I have a 94 ranger 4.0 that has the tick it had it when I bought it at 159,000 it now has 180,000 no issues yet but im just wondering will these motors tick forever or should I be ready for failure? I take good care of it I heard its worn wrist pins but idk

 

I'm kinda new to the 4.0L V/6, the V/8s are what I'v allways had. Mine makes that sound too,if it was a v/8 or inline 6,i would say it was a worn or loose rocker arm. Not a real bad thing,but not good . A bad wrist pin will have double knock most of the time. Maybe by taking this to the top others may join in with some better information for the both of us._____JIM

 

Kinda difficult to imagine what you've defined as a "tic" sounds like, if your relating it to a wrist pin knock sound, which my then new 99 4.0L was said by my Dealers engine Tech to have had & it was more like the rattle sound an idling, or lightly accelerating Diesel engine makes.

The 4.0L pushrod Cologne engine has been bored, stroked & had it's piston skirts trimmed by Ford, so it's prone to piston slap, if the factory isn't mindful of part tolerance buildup & lets things get sloppy on fit.

My replacement engine developed two sounds, also much like a light Diesel rattle, one was caused by CCDI, (Combustion Chamber Deposit Interference), so combustion chamber carbon deposit loading on the piston crown & heads can cause contact in the squish zone through the deposits & causes a diesel like rattle, usually on a cold start & it'll slowly decrease or stop as the engine warms, expands, to give clearance between the piston crown & head in the squish zone.

The other rattle was caused by not changing the oil filter first, with a completely filled filter, then draining the pan & refilling it without delay, then disabiling the fuel pump, cranking the engine over long enough so that we prime the engine to build enough oil pressure that the OP light goes out & bleeds trapped air out, Before we start it after an oil & filter change. Not doing it that way on some 4.0L engines, apparently traps air in a dead end oil gallery somewhere & will cause a diesel like rattle on start up, or at idle, that can go on for days before working itself out.

Of course with the mileage you have, it could be gum, varnish, or sludge mucking something in the valve train, or oiling system up, so it might be helpful to know what kind & level of top end deposit loading under the valve covers is like & if you have a heavy deposit buildup in the oil pan.
Removing a valve cover could answer the top end deposit type & level question & on an oil drain, using a piece or wire with a hook on the end could answer what kind & level deposit loading maight be in the bottom of the oil pan, then you could make a decision about how you might try to tidy things up.

If the tic sound is more like a lifter tic, then first make sure your using the specified 5W-30, or one that says it meets or exceeds Fords 5w-30 spec & a Motorcraft FL-1A filter & see how that goes.

DONT' use 5W-20 in the 4.0L, as its oil pump isn't designed to maintain flow/volume of a 20wt at operating temp, so says Ford.!!!!

Some thoughts for consideration, give the forum some more clues & maybe we can be more focused on ideas.

 

I thought it was lifter tic but I looked it up there prone to wrist pins wearing out I guess?

 

Could be wrist pins I suppose, as we don't know what kind of scheduled maintenance its had, but CCDI, marble/diesel noise & piston slap are far more common on the 4.0L.

I've found that the marble noise after an oil change can be eliminated/kept at bay, by changing the oil & filter in the sequence I described above & the cold start CCDI rattle can be eliminated/kept at bay, by twice yearly using a 20 oz shot of Chevron Techron Concentrate Plus, in the tank at the pump, before filling up with Chevron, Texaco, CalTex, or now Shell gas, then doing Fords decarb daily spirited driving 3 mile run, with rpm above 3600 during the treated tank & running most of the treated tank out before refilling.

So if we use good gas, treat combustion chamber deposits at least twice yearly, change the oil & filter as I described above, use the specified viscosity oil that says it meets or exceeds Fords specifications, along with the specified FL-1A Motorcraft oil filter, we can keep most of the 4.0L engines noise making conditions under control.

Maybe consider doing the above Techron decarb proceedure just Before your next oil change, then try an engine oil with a high moly content, like Chevron Supreme, or Shell, in the specified 5W-30 viscosity, along with a Motorcraft FL-1A oil filter & see if that'll make a positive difference & let us know how it goes.

