Don't worry too much about the timing chains. They either go bad or don't, and if you don't have any startup rattle at 117k you probably won't have any.
Friend of mines recently-retired '01 Sport Trac just clicked over 305k, and the chains have been rattling under load for at LEAST 150k miles. Just keep good oil and a good filter on it and she'll be happy.
Honestly, as much of a pain as they are to work on sometimes, they 4.0/5r55 combo is about as stout as they come. I personally think the timing chain issue is way overblown on these. I can count exactly 2 that I've seen go, and those were severely neglected trucks. I see more 4.0's than I care to admit, and every single one runs perfectly. The rest of the truck might be falling apart, but not the engine.
Friend of mines recently-retired '01 Sport Trac just clicked over 305k, and the chains have been rattling under load for at LEAST 150k miles. Just keep good oil and a good filter on it and she'll be happy.
Honestly, as much of a pain as they are to work on sometimes, they 4.0/5r55 combo is about as stout as they come. I personally think the timing chain issue is way overblown on these. I can count exactly 2 that I've seen go, and those were severely neglected trucks. I see more 4.0's than I care to admit, and every single one runs perfectly. The rest of the truck might be falling apart, but not the engine.