i am haveing a problem with my engine this happened lastnight as i was comeing home from work.now mind you it is snowing here in ne pennsylvania so i really need my truck for the winter time and are first big snow.as i was driving home in 4wheeldrive i was only doing 35 to 40mph tops now my truck like everyone elese has always made the egine sound of it clicking i have a 91 explorer 4.o and i have heard that this is a comon thing so it was no suprise to hear it but on my way hom as i was almost there it gradually started to get louder and louder i have no loss of powere or anything like that but i have no idea what it is but it has gotten reallt loud also once in a while it will stop at a red light when i stop and am off the gas but once i get going it gets loud again.does anyone know what this is and what i need to do like i said i really need my truck for the winter so getting it fixed is a big deal and i need to get it done soon thanks for the help

Does it sound like the motor is knocking or a valve problem or something. If your not sure try a higher octane gas to start with.

I very well could be the type of oil you are using. Ford recommends using 5W-30. Also, if the oil level is low it could cause problems. I have a '94 X and it doesn't make any type of clicking noise. BTW, I do run 93 octane fuel because does ping with the 87 octane fuel. I hope this helps.

im not sure what it sounds like i think that it sounds like a valve problem but im not sure i did fill my tank up with gas last night it was regular gas but it was at a gas station i never stoped at before also i run royal purpl 15w40 in my engine i checked the oil but it said that it was full so im not sure i will stop at the auto parts store and try some octain booster and see if that helps also i noticed today that it sounds to me like its comeing from the drivers side but im not 100%sure on that thanks again i hope that this turns out to be something miner

Ticking can be caused by bad lifters, a fairly common thing on our OHV. Pinging, (do a search there's tons of info on it), can usually be stopped by cleaning the MAF, retorquing the lower intake manifold (particularly around #5 cyl) or injecting something like 'seafoam'. I would start with cleaning the MAF since it is the easiest and inexpensive, just remember to disconnect the battery for 10 mins before starting or the ping might still be there.

Oh, just noticed you use 15W oil. Like engera said it could be your choice of oil. 15W is awful thick oil for winter, I use 5W year round.

Yeah it could be the gas. I did that once and i thought my motor was gonna blow. I then stopped at auto-zone and got 3 things of octane booseter :). Fill up with name brand gass with like 89 or mayeb even 93. If that doesn't work then chaneg the oil with something like 10w or even 5w.

Definately take a shot with the lower weight oil and the Maf cleaning. I used to dirve a 5.0 mustang year around in Idaho. (not fun in the winter.) Anyway this was a common concern for me. First I ran heavier weight 10 to 15 in the summer, as it can be over a hundred degrees and i liked to hot rod it. Heat makes the oil thin. Winter would come and it would definately need the lighter oil in there and it was a good time for a bi-annual Maf cleaning. Give it a shot. Whole he** of a lot cheaper than correcting lifter problems. Higher octane gas may help also, but I would lean more toward that being a treatment for pinging. Any way there are my two cents:) Good Luck

thanks to all but i found out the problem i crawaled under it to look and found out that there is a hole in the engine block it looks like i spun a bearing and blew a conecting rod i dont know when cause it never lost power or anything it dint make a bang or clunk or anything it just let go so now i will just have to put a 302 in it thanks though for all your help

Ouch!

Sorry to hear that dude.

thanks to all but i found out the problem i crawaled under it to look and found out that there is a hole in the engine block it looks like i spun a bearing and blew a conecting rod i dont know when cause it never lost power or anything it dint make a bang or clunk or anything it just let go so now i will just have to put a 302 in it thanks though for all your help

Is it just me, or is he taking that really well ????

im not it sucks but i wanted to put a 302 in it anyway so now i guess i have a reason oh well life goes on it just sucks that it is around christmas time and all oh well if anyone could please give me an idea of a price range that i should be able to find a 302 engine and tranny it would be a big help i have no idea what they cost and i dont want to get ripped off when i am looking for a used one that would be a big help thanks