eightynine4x4
Active Member
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2020
- Messages
- 673
- Reaction score
- 178
- Points
- 43
- Location
- New York
- Vehicle Year
- 1989
- Make / Model
- Ford Ranger
- Engine Type
- 2.9 V6
- Transmission
- Automatic
- 2WD / 4WD
- 4WD
- Total Lift
- 2.5" Suspension
- Tire Size
- 31 x 10.5 x 15
1989 V6 2.9 4x4 automatic
Finally getting a plan together to open up the top end and consider some possible rebuild or at least cleaning and inspection and gasket replacements.
I’ve already addressed a lot of peripherals to the engine in the last year or so, such as fuel/air/sensors/distribution/etc, so probably the issues that remain are due to the engine guts being out of shape or dirty.
The truck actually performs quite well most of the time. I only occasionally lose a cylinder for 10 seconds and it comes back with a little burst of throttle. But the primary issue is the noise.
Here is a 5 second video of the truck after going for a 10 minute spin.
And here is a 5 second video of the truck immediately after startup. Clearly the RPMs are high but that’s just the engine doing it’s job. The ticking is much more pronounced though.
The idle all performs as it should. Startup is reliable, however sometimes it is reluctant to catch. Starter is new. Battery is new and beefy.
Usually the sound completely goes away after a 15-20 minute moderate drive like 35 mph. Then it stays smooth and quiet with just an occasional light tick.
Obviously this sound could be called the classic ticking. I’m hesitant to conclude that the oil pump needs to be replaced or that the cam shaft is blocking oil, because so much of the time it sounds really quiet and smooth.
Others have suggested in this forum that it could be that the top end is gunked up and that openjng it up for cleaning might help a lot. So that’s where I’m at.. getting ready to open this up and figure out how to inspect.
Finally getting a plan together to open up the top end and consider some possible rebuild or at least cleaning and inspection and gasket replacements.
I’ve already addressed a lot of peripherals to the engine in the last year or so, such as fuel/air/sensors/distribution/etc, so probably the issues that remain are due to the engine guts being out of shape or dirty.
The truck actually performs quite well most of the time. I only occasionally lose a cylinder for 10 seconds and it comes back with a little burst of throttle. But the primary issue is the noise.
Here is a 5 second video of the truck after going for a 10 minute spin.
The idle all performs as it should. Startup is reliable, however sometimes it is reluctant to catch. Starter is new. Battery is new and beefy.
Usually the sound completely goes away after a 15-20 minute moderate drive like 35 mph. Then it stays smooth and quiet with just an occasional light tick.
Obviously this sound could be called the classic ticking. I’m hesitant to conclude that the oil pump needs to be replaced or that the cam shaft is blocking oil, because so much of the time it sounds really quiet and smooth.
Others have suggested in this forum that it could be that the top end is gunked up and that openjng it up for cleaning might help a lot. So that’s where I’m at.. getting ready to open this up and figure out how to inspect.