 

From what i am reading it sounds like i made a mistake getting one of these little 4.0L - V/6s. Thought i would just try one for fun and better M.P.G. Thats a lot of hassle to go though to keep it going. Most ford V/8s i'v had have been problem free ,even high mileage ones. Must be because the rangers are not really fords,name only. M.P.Gs are not that great i found out, my old F-150 ,small block V/8 will get 18+ M.P.G. and it has 140,000 miles on it. Oh well i'l just play with the ranger for a while ,maybe it's value will go up since FOMCOs has dropped them. You guys go ahead and enjoy them,i'm going back to a real truck. One that will haul something and still get about as good of mileage as the Ranger.

 

All vehicles have problems of some sort, as their design & the factory execution of that design sometimes comes up lacking in the real world, but not all, or even most, of Fords 4.0L engines have these problems, but on the ones that do, these simple maintenance tips help address a couple of the problems.

Those of us not needing, or wanting a full size truck, prefer something the size of the Ranger & if its mpg one is looking for, the 4 banger Ranger is still champ, yielding around 28 mpg highway. My 99 pushrod 4.0L is turning out 17-18 towing in the mountains, 19-20 around town, 22-25 on the road, so it fits my needs & wants just fine, fits in the gararge too!!!! lol

 

This is the most common cause. I had the same problem on my 2.9 until I swapped it out with a lower mileage 4.0. I can't haul as much as a full size truck but with 160 horse power under the hood and less weight, I can give 'em a good run from stoplight to stoplight!
"Hydraulic roller lifters replaced the simple hydraulic lifters used in the 2.9, which were sometimes overly sensitive to oil contamination, often requiring the lifters to be replaced prematurely. However, one major design fault was not completely eliminated: Valve rockers and upper pushrod tips still received poor oil supply, resulting in eventual wear to these areas, and consequential valvetrain noise as a result of the increased clearance. Required replacement of these parts is common in older engines."
Ford Cologne V6 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

I understand why the ranger is liked ,just not sure it's going to fill my need.I have one of those ,you can't park in the garage trucks. 89 F-350 ,crew cab dually , 460 ,overdrive. Left over from my construction company i retired from. I sure don't need it now, but nobody else want's them . I don't use it so i need to get rid of it. I was hoping the ranger was what i needed. I'l run it awhile,i can keep the dually to haul with for a while i guess . I may have to get something in between the two like a F-150 ,s.c. 4x4, small v/8,auto transmission,but not anything newer than 99. I live out in the country with lots of room to park plus my shop. Everybody enjoy their rangers now and hope ford comes up with a good replacement one for you someday.

 

The dreaded 4.0 OHV tick.....That happens due to the pushrods not carrying oil through them like a normal pushrod V8. The rocker arms and pushrods at the top rely on the splashing of oil to lubracate them. Therefore they neither is oiled like it should. The tick comes from the pushrod becoming shorter from wear and usually wears into the rocker arm too. The fix for it is new lifters, pushrods and rocker arms. That is a hefty bill and I would just live with the "tick" and drive on. As for a Wrist Pin knock...that would be a deeper knock and not a tick.

 

ive also heard that its from rockerarm/pushrod wear. mine is at 145,000 and so far doesnt have that issue yet.

 

Thank you for the info ive had one at 180,000 and no tick must be certain ones but I hope I didnt change anyones mind about the 4.0 its a damn good engine

 

i agree! and id rather have the older ohv than the newer ohc, the ohv seems to have more low-end, and some of the ohc's had issues with the timing chain tensionor. the 160 hp ohv has plenty of power for the ranger chassis, even if its a 4,300 pound 4x4 supercab. sure 200 hp may come in handy on occasion, but its 200 hp @ (a certain rpm, not sure) the ohv has its powerband at a more useable rpm band. i will say the ohc will get better fuel milage, but heck, it is a truck, and getting 19 highway with a 4wd running a 245 cubic inch six is plenty good enough for me, i can afford to drive it every day, couldnt say that about the 3/4 ton i used to have.