i did a oil change a week ago along with new plugs and wires. when it gets warm it starts ticking
is there any way to fix it and what the heck is it?

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96 ranger 3.0L 5speed

 

Did you change the brand and/or grade of oil when you did the change?

How about the oil filter, did you use a different brand this time?

 

when i first got it i changed the oil, i used fram oil fliter and penzoil 10w-30, then last week it hit 59K and decided to do a tune up- penzoil 10w-30, napa oil filter, new wires-napa, plugs-autolight, and K&N airfilter. this was the first time i went to napa. the guy who had it before me used some brand of oil filter i never heard of. so when i bought the ranger it had 54980 on it. talked to the dealer and he said it had been pulled behind a motor home, hence the tow bar links comming out of the bottom air dam
the old fart had actuly drivin probly 30000 miles on it so in that 30000 miles what kind of oil and filter he used is a ?

 

I was thinking maybe the new oil and filter were not keeping up sufficient pressure and/or lubrication at higher temperatures maybe causing some valve clatter, but the Napa filter and 10W-30 wouldn't likely cause that to happen (as opposed to what you were using before).

FWIW, Ford says you should not use 10W-30 oil in your 3.0L, and considering the low miles on your engine and the generally cooler climate where you live, I don't see any reason why you would need to use the heavier oil ...only 5W-30 or Motorcraft's new 5W-20 oil is recommended for the vulcan 3.0L.

How about location...can you tell if the ticking coming from under one of the valve covers?

 

umm it sounds to be coming from the passengr side (1-3) and my oil pressure has been a little high. and temp range- its michigan i have used the heat and the a/c in the same day, so haynes recomends 10w-30 and -40 to well under -20 and well above 100 what do u recomend for oil

 

Could be you have a sticky lifter under there....

I have decided to use Castrol GTX 5W-30 in both my Ranger 4.0L and my Taurus 3.0L (although I might try Motorcraft 5W-20 in my Taurus this winter, we'll see).

 

ok now i am crazy cuz its stoped now. no more tick tick tick , umm when i change my oil im gonna try something new, motor craft,

 

I have had the same problem with my Ranger. After closely listening to the sound I found that it was not coming from my engine at all but rather the right fender firewall (passenger side). After doing some research I found that a common cause of ticking in Ranger's is the EGR solenoid which is located along the passenger side firewall/fender. I just happened to notice mine more after an oil change as well because I was actually "listening" for it at that time. It was probably present before but I wasn't aware of it. I hope that this eases some of your worry. I haven't corrected the problem yet because it is "on and off" and isn't getting any worse nor will it lead to engine damage. It may contribute to psychological angst however!

 

ok i dont belive it was my heads ticking but my cam shaft sensor cuz i took it a part and its all screwd up in there, so bought a new one for $138.xx and wating for dad and tomarrow to get here so i can replace this thingy, also bought that tool to install it with only 38$$