Engine ticking, I"m thinking filter, what do you think?

[oilpan49]

1000 miles ago I changed the oil in my 98 Ranger and went to Amsoil Ow30 oil, heard great reviews about it, and at $7.50/qt through my dealer I went ahead with it. This is not the first time it's running synthetic, I ran M1 5w30 SuperSyn prior to that for 5000 miles.

about 2 days ago I changed my restrictive Federated Hastings filter over to the Amsoil filter because I thought it was to restrictive for the engine, yes it was ticking but not as bad as now

I did away with the filter, filled the Amsoil filter 1/2 way with the same Amsoil motor oil that's in the engine and installed it. Ok, it's on, engine is running and no leaks, yay! lol Serious though, it's not leaking and this time the engine souunds great.

Here;s my dilemma After I was confident the filter was ok, oil was topped off, I went ahead for a test run to break it in for the **** of it. I came to a stop sign, let off the gas and what do I hear, ticking like **** !!! Strangely it only does it when you left off the gas to slow down and not when your on the gas. This ticking in my engine is not quiet but it;s not loud either, enough to want you make you do something about it. I'm about ready to say screw synthetic, screw Amsoil, go back to the basics when I had my first car,,,,,,5w30 Castrol GTX and Bosch fitler. Unless any of you have some suggestions I am more than willing to take it and listen. Thank you,,,,AR

[ August 13, 2003, 01:47 AM: Message edited by: Airborne Ranger ]

 

[mf150]

Could be:

Loud Injectors
Exhaust Leak
Piston Slap (common in the F-150 V8's)
Oil Filter Antidrainback valve (had this happen on my 01 4.6L F-150 with a K&N Oil Filter).

Really it could be anything...have you tried a Motorcraft filter, lately to see?

 

[dickwells]

Most likely #2 above.

 

[Pablo]

I think Amsoil filters may be a bit restrictive, but the oil may be an innocent bystander...

I say try the least restrictive filter made for the vehicle....and look at other causes and commonalities.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pablo:
I think Amsoil filters may be a bit restrictive, but the oil may be an innocent bystander...

---

Actually, based on Bob's testing, the Amsoil flowed very well, it was one of the better ones.

This was with cold oil though, so who knows how it would be with hot oil. We'll see when part 2 of his oil filter testing resumes.

 

[oilpan49]

My Ranger has 51K miles on it now. The exhaust does have a leak in it but it's by the muffler. My sisters car does tick though because of a leaking donut gasket by the manifold. Yes I'm sure it's coming from the engine. That's why I went with the Amsoil filter, when I looked at Bob's results of his testing, I thought hopefully the Amsoil filter will help quiet things down in the engine then vs the Federated fitler. My truck has some other things that need to be dealt with as well like, suspension squeaking, muffler is going out not obnoxious yet, tires, and now this tick in my engine

I would really hate to see my truck go to **** so soon

It's a 98 and 51K miles is not very many for it's year. But your right, take it one thing at a time and see what happens. Thanks again guys,,,,,AR

 

[Drew99GT]

Try and use a stethescope or something and listen to your fuel injectors. Many people misdiagnose mechanical ticks and such, that are actually the fuel injectors. On my car, some days they are quiet, other days they tick REAL LOUD; it varies with idle rpm and ambient temps etc.

 

[Gebo]

Swap out the filter and let us know the results.

 

[Mike_dup1]

Are you certain the ticking is coming from the engine?

Noise's are hard to pin down. Often what you think it is turns out to something completely different.

I have seen bad drive belt cause noise that sounds like engine knock. I know someone thought he had engine trouble and said it was a ticking sound from his lifters. It was a small exhaust leak.

You may think its related to the oil and filter but that seems out of the ordinary.

A 1998 Ranger (Pickup?) must have some miles on it. Vehicles develop all kinds of strange noises, its can bother some yet others don't notice a thing.

 

[Ken2]

Ranger,

Only change one thing at a time when diagnosing a problem. And, do the cheaper, easier things first. Start by installing a filter from the dealer. I have no idea if the Amsoil filter, made by Baldwin/Hastings to Amsoil's spec, could be a cause of your problem, but lets assume that the original equipment filter is exactly right for your engine.

If installing the OE filter does not cure the tick, look elsewhere. Don't dump that expensive oil until you've tried everything else it could be.


Ken

 

[Schmoe]

If you don't have a 'scope, use a piece of 2X4 or something solid and put your ear to it. I've had the same problem on my car and was convinced it was the valves, but it was the fuel injectors. Has been doing that for about 3 years now, you just learn to live with it.

 

[Mike_dup1]

I have used a piece of rubber hose like fuel line etc. Many years ago my engine in my Chevy 350 van started knocking on a trip. I would have sworn it was something internal in the engine. Went into a GM dealer fearing the worst, turned out to be a broken spring in the mechanical fuel pump. It cause the lever to rattle around and simulate a rod knock, was a common problem in some GM model fuel pumps.

