Lifter ticking noise

[seeker48]

I am new to the forum. I purchased a 2001 Ranger XLT for my son. It has 177K miles but is in generally excellent condition. The 2.5L SOHC engine has a lifter noise that begins after it has warmed up. We changed the oil and added Lucas Oil Stabilizer. This has reduced the noise significantly.

I want to inspect the cam and lifter. I need a recommendation regarding a good repair manual that will help me through this procedure. The Chilton's manual has many photos for the dual cam but very little on the single cam.

I appreciate any recommendations.

 

[Buffalosports]

I am new to the forum. I purchased a 2001 Ranger XLT for my son. It has 177K miles but is in generally excellent condition. The 2.5L SOHC engine has a lifter noise that begins after it has warmed up. We changed the oil and added Lucas Oil Stabilizer. This has reduced the noise significantly.

I want to inspect the cam and lifter. I need a recommendation regarding a good repair manual that will help me through this procedure. The Chilton's manual has many photos for the dual cam but very little on the single cam.

I appreciate any recommendations.

There are not any lifters in the SOHC engines. The lifters are found only in the OHV engines. I had a slight tick in mine (4.0L SOHC) at 154,000 and I put in High Mileage oil with Slick50. Haven't heard it since. Are you sure it is after warm-up? Sometimes the tensioner makes noise with age but that would be right after it starts.

 

[seeker48]

2.5L "lifter noise"

Thanks for the reply. The ticking or tapping noise occurs after the engine gets up to temperature. It is more noticable during idle. It is virtually goes away upon acceleration. The oil pressure lamp is not on so I suspect the oil pressure is okay.

A friend of mine who has a 1994 Ranger with 226K miles said he would change the oil and add a quart of Marvel Mystery oil. He thinks the tappet is varnished and is sticking. Any thoughts?

 

[Buffalosports]

Well changing the oil will be the cheapest thing without a lot of work. So I would try that first. Definitly go to a high mileage or even a synthetic. But remember once switching to a synthetic, you can't go back. I would also add the slick50. Quacker State High Mileage (in the red container) comes with Slick50 already added. I got that on clearance for $1.99 a quart at Advanced! As I said, no more noise and the engine doesn't run as loud either. Depending on how cold it gets where you live, you could even do a 20 weight opposed to my 30 weight. That will make the oil even lighter. All of this will allow for the oil pump to not work as hard. That could be your noise but I would think that you would hear it during warm-up, as well.

 

[Anime]

Oil additives are usually a bad idea, except maybe as a last resort on a dying motor. I definitely wouldn't use them on any motor I was planning on keeping in my vehicle and not completely rebuilding anytime soon. Oil stabilizers, thickeners, and other snake oil is usually pretty harmful and takes away from the lubricating properties of straight motor oil. The garbage that is Slick50 was debunked a long time ago.

High mileage oil might help some, but first be sure the viscosity of the oil you're using is correct. Putting 5W-20 oil in an engine that requires 5W-30 oil might be a cause for noise.

The Chilton and Haynes manuals are pretty good for most things, but if you want the best manuals for your vehicle, the factory repair manuals from Ford are what you want. They're pretty costly from the dealer, especially for new vehicles, but sometimes the manuals for older models are rather inexpensive, especially if they have them in stock at a dealer and are waiting to get rid of them. You can also find them on ebay for dirt cheap.

 

[seeker48]

The "lifter noise" has been solved! This is important information for anyone who experiences this issue. Here's what it was:

The coil had a slight crack at one of the spark plug wire connections. It wasn't visible until the oil and dirt were wiped away. The cylinder was only getting a partial spark. This must have been causing some type of engine knock from partially ignited fuel mixture. We changed the coil and it purrs quietly. Not bad for an engine with 180K miles!

 

[wegngis]

This thread is very interesting as I'm having very nearly the same symptoms, except that I've had the lifters replaced. The same noise remained, however mine makes noise after it warms up now. I'm going to take a look at the plug wires & such to see if it makes any difference. I'll post back with my findings.

 

[seeker48]

"Lifter noise"

Glad to hear this may help you solve your lifter noise. As I stated originally - the noise was most prevalent after the engine warmed up. Now I can actually hear a little tappet noise when it is cold, which is normal considering the high mileage. However, after it is up to temperature the engine is nice and quiet.

If you have the 2.5 liter with the eight spark plugs check the coil that feeds the front cylinder. It was this coil and the shortest spark plug wire that was the culprit.

Good luck!

 

[Cobraguy]

Good information!

Reminds me of the time many years ago that one of the techs in my shop wanted to pull the small block Chevy out of a truck and rebuild it for a rod knock. Except we couldn't "short" out the knock. (pull a plug wire or kill the cylinder in a Sun scope...that will change or stop a rod knock while the cylinder is dead) After scratching various body parts for a while, some how or another we were directed to pull the fuel pump off the front of the block and momentarily start the truck using just the fuel in the carb. No noise. Darn fuel pump and pump push rod were making noise! I've seen that 3 or 4 times since, but remembered the lesson.

 

[wegngis]

Well, I disconnected each plug wire one by one and it still knocks. It was worth a shot though.