Valve train noise, or not......

[Carguy3J]

'93 Ranger 4.0L-OHV

I've had an exhaust leak on the driver side exhaust manifold, at the head, for awhile. I thought I sort-of fixed it, but the ticking has gotten worse lately.

The thing is though, I'm not 100% sure that it is the leak. It sounds more like a mechanical clatter. It definitely gets more noticeable under any kind of load; even in 1st gear taking off from a stop. It doesn't really get louder with higher rpm, but the tick or clatter gets "faster". It gets a little quieter once the truck is warmed up.
It also feels like it is running a little rough, but it always has.

So, is there an easy way to check the condition of the valvetrain? Given that the rockers are shaft mounted and not adjustable, what do you check? If I find something wrong, can I just swap out a used set of rockers and/or pushrods I saved from a '98ish motor (98tm)?

What are the torque specs for the shaft to head bolts?

 

[Carguy3J]

Anybody? I'm about to go on a 2-1/2hr drive, and I'm a little worried about this.

 

[jd4242]

You can use the 98s.don't know the tq specs off top of my head.easiest way to check is just to pull them off and look at the tips...

 

[Carguy3J]

You can use the 98s.don't know the tq specs off top of my head.easiest way to check is just to pull them off and look at the tips...

What am I looking for exactly? Are we talking about the tips of the pushrods or the rocker arm "cups"? How do I visually tell the difference between good and bad (but maybe not bad enough to be totally blatantly obvious)?

Are collapsed lifters also a possibility? Anyway to check without pulling the heads?

 

[jd4242]

The tips on the rocker where it mets the valve tip.it will be pretty obvious. Its hard to test lifters, if and if you can get them to bleed down you should be able to take a pushrod and gently push down with it and it should spring up and down a very small amount.if its bad though you will see really bad wear on the rocker from it smacking and would be very loud.

 

[FR-425]

Poor a bottle of "Motor Honey" in it... I know this stuff is crap....

However it will temporarily quiet noisy valves.

Use it Just as a test to see if you indeed have valve clearance issues.

If it quiets down then you'll know.

Then dump that crap outa there right away and give her a dose of fresh oil and filter.

 

[zman1995]

Mine used to tick, and I hear and heard tons of others tick, so I've always thought it was just a quirk of the ohv 4 liter motor.