We had Jeep 4x4 1980's pickup at work. When it idled is sounded like a rod knock. Turned out the be a loose flex plate, another common problem found in these Jeep trucks as the dealer went right to look at the flex-plate (aka flywheel).

So its not always what you think it is. Having a exhaust leak is a big problem that should be corrected before you make judgments that is coming from the engine. An exhaust leak is dangerous, fumes can find their way into the cab of the vehicle and make you sick or kill you. Never let an exhaust system leak go, fix it asap. It can also cause damage to some emissions systems. You need to fix this before you go changing oil and filters searching for ticking.

Another thing about some Fords, they have a metal tube that runs from the rear of the engine down to the exhuast, an emissions feature. These rust away and can cause the noise you mention. It will eventually get worse. I can't tell you if yours has one but a friend had this on his 1993 F150 302 V8.

[ August 14, 2003, 10:35 AM: Message edited by: Mike ]

 

[wulimaster]

I am thinking noisy injector. Put an injector cleaner/lubricant additive in your gas and run a tank through and see if goes away. I use Amsoil PI but there are many other good products.

The Amsoil probably quieted your engine so much that the ticking seems loader now.

 

[NutBuster]

Is the tapping in time with the engine RPM? If so, it's safe to rule out the injectors.

My vote is lifters (if you've got the OHV V6) It's a pretty common noise, and they DO tend to be louder while decelerating. Presumably the oil pressure drops with lower RPM, combined with long oil change intervals have probably gummed them up sufficiently enough to collapse prematurely. Also, running a lighter oil (0w-30) could have exacerbated the problem. I SERIOUSLY doubt the filter could account for that kind of noise.

Also, I don't have much confidence in Amsoil's (or any synthetic's) ability to last through extended drain intervals in city vehicles. I maintained a small fleet of S-10 trucks that ran Amsoil and the engines sludged up long before they should have...big time.

Anyway...if switching to a 5w30 doesn't work, you may need something to run through the system that can get the varnish/gum off the lifters. That will also help if you've got sticking valves...those can cause a tapping concerto as well. I've had good luck with Blaster products in the past, but I'm sure there are even better things out there these days.

 

[Drew99GT]

Exhaust leaks that are bad enough and close enough to the motor can and will bend valves, and then burn the valve up. Happened to my buddies 89 5.0 Mustang, but he did "enthusiastically" drive it with the exhaust leak.

 

[Draftmaster3]

I know this may sound dumb!!! but the same thing happen to me , i own 89 s-10 320k 4.3 on it ( and i use hasting filters i think they are the best)but what happen was the driver side back spark plug came loose, and that was my problem hope it helps?

 

[oilpan49]

Thanks for the help everyone, I feel better now that I have some responses on this thread to help me out. I really hate to swap out the Amsoil filter for something more restrictive, motorcraft for instance according to bob's oil filter thread. It's worth a shot though?? If that doesn't help, then run some fuel injector cleaner, Amsoil PI for instance. Although I was never was fond of injector cleaners, fuel cleaners, oil addtives, never saw or felt any difference and I tried several of them. My exhaust leak is by the muffler, not by the engine, way back there so I"m not real hyped about it. So first things first, Injector cleaner, next filter, which really bugs me, $$$$$$$ next, live with it, lol I'll keep everyone updated,,,,,,AR

[ August 15, 2003, 06:53 PM: Message edited by: Airborne Ranger ]

 

[JohnBrowning]

Airborne Ranger, I would not sweat this too much. This is a first rate oil and is not going to cause any damage. While you might hear sounds change with different fluid the fact that it is noisier is not always a sign of trouble. Ford Ranger with the V6 are notorious for noisey lifters!! THey have always been noisey. The 3.0 Colgne engine had this problem and the bored and stroked 4.0L version of this engine has always had this same problem. Every one I know who ones one has this same experince some where between 20,000 - 50,000 miles with very few execeptions. So far the noise does not seem to cause durability issue.

If you are very alarmed about this ask the dealership. If you had a bunch of collapsed lifters then performance would suffer! Thicker oils seem to quite it down but do not elimanate it!

 

[sbc350gearhead]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Drew99GT:
Exhaust leaks that are bad enough and close enough to the motor can and will bend valves, and then burn the valve up. Happened to my buddies 89 5.0 Mustang, but he did "enthusiastically" drive it with the exhaust leak.

---

An exhaust leak has to be within 18 inches of the head to affect the valves....and it has to be one **** of a leak.

 

[joee12]

John Browning is right. I had the same ticking in my 2000 3.0 Mazda Truck. Don't even bother taking it to the dealer either, after two CPUs, a new MAF and new plugs, wires and coil, the thing still ticked. This is a known problem with the 3.0 engine. -Joe