride. Mine had the thermostat housing coolant leak at the upright heater hose connection, which is f--king plastic. I inserted a piece of copper pipe into the plastic so I could tighten the clamp as needed. No more leaks. It has 116,000+ now. Running great and quiet.
Mileage? My 98 Ranger has a 3.0 V-6 that is headed for 168,000. Still runs freaking awesome. Like any motor, take care of it, and it'll take care of you.
Mileage? My 98 Ranger has a 3.0 V-6 that is headed for 168,000. Still runs freaking awesome. Like any motor, take care of it, and it'll take care of you.
Not true.
There are plenty of badly designed engines that no amount of care or maintenance is going to give you a long service life from.
Hyundai Theta, Chrysler 2.7, Ford 5.4 3v, BMW V8s with turbos, GM 3.6s, Ford 3.5/3.7 Cyclone/Ecoboost/Duratec in FWD applications, every Jaguar and Land Rover engine ever, and so on...
Also, the 3.0 Vulcan in your Ranger shares nothing with the 4.0 Cologne. Vulcans live for freaking ever regardless of maintenance. We couldn't even kill those bastards with sodium silicate during Cash-4-Clunkers.
The other question is what transmission is hooked to it? When I was looking at 2001-2 new Rangers, the four with 4.0 engines had automatics. Three were not available for a test drive due to transmission issues, and the 4th did not shift right. I hope Ford got them fixed right.
I went with a 2.3 with a manual and was quite happy with it.
I went with a 2.3 with a manual and was quite happy with it.
Mr.Kelley
Active Member
The only experience I have with the 4.0 is BAD. 4.0 Ranger timing chian. Cam timing on those without the special tools is very difficult. I'd buy an older Stang with a 3.8 pushrod motor, but that's just me.
You have that backwards. The OHV engine was virtually indestructible if taken care of, it just wasn't overly powerful. The three issues I mentioned earlier in this thread plague the SOHC versions in the Explorer too. The first 4.0 I pulled to replace the rear timing chain cassette was in an Explorer.
