Problems with my 2.9

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

My 2.9 runs great for 30 mins or so....then it starts ticking horribly, and runs like it isn't hitting on all cylinders....I have changed the spark plugs, wires, distributor cap, rotor button, fuel filter and have checked the cat conv.....Could it be the ignition module, o2 sensor, or map sensor? Which one do you guys think is most likely?

 

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

I have also intalled a manuel oil pressure gauge which is showing between 30-40 psi while the problem is occuring.

 

[Zachalanche]

does your motor have high mileage?
those 2.9's have top end oiling problems as it is. if your engine has seen a lot of bearing wear, it may be having trouble keeping the lifters pumped up. basically what is probably happening is once your oil warms up it thins out and you lose pressure to your lifters as it bleeds past your bearings. The ticking is a result of the low lifter oil pressure. once your lifters go flat (lose pressure) you lose your valve timing and that will definitely cause your engine run like garbage. you could try thicker oil or an oil cooler could help keep your oil thicker. however, if its as bad as you describe, it is probably time for a rebuild.

 

[Z3CHYD]

yea mine ticks to, its a lifter, but my ticking goes away after the engine warms up....

 

[Zachalanche]

yeah, I've noticed the 2.9's also tend to bleed off a little when they aren't running causing them to tick on startup sometimes.

 

[cocoasranger]

Additionally, oiling problems were common, and added to the poor reputation of the North American 2.9. Many poorly maintained or high mileage engines exhibit serious valve train noise. This problem is due to a number of design faults. Valve train oil pressure was entirely dependent upon a supply fed through the two center cam bearings. Even slight bearing wear could cause complete loss of oil pressure to the hydraulic valve lifters, rocker shaft, and rockers. Excessive internal "bleeding" through the half-moon camshaft thrust plate also contributed to this, though this can be remedied by reinstalling the thrust plate in an upside-down position. This condition is sometimes mistaken for ticking fuel injectors. This condition isn't a cause for alarm unless it does it very loudly or after long freeway trips. If it does have the oil pressure checked, it could be low.

Above is from the Tech. section and may be of help.

 

[Zachalanche]

has anyone ever tried flipping the thrust plate? I've read that before, but have never heard of any cases where that has been performed. I'm really intersted to hear if it has worked.

 

[jaymegriffiths]

yeah, I've noticed the 2.9's also tend to bleed off a little when they aren't running causing them to tick on startup sometimes.

mine has this problem also,but usually only after sitting overnight, or on cool mornings. is this a major problem, or can it be fixed easily? if i don't do anything about it will it develop into something big? I would like to dodge a bullet if possible, a little repair that'll save me time definitely is worth it.

 

[Zachalanche]

I've gone the last 90k with the occasional startup tick and no noticeable damage or performance loss. Mine is always worse on cold mornings. I've found that thiner oil at start up decreases the time it takes for the valve train noise to shut up. for example 5w30 will allow your lifters to pump up faster than 10w30. also make sure you use an oil filter with a good drainback check valve.

 

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

Mine has the normal start up tick...it lasts for about 5 mins or so.....What I think I am hearing after 30 mins or so is the valves ticking lack crazy due to loss of power.....

 

[Zachalanche]

"Mine has the normal start up tick" Lol. I love how that applies to rangers. could you imagine saing: "My cadillac has the normal startup tick"

If it lasts for 5 minutes on start up and it's causing power loss when your oil warms up it sounds to me like your engine has seen a lot of wear. I had a 2.9 do exactly that with about 220 K on it. The lifters would clatter horribly once the engine was warm, as a result the valve timing was way off. the engine had no power above 2500 RPM and if you floored it it would just start backfiring.

on my current truck (not the engine mentioned in the paragraph above) I had about 20 seconds of startup tick and once warm the engine only ticked when I ran it really hard. I fixed it with an oil cooler and have been very happy with the results. unfortunately, it sounds like your engine has some pretty severe internal bleeding it may be to late to bandaid your engine in this way.

 

[sweetwaterbroncoII]

How does an oil cooler work and how much are they?

 

[Jspafford]

"Mine has the normal start up tick" Lol. I love how that applies to rangers. could you imagine saing: "My cadillac has the normal startup tick"

If it lasts for 5 minutes on start up and it's causing power loss when your oil warms up it sounds to me like your engine has seen a lot of wear. I had a 2.9 do exactly that with about 220 K on it. The lifters would clatter horribly once the engine was warm, as a result the valve timing was way off. the engine had no power above 2500 RPM and if you floored it it would just start backfiring.

I had about 20 seconds of startup tick and once warm the engine only ticked when I ran it really hard. I fixed it with an oil cooler and have been very happy with the results. unfortunately, it sounds like your engine has some pretty severe internal bleeding it may be to late to bandaid your engine in this way.

How many times does he have to repeat that the ticking on startup is different that what he is trying to describe.

I am thinking you may have a detonation problem.

Although, the truck should go into closed loop long before 1/2 hour, so I don't know why it takes so long to show up.

Lastly, Chevies have the same tick on startup on some of the Vortec motors, GM tell the consumers it's normal also. Not just a Ford thing.

 

[Zachalanche]

Lastly, Chevies have the same tick on startup on some of the Vortec motors, GM tell the consumers it's normal also. Not just a Ford thing.

Wasn't suggesting GM was exempt. I could have put any car in that comment. my point was it shouldn't be normal to have 5 minutes of valve train clatter on startup on any car.



"What I think I am hearing after 30 mins or so is the valves ticking lack crazy due to loss of power..... " doesn't sound like multiple attempts to tell me he's not having valve train noise.

detonation could be possible, in which case we need a better description of the ticking.

sweetwaterbroncoII,
does said ticking that occurs after 30 minutes happen constently and consistently even at idle. or is it only happening under acceleration, certain engine speeds, etc.?

 

[Zachalanche]

How does an oil cooler work and how much are they?

I think I may have mislead you earlier. I was talking about two different engines. my appologies and i have edited that comment.

if your engine has the oiling problems that I think it might have an oil cooler probably wont help. that was a bandaid solution for an engine that was displaying similar symptoms to a much much lesser degree.

first things first we need to figure out if this is a valvetrain noise, detonation noise, or other noise.