Hello everyone,

I have a 98 ranger 2.5 4cyl and auto transmission. It has a little over 174,000 miles on it. For the last 2 weeks I have noticed a faint ticking sound that increases with engine RPM's which seems to be coming from the left side (Passenger Side) of the cylinder head. It's had regular oil changes, every 3-4k miles, since I have owned it. I am thinking this may be a lifter starting to go bad. Does anyone else have some suggestions of what this may be or how to fix this. Thanks in advance.

 

Any ideas?

 

Well your 2.5L 4 banger doesn't have lifters, it's a OHC engine.

Did the noise come about suddenly, after some event, like an oil & filter change, or cold temp snap, ect?????

Is the noise at start up, or after the engine is warmed up????

If it's at start up, maybe it's the oil filter, or you have the wrong viscosity oil for the temp the engine is seeing.

Try listeing to the noise with a stethoscope & see if you can narrow it down some more.

 

I notice it after the truck has warmed up. It seems to be coming from the left side of the cylinder head. It has been cooler so I am not sure if the weather has something to do with it or not. It hasn't got any worse since I first noticed it. It's been a while since the oil was changed so I don't think that has anything to do with it.

 

If it is a 2.5l, then it is based on the Lima 2.3, which has lifter-like supports for the cam follower. The lifter part is inserted into a boss on the cylinder head, and is pumped up to push the 'tail' of the cam follower, thus pushing the cam follower against the cam. The 'head' of the cam follower pushes on the valve stem when the cam lobe rotates onto the follower.
If the 'lifter; was sticking, or bleeding down excessively, you would hear a tap or rap. I get a slight rap every now and then when starting my 2.3, but it sits for quite long periods of time. It goes away quickly as the oil pressure re-fills the 'lifter', and lifts the cam follower up against the cam.
If you can imagine a normal valve lifter with a round 'nose' protruding from the spot where the pushrod normally rests, you'd have a close image of what they look like. Does the noise change in frequency as the rpms are changed? Some noise is normal, but if you get a solid 'tap tap tap', that is loud, it is worth investigating. The Lima regularly goes 300k miles before being worn out, so you are not there yet.
tom

 

Ok so you don't hear the tic when the engine is cold, just after it's warmed up & the noise is on the passenger side.

Does it seem to be more toward the top end of the engine, under the valve cover, or a little lower down toward the block & is their more noise toward the radiator or firewall end of the engine????

So are you running the specified grade & viscosity oil, that says it meets or exceeds Fords specs & a Motorcraft filter????

How many miles on this oil change????

Have you done a cold & hot oil pressure check, with a shop gauge????

The reason for the oil & filter questions is to try to determine if viscosity or maybe shear may be in play, or maybe oil filter design, as both could play a role in what you've suddnly begun to hear a couple of weeks ago, or maybe a oil pump problem showing up.

 

I've found the best way to fix a liffter tick is to turn up the radio ha ha, "sorry guy"s, I just had to throw that in there being the clown that I am.

 

I run Castrol 10w-30 with a purolator oil filter. It has a little over 3,000 miles on this oil change. It seems to be coming from underneath the valve cover, in the center on the left hand side. I have not done an oil pressure test because I don't have access to a pressure gauge. The gauge on the dash reads normal though. The sound has not changed at all since I first heard it. Could this just be normal wear after 174,000 miles causing the tick?

 

Could be wear, but it coming on suddenly & the feedback you've given on the oil type, filter, past OCI's & the miles on this oil & filter change & miles on the engine, makes me want to think maybe it's deposit related.

Maybe a little varnish or sludge is causing one of the cam lash adjusters to not pump up as it should as tomw was saying.

You could pull the valve cover & have a look at the deposit load under there & maybe get an idea if varnish or sludge may be the cause & if so, maybe consider trying some Auto-Rx & see if it'll respond favorably.

 

If the valve cover is easy to get off, remove it. If there are hydraulic "lifters", and one is bled down, you should be able to tell by feeling for play in the cam follower. (Keep in mind I have no idea what it looks like under the valve cover of this engine, I am only basing this on my experience with other engines)

Also, remember you will have to rotate the engine to take the load off of the follower/lifter. Just make sure the cam lobe is not pushing on it basically.

If it is a solid type lifter, use a feeler gauge and measure the gap, and see what it is compared to spec. But like previously mentioned, it is probably hydraulic lifters anyway.

 

Thanks guys, I may try some type of sludge remover, I guess that's what auto-rx is, and I will let you guys know how it works.

 

I've not had to use auto-rx, but have read on several boards of folks who have & were satisfied, haven't read any negative press about it yet.

So if your of a mind to try something, to see if maybe deposits are the problem, the auto-rx should be safe to try, as it's a Ester based lube, that has very good, slow cleaning properties, such that deposits are slowly dissolved, such that there is less chance of them clogging something up, like a solvent cleaner might & causing further mischief.

Auto-Rx isn't inexpensive, but used as directed, it's supposed to work safely & well. Check it out here, Auto-Rx Engine Cleaner
Let us know how it goes.

 

My 99 has had this same tick (but only when cold not warm) for the last 40K miles.

It started 50 miles after I changed the oil for the first time after buying the truck 3 years ago at 75K.

I have tried Tropartic 5w30 blend, Valvoline max life 5w20,5w30 and 10w30. I have been running Valvoline synpower 5w30 at 5k changes for the last three oil changes. I have used both the Motorcraft Fl400 and the Fl1A oil filters.
Sound is quietest with the 5w20 max life, but I bought a stash of the synpower for less money and they did not have it in 5w20.

The noise starts about 15-30 seconds after startup, someimes can be a minute or more. Goes away when engine gets to op. temp.

I have been at a loss as to what caused it, but does not seem to affect the performance and I do not use any oil in 5k miles.
Dan