The 4.0 Tick...

[Vikz808]

I got a 91 ford ranger 4.0, had an ongoing tick for a while. Striped the motor down to the heads, replaced rocker arms, pushrods and lifter but no luck....I’m currently ordering a new cam thinking it could be worn cam lobes. Anyone else know how I could solve this problem?

 

[Eddo Rogue]

To remove a tick, I just use a match and tweezers.

If its the kind that goes away as the engine warms up, its supposed to be there. The 4.0 ohv is known for it.

 

[Vikz808]

No, it’s constant.The ticking has faster rhythm as I increase rpm. Changed everything from the lifters, pushrods, rocker arms, and injectors.

 

[MikeG]

Have you tried running it briefly without the serpentine belt? That would rule out if the noise is coming from one of the accessories.

 

[Vikz808]

Have you tried running it briefly without the serpentine belt? That would rule out if the noise is coming from one of the accessories.

No, I haven’t done that yet.

 

[Vikz808]

Update on my progress, I swapped in the new 410 comp cam with 5.550 pushrods. Old cam had a few worm lobes but on startup there was no difference, ticking is still constant. Anyone have any other suggestions on what it could be?

 

[Shadowrider6661]

This is just a "Random Thought". May, or May not help.
The 4.0l are prone to rocker wear. I had mine apart and checked out the rockers, they were worn out, but you couldn't tell unless you turned them over.

 

[BlackBII]

Have you been able to identify if it's just one cylinder? Two? Three? A stethoscope is good for that. The injectors can also be quite loud on these engines.

 

[gaz]

Vikz,

Are the lifters correctly preloaded?

 

[Vikz808]

Have you been able to identify if it's just one cylinder? Two? Three? A stethoscope is good for that. The injectors can also be quite loud on these engines.

I’ll look into that!

 

[Vikz808]

Vikz,

Are the lifters correctly preloaded?

I’m pretty sure, how do you preload them correctly

 

[Vikz808]

This is just a "Random Thought". May, or May not help.
The 4.0l are prone to rocker wear. I had mine apart and checked out the rockers, they were worn out, but you couldn't tell unless you turned them over.

I replaced them not even 1,000 miles before I tore it back apart to swap the cam

 

[gaz]

Vikz,

Sort of a catch 22 situation with the 4.0L, since their valve train isn't adjustable from the showroom floor. There are 2 ways:

1) measure the correct length for your reacement push rods, buy the correct size, then install them
2) buy adjustable push rods in the size range your engine needs to insure correct lifter preload

If you didn't perform one of those methods, odds are it not correct.

 

[Vikz808]

Vikz,

Sort of a catch 22 situation with the 4.0L, since their valve train isn't adjustable from the showroom floor. There are 2 ways:

1) measure the correct length for your reacement push rods, buy the correct size, then install them
2) buy adjustable push rods in the size range your engine needs to insure correct lifter preload

If you didn't perform one of those methods, odds are it not correct.

Correct me if I’m wrong but I thought it wasn’t a good idea to go from stock solid pushrods to adjustable ones. I was thinking about getting some in the beginning but was reading somewhere that it’s not really safe to switch to adjustable

 

[gaz]

Vikz,

Having and adjustable valve train means that every so often I check and reset it; this will account for component wear and required tightness. I check mine every 25kmi-30kmi or as necessary

Without adjustability, if the the lifter preload were spot on, I'd expect 30kmi or so of optimized driving before needing and adjust, that I can not make. This set up seems the a manufacturer's guaruntee for maintenance needs and decreased performace.

I have never had a vehicle/engine that didn't have an adjustble valve train, in fact it is much more common that they are adjustable. Hydraulic lifter preload is tricky enough, to not be able to adjust it, to me is insanity, a guaranteed loss of efficiency and probably undesirable noise.