2002 explorer question

Your car will have 3 timing chains... 4 if it is four wheel drive. Rule of thumb with Fords.... belt = non-interference engine... chain = interference engine. We have seen few problems with the chains but there have been some issues with the tensioners and guides. These problems were prevalent in the mid to late 90 SOHC 4.0s but seem to have been resolved in current offerings.

Thanks for the info Jim. But now one more question. I don't know what Interference and non-interference engine means.

Ooops, sorry... interference engines are ones in which the valves and the pistons occupy the same space at different times. Since chain drives are less prone to problems, Ford has opted for the cheaper belt drive only in cases where engine damage is unlikely in event of a timing failure.

HTH