penskes ux

I HAVE A 2003 F250 W/ 4.5L ENGINE AND 189,000 MILES ON IT. I TOOK IT TO A SHOP TO HAVE A TICKING NOISE CHECKED. IT SOUNDED LIKE AN EXHAUST MANIFOLD LEAK TO ME BECAUSE I ONLY HEARD IT COMING FROM THE PASS. SIDE. BUT THE MECHANIC TOLD ME IT WAS MOST LIKELY A WORN TIMING CHAIN MAKING THE NOISE. HE SUGGESTED JUST KEEPING AN EYE ON IT AND WAIT UNTIL IT GETS WORSE BEFORE HAVE IT REPLACED. I AM FAIRLY MECHANICALLY INCLINED, BUT AT WHAT POINT DO I DECIDE THAT IT IS "WORSE" ENOUGH TO REPLACE? ON THESE ENGINES,WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OF A CHAIN BREAKING?

ANY SUGGESTIONS/IDEAS WOULD BE APPRECIATED!

MIKE

R.S.LOGAN

I usually found timing chains tend to rattle than tick when worn , but could be wrong . Are you sure the ticking isn't an injector ?

penskes ux

In regard to it possibly being an injector, is there a way to find the bad in jector? I have a nissan 240 that I was able to find the bad one by disconnecting the connector to each inj., which on the good injectors would cause the engine to immediately run worse. When I took off the connector on the bad inj. there would be little or no change in the engine.
Would this procedure also work on a v8?