tick tick tick

[99rangerbeast]

I'm at my wits end with this truck. 99 ranger 3.0 with 119g miles. It has been making a lifter tapping noise since i bought it. When i purchased it i had to replace head gaskets. Heads have been checked and resurfaced. The lifters were checked at time of repair. After repair still had lifter tick so i changed oil to 20-50 after running seafoam with no effect. I just put new lifters in over the weekend and it is making the same noise. The sound seems to be coming from the front passenger side of the engine. I have a mechanics stethoscope and have listened to the cam sync and it is quiet. The engine runs great aside from the annoying ticking noise. The ticking is most prominent at 1500- 1700 rpms and nonexistant over 2000 rpms. I am guessing it may be a wrist pin or piston slap although it sounds too high pitch to be a knock. Any ideas?

 

[JJONES8527]

mine had a tick it was one of my fuel injectors!!!

 

[99rangerbeast]

This doesn't sound like an injector. sounds like a high pitch metal tapping noise like a lifter but i know i have good lifters now. i may swicth to synthetic to see if it quiets it any. i do not want to do another tear down.

 

[Rifleman]

As a test, run a tank or two of some higher octane fuel in it, see if it is predetonation due to improper tuning or over-rated fuel in your area. My dad's 99 3.0 is the same way, higher octane fuel cures it.

I haven't yet had any time to investigate how we can retune the truck, pulling a couple degrees of timing out throughout the full band. (distributors were nice weren't they)

 

[fourwheelford]

God a hate ticking, I have driven a honda for the last 2 years so ticking is fact of life, Im amazed my truck doesn't tick but the injectors are noisy and its a 2000 3.0. It does have a bottom end tick that seems to be normal but its still annoying, a rod knock would be really noticable,but I would try to stethoscope the injectors even though you may not think its coming from there, just to eliminate that part. Its just seems odd that with all that work its still there. Good luck to you chasing noise gremlins sucks.

 

[99rangerbeast]

tried the stethoscope on the injectors. they all seem to be ticking but i think the ticking is carrying through the frame rail from the actual ticking that is actually taking place. i'm leaning toward a wrist pin or piston slap. maybe i'm wrong tho. the truck runs perfect aside from the ticking. pain in the arse