I recently acquired a 2003 Stratus with the 2.7 DOHC 24 valve. I bought it as a non running car. Once I started it, it had a "rattle" to it. It did not sound like metal on metal, but, rather metal on plastic. I know it is hard to diagnose without seeing it, but, is there any one thing that is common to these motors to look for? It idles well, and there are no check engine lights on. Also, this car has 80,xxx miles, and questionable maintenance. I have heard and read about oil sludge, etc., other than normal maintenance, is there anything I can do to extend the life of the motor? And realistically, with decent maintenance, what kind of life expectancy do these motors really have?
The car is in pretty decent shape, so I would like to do some work, and make it a daily driver.
Thank you for the help.

 

I had 117k on my 06 when I traded it and it still ran like new (well, better, it was modded). A friend had an 03 RT sedan with 185k on the original driveline, it was a stick so it got pounded all the time. So taken care of they can hold up very well.

 

I pulled the front valve cover off, the timing chain on the camshafts is nice and snug, and what I could see from the main chain, it also appeared snug. Little sludge build up, but, overall pretty minor.
Put everything back together, it still rattles, and almost sounds like it is coming from under the front valve cover, kind of in the center. I know sound travels though.
If you listen past the rattle, the motor seems to be running good, and there is no vibration.
The rattle is driving me crazy though. It is NOT always there. At idle it will sometimes fade away, then return. If you rev up the motor the rattle speeds up, but, again, is not always consistent. Sometimes it will rattle, sometimes not, but, most of the time it does.
I have been told it could be the timing chains, or a bad intake manifold that has partially broken apart on the inside.
I would rather fix this myself, and not have to pay the dealer. Is there any more thoughts or inputs on what this might be. The car is in absolutely great shape, and I would like to fix it if it does not get to expensive.
Thanks

 

Wow, 245 views and 1 reply? I thought this was a forum to get help on. Is there another forum that would be better to ask my questions at?

 

It's rattling because the primary tensioner is failing. It's hydraulic and it's "bouncing".


That noise you hear is what they do just before the chain lets loose and the engine grenades. I would stop running and revving it or you will make it happen sooner.


Unless it's a really nice ride, I would let it go. If you don't do a lot of engine work, the timing chain job might be over your head. If you pay someone to do it whop knows what they're doing, it will cost you well over 1000 bucks for parts and labor. Even if you do it yourself, it won't be worth much even with a new chain kit on it. The 2.7 have a well known stigma surrounding it, even if it's a good one.

 

I agree about the tensioner.

Put it this way, if you like it and want to keep it, fix it, if not sell it.

 

Thanks for the replies. Fortunately, it is in very nice shape, with low miles. The hard rattling was throwing me off. But, I think I will try and replace the timing chain and its associated components and see if that fixes the problem.

 

Make sure you know what your getting into before you tackle this job yourself.

 

thanks for the heads up smokesxt. I have been doing a fair amount of research on it. And have rebuilt motors in the past, both gas and diesel. so not to worried about it. Another concern I have ran into though, is looking on Ebay, it lists various timing chain kit for these cars, however they are all for engine code T, or U. My engine code, according to my vin, is an R. Any thoughts on that?

 

Do all the parts. 4 Guides, main chain, and primary tensioner. You don't have to do the secondary tensioners and the chains on the cams unless there is something obvious going on. I would NOT recommend getting the Primary tensioner aftermarket. I've seen them fail on the first test drive several times.


Don't know about the codes. I haven't done an engine job in quite a while on a 2.7L. I know there was a change on the water pump that required a new chain kit. There is also NGC and Non-NGC (PCM). The difference will be in how the camshaft sprocket slots for the cam sensor are oriented. If you get the wrong one installed you'll know. It will run like crap.