Need help, loud, high-pitched ticking noise coming from engine.

[Matthias Thompson]

Grace and Peace, fine people of the station.
Recently, I have been working on my Bronco 2, replacing the fuel tank and the fuel sender. Now it is running better than it was... however, it still seems to lack power and feels sluggish with power and rpms. So I started to do some digging and noticed a high-pitched ticking coming from the engine. At first, I thought it was just the lifters not getting oil and would stop when warmed up. But I ran it for about 15 minutes to warm it up, and the ticking was still there.

So my question is: is the ticking coming from the lifters or the injectors? If it is the injectors, what would be the best course of action short of replacing them? Thank you.

 

[franklin2]

2.9's are famous for poor oiling under the valve cover. You may want to run a can of rislone in it for a couple of months before you change the oil.

 

[gaz]

@Matthias Thompson
Do yourself a favor, remove the complete rocker arm assembly and push rods. Perform a serviceability inspection, if serviceable, then completely clean all components...especially inside the rocker arms.

After completely clean, open the oiling holes in both the rockers and the arms one machinists drill bit size up. After opening the orifice, put a chamfer on the new holes, deburr and buff.

Perform a proper hydraulic lifter preload adjustment and experience a nice quiet 2.9l, probably running more efficient too :
• oiling improved
• proper lifter preload
• heck, ∆ the oil and call it a 3fer!!!

 

[Matthias Thompson]

I guess a follow-up question would be, if there is rust in the fuel rail (I found some), would the injectors need to be cleaned or changed? Also, what's the largest tire you can fit on the Bronco 2 without rubbing?