2.9 tick

[ford_2.8]

it is confusing me some times the old s.o.b will tick and some times it wont why?i know is caused by oil pressure but why does it only do it sometimes?

[MAKG]

Oil pressure isn't constant. It goes up with RPM and down (a lot) with oil temperature.

It's also possible you aren't listening to 2.9L lifter tick. A lot of people will assume that every noise is the lifters. Any reciprocating part of the engine can tick, including solenoids (such as fuel injectors), pistons, loose rocker arms (2.9Ls are adjustible), and so on. Even an exhaust leak right at a head port can sound surprisingly similar to a tick (then, it will depend on throttle position, temperature, load, and a bunch of other things).

[ford_2.8]

thanks ill try to adjust the lifters but it does it weather its at rev or idle but then it dont so idk ill try adjustin them cause i didnt know fords were adjustable.

[SuperRob]

2.9L engines dont have adjustable lifters.

[MAKG]

2.9L engines dont have adjustable lifters.

Oh yes they do. It's the 4.0Ls (and I think 2.8Ls) that don't.

There is a nut on the end of each rocker you can turn. It's not on a stud like on SBCs, so you can't do it with the engine running. Ford says two turns past zero lash, but quite a few folks try less than that.

[SuperRob]

Sorry, My misunderstanding of what he was talking about...or of terminology. I would have called them adjustable rocker arms but like I said....my misunderstanding. I do know that they have Hydraulic lifters though right....thats why they tick. because the lifter more or less collapses due to air in it?

[MAKG]

Yes, I believe that's the lore. If that's really what's causing it, adjustment won't help.

Though 2.9Ls do also develop low oil pressure due to weird oil distribution design (cam bearing wear). It's also in principle possible for the adjusting nut to back off.

Don't overtighten that nut. A little tap is FAR better than a burnt valve.

[almostclueless]

I don't believe all 2.9's (if any) had adjustable rockers...

[ford_2.8]

will it hert to run it with the lifters tapping or does it need a oil pump

[ford_2.8]

your right on the almostclueless because ford dealer even says they are

[MAKG]

will it hert to run it with the lifters tapping or does it need a oil pump

An oil pump will not fix the problem. If you have low oil pressure, you will only fix it by rebuilding the bottom end.

Pumps make volume, not pressure. You get low pressure because the clearances have widened and the oil has too-easy a time getting through them.

A little bit of tapping is probably irrelevant except for the sound. Very loose rockers might damage the valves by pounding the stems excessively, and the valves won't open all the way. But the rockers are on shafts -- not ball pivots like Chevies -- so you don't have the SBC risk of missing the valve stem with the rocker (this is serious -- it can pop out the keepers and drop the valve into the cylinder -- and I've seen SBC cylinders with three valve guides in them....).

Valve clatter at high RPM is very serious. A little tap at idle isn't. The engine can last for many years that way.

[ford_2.8]

well i put a oil gauge on it it runs at warm idle about 10 and goin down the road about 45 is that ok or does it need a oil pump?

[MAKG]

I'll say it again. An oil pump will not fix your problem.

Without knowing what RPM "goin down the road" is, we can't possibly have any idea if it is OK. The spec is 40-60 PSI fully warmed at 2000 RPM.

[ford_2.8]

i didnt even think about the rpm. it holds 40psi at 2000 rpm but at idle about 700 rpm it holds very low like 10 psi

[MAKG]

If it holds 40 PSI at 2000 RPM, it's in spec.

It is absolutely normal for the pressure to go down at lower RPM.

[2manyfords]

10psi at idle is still kind of low isn't it?

Was the engine completly warmed up when you did the oil pressure check?

I've had a 2.9L loose oil pressure after a few miles down the highway once "everything" was up to operating temperature.

[ford_2.8]

thanks for the response i feel alittle better but im worried about the low oil pressure at idle or is it ok?10 at idle when warm

[MAKG]

I'd worry a bit more about the 700 RPM idle.

