I have a 2000 Ford Ranger. 3.0L with 180K miles and the 5-speed tranny. When the engine is idling, you can hear a slight clattering. When accelerating it gets much louder. Low RPMS and high RPMS, you dont hear it as much. But mid range RPMS, especially in 4th gear, the clattering is very loud. Can be heard even over the exhaust which is a side exit with a Thrush muffler. I cannot find anything on what this could be. Thanks for any ideas.

 

3.0l Vulcan engine was not known to have any "clattering" issues, so you are covering new ground here.

And "clattering" is not a common word to use for engine noise, "ticking" and "knocking" are more often used.

But first thing I would do would be to eliminate Accessory noise, things driven by the fan belt, this can also help you localize where engine noise might be loudest, if it is engine noise.

Stone COLD engine is needed for this test
Loosen and remove fan belt from Crank Pulley
Start engine, battery light will stay on, alternator is not spinning

See if noise is gone
If so then shut off engine and start spinning pulleys to find the bad bearing

If noise is still there then try to localize it, front of engine, rear of engine, top of engine, bottom of engine, passenger side, drivers side
Engine bay will be very quiet because fan is off

You can only run the engine for 2 MINUTES!!!, as the water pump is also not spinning

You can repeat the test when engine is stone cold again

 

Clattering was just the first word that came to mind. I would say its a ticking. I did localize it with the fan off and such. The ticking is in the upper end of the engine. Its louder towards the rear, as in towards the cabin. Just at idle you can hear it pretty well. Thanks for the response.

 

"ticking" could be fuel injector or bad lifter


I use a longer vacuum hose, because I have vacuum hose around, lol, as a stethoscope, to listen to fuel injectors, they ALL "tick" when engine is running, but some can get really loud.

So just to take that off the table listen to the 3 injectors on that side of the engine.

If they all "tick" the same then you will need to pull the valve cover on that side of the engine to check rockers and pushrod tightness.

There will be 6 Rockers and 6 pushrods, 3 cylinders with 2 valves each = 6, the lifters are at the other end of each pushrod, so 6 as well for that side of the engine.
The lifters sit on the CAM.
Lifters have a spring inside to hold them OPEN/UP all the way, they each also have an oil passage so oil can flow in while they are open, this helps them from compressing too fast when CAM push lifter up against pushrod.
Since oil is an integral part of these lifter types are called hydraulic lifters

Each pushrod has a hole running down the center, so it is a tube
Lifter has a oil hole in the top that lines up with the hole in the pushrod.
As lifter is pushed up by the CAM the oil in that lifter squirts out the top and flows up that pushrod, as the lifter compresses against spring and oil pressure, so a mini oil pump.

That oil comes out at a hole in the rocker where it sits on the pushrod, and will spray a bit, this keeps valve train oiled and quiet

With valve cover off twist each pushrod with you fingers, if valve is closed it will turn but will be hard to turn.
Now rotate engine 360 deg, one turn of the crank
Check the other pushrods on that side

If you find one that easy to turn then that lifter has a bad spring, known as a collapsed lifter

On the 3.0l I think you can just pull off the lower intake to replace a bad lifter.
On most V engines you also have to pull off the head.

It could be a loose rocker but is very very rare for that nut to back off

 

Yes, the lower intake has to come off to get at the lifters, but the heads don't need to come off.