Jim Grant's Tech Tips
'94 Cherokee Sport, Engine Rattle
Q:
I have a 94 Cherokee Sport 4.0L. While the engine is idling I can
hear a rattling sound coming from inside the engine. The vehicle has 126k
miles on it and has been kept up with all the service to date. When you
increase the engine RPM the sound goes away, its only at Idle. Could
this be valves or lifters, or do you think there is anything to worry
about?......Tom
A:
Have the bolts from the flex plate to the torque converter checked. We
see this problem occurring in Jeeps equipped with automatic transmissions.
Over time these bolts will loosen and the engine will develop a very disturbing
noise that appears to be from the engine. Its most often pronounced
at idle and with throttle movement. With the transmission in gear and
under load, accelerating, the noise may not be present. In any case, these
bolts have to only loosen a little to create some very strange engine
type noises.
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