Spec for a 2.9L is 800 RPM for manual transmission, 900 RPM for automatic. Is the base timing off?

Oil pressure is generally proportional to RPM, so something is a bit off. It's kinda hard to make a system where the pressure falls faster than that. If it's really 15 PSI, it's in proportion.

[ford_2.8]

can you turn the idle up any?

[MAKG]

If you can, it's broken.

2.9Ls have a thing that looks like an idle stop screw. It's NOT that. It's an adjustment for the TPS (should be ~1V with the key on and throttle closed). It won't affect the idle speed for more than a very short time.

Run the self tests and check base timing. There are a handful of problems that can cause incorrect or unsteady idle. Most of them are pretty simple to repair.

[ford_2.8]

well i put oil pump rod and main bearings and it still has low oil pressure at idle?id say 7 to 10 pounds at 800 rpm's

[Natedog]

i didnt even think about the rpm. it holds 40psi at 2000 rpm but at idle about 700 rpm it holds very low like 10 psi

That is probably fine...similar to what I've seen em run at before. What weight oil are you using and what was the ambient temperature at the time?

[ford_2.8]

well today the oil pressue is at 25 at idle/700 rpms at 190 and 60 psi at 2000 so im pretty happy and the tick went away so i guess its good for now unless there some problem areas i can fix before somethin bad happens.

[ford_2.8]

i ahte to bother everyone again about my p.o.s but it started the same thing again it wont hold no oil pressure and the lifters wont pump up so its missen so can someone give me an idea?

[rickcdewitt]

if its like my truck it ticks for less than a minute on cold start up if you dont drive it for a couple days.its more than likely that a little oil is draining back to the pan from the oil passages and your old worn lifters dont like it.combine that with enlarged cam bearing clearance and it takes a little bit to build pressure.the pressure regulator on my truck also ticks loudly im more worried about that as ive heard you can drive a long time with the start up lifter tick.new lifters might help but i wouldnt tear it down unless they were noisy all the time.

[ford_2.8]

there is a oil regulator? mine it dont tick when cold but when it warms up and when it warms up the lifters bleed down im guessing and the the valves wont open so then it wont hit in that cylinder. im just wonderin whats wrong.:temper:

[ford_2.8]

anybody got an idea?

[RadDadsRanger]

Had the same problem with a 2000 Hyundai Elantra 2.0L 4 banger. Checked all over to figure out what was clicking. Finally, while checking the plug wires, I noticed that when I pushed down on No. 1 plug wire with engine running, the ticking stopped. Sure enough, the plug had apparently not been torqued down enough, and it had backed out of the plug hole enough for the compression to blow out around the plug, making the ticking sound. Tightened the plug, and all was fine. Never backed out again.

As MAKG so wisely advised me once, don't overlook the obvious before digging too deeply and randomly replacing parts. :clapping:

[BobR]

there is a oil regulator? mine it dont tick when cold but when it warms up and when it warms up the lifters bleed down im guessing and the the valves wont open so then it wont hit in that cylinder. im just wonderin whats wrong.:temper:


yes, its built into the oil pump. there is also a high volume oil pump available from napa for about the same money.

[ford_2.8]

thanks for the help but it does have the high volocity oil pump in it now and its not gettin oil to the top end or somthin cause i had the valve covers of and they were all loose so i tightened them up and they just went back to ticken. when you first start it cold it will berry out the 100 psi oil gauge at idle at 190 degreese it has no oil pressure at idle so i have no ideas besides the top end or maybe the block is cracked?

[Mutant Pony]

well if you changed the lower bearings and didn't gain oil pressure than the problem is probably cam bearings. There is also oil under pressure doing to the heads (shaft rockers). You could have a head gasket leak. There is also a small possibility of a journal plug may have popped out.
Considering the oil pressure I would say that it is probably cam bearings.
The oil pressure is a problem, The ticking is normal for a cologne engine.