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Keola P

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Hi all, hope all is well. Just a quick question for all you Sport Trac gurus, hopefully someone can chime in and point me in the right direction.



I was driving my 05' 2wd XLS last night down a somewhat steep incline, traveling approximatey 15-20mph. I decided to downshift to help slow the trac down and spare the extra wear on the brakes. I downshifted to second, slowed a bit, then down shifted to first. I've done this going down inclines previously with no problems at all. And by the way, my trac is auto trans. This time as I shifted into first, the trac slowed a bit then I noticed a very loud clicking/tapping noise coming from the engine, then it stalled shortly after and is now unable to start. It was dark out, so I didn't get a chance to do a very in depth inspection yet but I didn't notice anything wrong (externally) with the engine. Checked all the fluids and everything appears to be normal.



I'm going to take a better look at the engine when I'm done with work. I have a feeling that something is very wrong and I'm not sure where to start, so any advice would be appreciated. Thanks in advance, aloha.
 
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Sounds like a valve... :-( Or timing chain.......



Sorry man..



I NEVER down shift, $200 for brakes or $4,000 for a trans or motor is a huge difference.



Todd Z
 
Really...nothing wrong with using engine braking on a steep incline, especially going only 15 to 20mph. The rpm's in first gear moving only 15 mph would not be an issue. I'm guessing that your problem is engine related, not transmission, and shifting into first didn't harm anything at that speed. Whatever was going to break was going to happen, unless you really over reved the engine which means you were going much faster.



So back to the problem...yea, it sounds "engine related" since it won't start. When you crank it, does it sound different...like perhaps it turns over faster? If so, it could be timing chain issue like mentioned above. My dad once had a car that had a plastic timing gear...and when it broke it broke suddenly. The engine, when cranking, sounded like the spark plugs had been removed. In those days, it was an easy repair job.
 
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Modern (OEM) transmissions are designed to downshift (if they weren't, there would be no way to do it - think "warranty replacement cost"). They have automatic valve bodies and do not downshift until a predetermined speed and RPM are reached (as opposed to manual valve bodies that shift on demand).



If they are "monkeyed with" (torque converter, shift points, pressures, etc.) without upgrading the wear parts, then there is increased probability of premature wear and or damage. True also if the driver does not respect the vehicle.



Regardless of individual experience, I think downshift damage is blown out of proportion. The vast majority of transmissions work well and are not damaged by downshifting.
 
Hoping maybe something like a wire or a hose got torn off due to excessive movement of the engine within the motor mounts when you downshifted. Check over everything under the hood good for any loose ends. I assume your trac turns over, but does not fire?



Otherwise, my fears are valve timing chain related. You will need a trained technician with some experience to verify this.



Good luck, and please keep us posted.
 
Thanks for all the input guys, its much appreciated. Like I had mentioned, I used the lower gears going down that particular street without any issues previously. I always thought it was safe practice to use lower gears going down steep inclines. This particular street is notoriously steep with lots of sharp turns. JohnZ, to address your comment I wasn't going over 15-20mph before shifting into 1st. I slowed, shifted to 2nd, slowed more, then shifted to 1st. Then the tapping/knocking noise occurred after the lowest gear engaged, then the engine stalled. Tried starting it up again and it only clicks once. Engine doesn't turn over at all. Had to get a tow truck to pull it home .
 
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Hoping for the best Keola. LMK if you need printed repair info. GL
 
So, had a mechanic friend stop by today to take a look at the trac. We looked it over and found nothing out of the ordinary, externally. Tried starting it up, still just a click. He then had me put it in neutral and try to start it again. The engine turned and ran very roughly momentarily, then sputtered out. He said it may be a broken camshaft, or something along those lines. Any ideas, trac gurus? Mahalo in advance..
 
Did he check compression? Here's a great resource for the 4.0 SOHC.
 

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