Knocking

[88Rangernewbie]

Hey y'all . I have a big problem that is driveing me crazy! I have a 2.9 in my Ranger and it has a knock with the push rods I think,I have changed the lifters,push rods.rocker arms,Distribitor. But no matter what I do The Knock is still there! I can't figure it out . I hope that someone can help me with this . The only thing I haven't changed is the heads and valves.

 

[IMenriched]

Hey y'all . I have a big problem that is driveing me crazy! I have a 2.9 in my Ranger and it has a knock with the push rods I think,I have changed the lifters,push rods.rocker arms,Distribitor. But no matter what I do The Knock is still there! I can't figure it out . I hope that someone can help me with this . The only thing I haven't changed is the heads and valves.

considering what has been done already

well hate to be the bearer of bad news...but in all likelihood your crankshaft is most likely the culprit...at the very least the bearings for the crankshaft. or the cam bearings...either case not good news.

sounds can at times transmit and appear to be coming from somewhere else.

If you have access to a magnetic base indicator you can remove the valve cover and check the lift of individual lobes of the cam, both exhaust and intake have the same lift of .375. but this will only see if your cam lobes have wear. you'll need to do this by hand slowly turning the engine over by hand. & checking each lift rod.

I'd be more inclined to check the crank shaft for wear with "plasi-gage"

if it is a real heavy knock...it maybe saying that the crank shaft is cracked
any way you look at it you'll need to dig deeper.

 

[88Rangernewbie]

thank you

considering what has been done already

well hate to be the bearer of bad news...but in all likelihood your crankshaft is most likely the culprit...at the very least the bearings for the crankshaft. or the cam bearings...either case not good news.

sounds can at times transmit and appear to be coming from somewhere else.

If you have access to a magnetic base indicator you can remove the valve cover and check the lift of individual lobes of the cam, both exhaust and intake have the same lift of .375. but this will only see if your cam lobes have wear. you'll need to do this by hand slowly turning the engine over by hand. & checking each lift rod.

I'd be more inclined to check the crank shaft for wear with "plasi-gage"

if it is a real heavy knock...it maybe saying that the crank shaft is cracked
any way you look at it you'll need to dig deeper.

If that is the problem I would be better off just getting a long block and go from there huh. What is the best way to check the crank, do I have to pull it out ? I looked at it when I put the oil pump in it and it looked good,but that prolly isn't enough huh. LOLOpps Sorry you told me how to do it already . Sometimes Im so brain dead . It is just ticking me off alittle Bit.. (The Truck I mean )

 

[IMenriched]

on a economic level...the cheaper route would prolly be to get a engine out of the salvage yard that is running and swap it in and take your chances...or just drive/nurse this one along until it completely grenades... how long that takes is part of the unknown.

yes, to check it correctly, one would remove the engine and have automotive machine shop check it out. they are going to have all the right equipment to do so. check for tolerances and cracks and if the wear isn't to bad, regrind to get it right. For the -do-it-yourselfer, the "plasti-gage" is a thin string of specialized wax basically.

remove a main bearing cap ....place a segment of the plasti-gage across the bearing.... carefully reinstall the bearing cap to the specified torque and then remove the cap again. the plasti-gage is now squashed ...and how flat it gets tells you how much clearance one has for that particular journal, be it a main or rod. Then repeat for each main and rod. this can be done with the engine in the truck...but it is a WHOLE lot better with the engine on a stand. pretty time consuming and bit frustrating and does absolutely nothing to check for cracks or warpage

just a suggestion;
if you're looking to keep the truck and willing to invest into it, both dollars and time. and it sounds like you already have done some of that.....& you want to put a bit more into it, consider swapping in a 4.0 (again one that is running, or better yet, Over Haul a 4.0 then install).

for the dollars you're going to invest into a remanufactured 2.9 long block or short block...would go a long way towards a very healthy 4.0....maybe even cheaper

you'll gain a much larger power band ...a whole new world of aftermarket parts with the 4.0. -vs- the 2.9 with very limited options of bolt on goodies and getting harder to find quality components.

