Ticking sound even when I just changed the oil, what do I check first?

[blksprk]

First off, its a 94 Ford Explorer Limited, 214,000 miles. Just posted about an oil leak and wanted to keep my problems seperate. I have a ticking that increases as the RPMs increase, I just changed my oil, and it still ticks. My car guy says it sounds like a rocker might be loose, but as I have learned, this car is a different beast and figured I would come here and ask for some experianced car guys opinions.


This is the best audio recording I could get, sorry about the rumbling, it has no muffler on it

 

[Zepplin454]

i would bring the oil up to level i thinkg 20w-50 with lucas might be too heavy causeing the oil pump to have a hard time bringing the oil up top. i wouldnt go any heavier than 10w-40 with lucas

 

[Zepplin454]

it wouldnt hurt to check the rocker that ticking it the video is very loud

 

[jch5185]

92 Explorer with the same issue

I have a 92 Explorer that I have owned for 10 years and it is starting to make the same ticking sound that was mentioned above. The ticking sound increases as the rpms increase. Any diagnosis or answers...Thanks for your help!

 

[Mbrooks420]

Can't really all tell that great from the vid, but it sounds like lifter tick to me. If it's lifter tick, I wouldn't worry about it. My brother had a lifter tick in a Caravan for over a 100k. And it was ticking fierce. He'd prob still be driving it if he hadn't smacked a deer with it.

 

[BrianDye]

Thats what I was told a while back, but he reccomended changing it immediately...then again he probably was expecting me to say OKAY! And pay him hundreds of dollars lol.

I completely forgot about that until you said that, what kind of work is involved in replacing a lifter? Ive had 3 people check it out with cash in hand and they heard that and walked away

 

[muhl5443]

sounds like a lifiter problem.

 

[ricco750]

Add a can of Engine Restore.

 

[huntman58]

Sounded like a lifter to me also!

My dad who was a mechanic his whole life should me a neat trick when it would happen to a car he would drain a qt of oil and then add a qt of trany oil to the motor oil. As long as the lifter was no mechanically damaged it never failed to stop the ticking. The trany oil would help break and gum or varnish that can make a lifter stick being they are a hydraulic unit that is very important that they be clean and none sticky. He also would not change the oil tell the next oil change time then we ran normal oil again but if needed did the same thing I never remember doing it more then twice.

My self I prefer tranny oil to any of the additives but it’s up to you but I say it’s a cheap try.
o ya one last trick take a long screw driver and place the tip on the valve covers and press your ear on the handle and listen to the sounds then move cylinder to cylinder and you can also some times locate the tick that way as is it lifter or rocker
Good luck