I have a 2004 Mercury Marauder with 201,454 miles.
It has the dreaded chatter on start up and
under load and when driving you can hear the ticking. It definitely is the chain slapping around and the tensioners are surely worn out. When idling after driving it is quite noticeable also. I SHOULD have paid more attention when
then chatter started back in march, after I took the car out of it's winter hibernation.. A good mechanic said he COULD do all the work to open up the engine cover. But he is a bit hesitant, bc of the high mileage and he does not know what he might find, once he get in the engine.. He gets $75.00 an hour and thinks it could take 15-20 hours labor not including parts.
The mechanic suggested I DO NOT drive the car bc of the chattering.
I am not handy enough to do the work. Plus I spend a bunch of $$ having the AC cooling system re-done and the right rear axel seal went bad.
So instead of having the work done on my current engine. It was suggested I get a replacement engine with less miles. As it would be cheeper to swap engines. Any suggestions/advise as to where I could get a engine with lower miles. Any members have a Marauder engine, they want to sell?
The mechanic I talked to said one could even get a long block Ford engine and put it in the Marauder.. Any thought on that.
I would hate to have to sell the car now but that might be a last resort.
I live in NY in the Hudson Valley area, 60 min from Rockland County, Wetchester County. Bergan County NJ Area.
Thank you for the advise
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