It boils down to how much you're willing to put into your current truck

 

[holyford86]

Hey y'all . I have a big problem that is driveing me crazy! I have a 2.9 in my Ranger and it has a knock with the push rods I think,I have changed the lifters,push rods.rocker arms,Distribitor. But no matter what I do The Knock is still there! I can't figure it out . I hope that someone can help me with this . The only thing I haven't changed is the heads and valves.

If it is the valvetrain causing the noise then chances are that the cam bearings are hosed. It is wear in the cam bearings that causes the signature 2.9 "tick" and no matter how many sets of lifters you put in it the sound will still be there. Unless the engine has been run without oil or hydrolocked I find it hard to believe that it would be a rod or main bearing knock. I had a 279k 2.9 that I pulled from my ranger and it had no knock or tick it just smoked from bad valve seals. I drove it like i rented it every day and it never missed a beat. I have worked on 2 others that were raced multiple times in a tough truck competition and ran at 6500 rpm for 3 minutes plus without letting off and they still run strong with no knock.

 

[88Rangernewbie]

If it is the valvetrain causing the noise then chances are that the cam bearings are hosed. It is wear in the cam bearings that causes the signature 2.9 "tick" and no matter how many sets of lifters you put in it the sound will still be there. Unless the engine has been run without oil or hydrolocked I find it hard to believe that it would be a rod or main bearing knock. I had a 279k 2.9 that I pulled from my ranger and it had no knock or tick it just smoked from bad valve seals. I drove it like i rented it every day and it never missed a beat. I have worked on 2 others that were raced multiple times in a tough truck competition and ran at 6500 rpm for 3 minutes plus without letting off and they still run strong with no knock.

Well holy ford , I put a new cam in it not to long ago. but could I change the bearins out myself or do I have to take it in ? Well you see I wanted to take the truck and turn it into a show truck,so ya I will put the money in it . Does a 4.0 bolt right into my 88 Ranger? Same question about wiring harrness? But isn't my engine darn near rebuilt now LOL ?

 

[IMenriched]

Well holy ford , I put a new cam in it not to long ago. but could I change the bearins out myself or do I have to take it in ? Well you see I wanted to take the truck and turn it into a show truck,so ya I will put the money in it . Does a 4.0 bolt right into my 88 Ranger? Same question about wiring harrness? But isn't my engine darn near rebuilt now LOL ?

well no putting cam bearings is best left to a good machine shop...they'll have all right tools and instruments to do it right.

as far as a 4.0 swap goes there is GREAT info in the tech library.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion.html
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion2.htm

 

[88Rangernewbie]

This won't beat me

well no putting cam bearings is best left to a good machine shop...they'll have all right tools and instruments to do it right.

as far as a 4.0 swap goes there is GREAT info in the tech library.
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion.html
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/4L_Conversion2.htm

I'm Changeing The Rocker Arm Shaft as soon as they get here ( should be Tuesday ), cause I was told that could make Rockers and Lifters dry and then they would start to make noise. Oh one more thing, when I let off the gas to shift it sounds like someone just dumped a bag of marbles in the engine. Does that help at all?

 

[IMenriched]

I'm Changeing The Rocker Arm Shaft as soon as they get here ( should be Tuesday ), cause I was told that could make Rockers and Lifters dry and then they would start to make noise. Oh one more thing, when I let off the gas to shift it sounds like someone just dumped a bag of marbles in the engine. Does that help at all?

timing chain...or rather the timing gear loose. possible wrist pin on the piston wear?? fly wheel loose?? just tossing thoughts

In any case ...that doesn't sound good

 

[88Rangernewbie]

thank you

[/QUOTE]

timing chain...or rather the timing gear loose. possible wrist pin on the piston wear?? fly wheel loose?? just tossing thoughts

In any case ...that doesn't sound good

Well, I just put new Timing Chain and gears in it Saturday while I was waiting on my parts to come in ...... so we will see if that gets rid of the Marble problem. Well I guess I could play with the marbles while I'm driving. Thank you to all of you with all the ideas, I'm glad I found this site. You are all great people,with all your help I WILL get it running right again. Thank you all ! Oh btw, where is this notch in the rocker arm shaft? I can't find it on the new or old shaft. BTW IMENRICHED I love your quote,so true, sad, but true.