Since the car is six years old, the very best you might hope for is for Ford to offer a little help with the bill. The timing chain rattle has been a well known issue with the 4.0 OHC for many years ..... Since your mechanic diagnosed a catalytic converter OR heat shield problem I doubt that much time or expense was involved in the diagnosis. Assuming things (and lulling our customers into a false sense of security in the process) can be a dangerous prospect.
There is a large portion of the population that will continue to operate their vehicles in spite of obvious problems (noise or performance issues or both), and choose to drive the things until they wont move any more. Any manufacturer might ask "why does it bother you now when it didn't bother you then?". Of course the answer in this case is pretty obvious.
Your estimation at pricing is probably in the ballpark..... this would be for a good quality rebuilt installed properly. It's a tough bullet to bite but it should also drive home the fact that driving something with an obvious problem is poor economics. For many, the automobile is the single, most expensive investment they will make...... In order to preserve reliability and resale value (not to mention safety issues) we should consider repairing troubles at their onset (this, BTW, is the cheapest way to deal with problems..... little problems usually get big and big problems never get smaller). Trying to patch this motor will cost more in the long run that fixing it for once and for all. You might patch it and flog it but there are moral implications to this plan... none of us would wish the results of this on our friends or family members.....
I hope things work out for you, John, but both you and your mechanic deserve a whack on the winkie for not pursuing the original complaint to either a positive diagnosis or even to resolution. While I don't face the labour charges that many others experience, it has always worked out cheaper for me to tackle problems when they arise (I can't stand driving something that is 'right' and I do send my family out on our highways and byways in my vehicles).
-- Jim Warman snipped-for-privacy@telusplanet.net
Hello,
> I lost oil pressure on my 97 Ford Explorer (SOHC)