Can't get ticking in top end to stop!!!

[PRTfabman]

Okay, i've been playing around with the valve lash adjustment on my 89' 2.9l ranger and i just cannot seem to eliminate this ticking. I adjusted each cylinder's rocker arms by following the TDC of each cylinder in firing order 1 4 2 5 3 6. Adjusting pushrod 1 1/2turns after the rod became snug. I found 2 bent pushrods when adjusting which i then replaced with spare pushrods from my parts Bronco. Now i do have a crack in my cylinder heads which i have new World heads on the way. But what would continuously cause this top end ticking? All rockers are now in proper adjustment, could the 2 bent pushrods cause a valve spring to not rebound properly? Is it posible to have very sticky clicking valves due to the coolant in the oil? I don't want to spend the money on new heads just to see this ticking continue, any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Spitfire1975]

you have a cracked head, coolant in the oil......and you are worried about the 2.9 lifter tick?

 

[PRTfabman]

Thanks for the smart ass comment, i'm trying to troubleshoot issues and find out whether a head swap is worth it if i can't fix the problems i have. Don't reply if your going to be a dick.

 

[Spitfire1975]

Just about every 2.9 has a ticking in the top end. It is, like I said before, more than likely the lifters. If yours is worse maybe it's because you have a cracked head and coolant in the oil. There's not a hell of a lot to troubleshoot. It wasn't a smart ass comment, it was a smart ass answer.

 

[BlackBII]

This thread made me laugh already.

If you have coolant in your oil, then you are not getting proper lubrication. Lifters are going to tick without proper lubrication.

You should fix the cracked head/blown headgasket before worrying about a silly ticking of the lifters.

 

[Big Jim M]

Thanks for the smart ass comment, i'm trying to troubleshoot issues and find out whether a head swap is worth it if i can't fix the problems i have. Don't reply if your going to be a dick.

Ok I'll try not to be a smart ass.. But your posts leaves me little room.

First off how do you KNOW you have a cracked head?
How much coolant is still on the oil?
How long have/do you run it with coolant in the oil?
Why think about NEW heads when used ones are all over the place?
When did the top end noise start?
Is the noise from ALL lifters?
Big JIm

 

[mini274]

2.9s TICKING CANNOT BE STOPPED, it inevitable (im using big words today) a head change might help but not fully stop the clicking... to a certain extent every pushrod motor will have some sort of clicking... get the atifriz out of the oil be for worse things happen to a good motor tho...

 

[Spitfire1975]

and hey (not try to be an ass here) it was kinda a dumb question....but don't take the answers so personally. Not speaking for any one else here, but I know I ask dumb questions all the time. I expect to be called on it. Or do stupid shit. Like trying to figure out why the truck isn't right after timing it wrong and having it set, with advance, at 50* BTDC.

Fix your heads.

 

[Epixstar]

the 2.9 are just old noisy motors you will never get rid of that tick if you do your just covering it up.

 

[Psychopete]

Why think about NEW heads when used ones are all over the place?

He is on the right track in my opinion. Used stock heads are junk and he will end up right back where he started with another set that's prone to fail. Even the "upgraded" ones from Ford are prone. I'd spend the extra on new heads and only have to do it once, adds up when you include having a machine shop check old heads, plus gaskets and head bolts. Cracked heads can also be an indication of a cooling system in poor condition which caused some overheating.

If the water has been in the oil for some time, it's likely that the engine is about on it's last leg. That same thing happened to me and I rebuilt the engine and used brand new heads. My old bearings were smoked from the coolant and an even lower amount of oil was getting to the valve train. But that engine came back out, I couldn't restrain myself from putting a V8 in. Still have my old heads ("new", not the cracked).

Pete

Edit: Also be careful trying to adjust the rocker arms, a little too loose is better than too tight because the valve will stay open and burn up.

 

[Spitfire1975]

Then again, if the ticking bothers him so much he doesn't want to fix a major problem and still hear the tick, then he needs to get a completely different motor.

 

[90B24wd]

2.9s TICKING CANNOT BE STOPPED, it inevitable (im using big words today) a head change might help but not fully stop the clicking... to a certain extent every pushrod motor will have some sort of clicking... get the atifriz out of the oil be for worse things happen to a good motor tho...

Yes it can be stopped. ( If your heads are not cracked)

First thing is make sure you have proper oil flow.
Use Motorcraft oil filterFL-1A, dump the Fram filter if you have one on now.
Check your rocker armshaft if it's clean and no sludge build up.

 

[PRTfabman]

My apoligies to Spitfire for my own smart ass comment.

 

[Spitfire1975]

No problem fabman. I really don't take things personally. It's a forum. It's easy for everyone to get out of whack.

 

[PRTfabman]

I've noticed i've been losing a litre of coolant every 75kms or so, plus idling. I haven't been driving it hard at all. I've driven with the white smoke in exhaust for about 3000kms. What compression numbers would indicate that the bottom end has been heavily damaged from the coolant? What numbers would be acceptable?