4.0 motor making ticking noise at idle

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Jan 8, 2018

kphares

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Joined: Jan 2018

Posts: 2

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From: Toney Alabama

4.0 motor making ticking noise at idle

I have a 02 Ranger xlt with the 4.0 SOHC motor. A couple weeks ago I changed the oil in my truck and a couple days later I came home from work and noticed smoke pouring out from under my hood. I had a bad oil leak from the passenger side and it was burning off the top of the headers. I’m not 100% certain but several mechanically incline people that I trust told me I had a leaky valve cover gasket. I bought the gasket but haven’t had the time to replace it yet. Now I’ve noticed a ticking noise coming from the motor at idle. It’s loud enough to hear it over my exhaust which is broken in many places due to a minor wreck several months ago. My oil pressure gauge is where it has always been. What would the issue be? The truck is my daily driver. Should I stop driving it before I cause any major issues? Or is it something small that can be fixed by replacing the valve cover gasket?

Jan 8, 2018

07nhbpsi

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Joined: Oct 2015

Posts: 184

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From: newport, mich

The valve cover gasket won’t fix the tick u hear......are u sure the tick u here is from the engine itself?.. oftentimes an exhaust leak will sound like a leak.....u may wanna replace the valve cover gasket then tackle the exhaust issues u have... very possible that’s where the noise is coming from.....

Jan 8, 2018

Tsquare

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Joined: Aug 2017

Posts: 200

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From: xxx

I agree. A tick can come from a number of sources. It could be a valve, lifter, valve guide, injector, cracked exhaust manifold, or a number of other things. This is where an engine stethoscope will come in handy (a long screwdriver with the handle pressed to your ear listening to various parts while the engine is running).

Jan 13, 2018

Fastcubesolver

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Joined: Feb 2016

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From: Lowell, MA

They also make automotive stethoscopes, Harbor Freight has them for under $5. They are amazing, and make pinpointing sounds/lack thereof very simple. I had a ticking coming from my engine area, and I was low on oil. I topped it off, ticking went away. My friend who was a mechanic recognized it as dry valves clicking.