engine noise

[bwoodfire45]

Ticking sound in my 97 explorer. Engine ticks (or knocks) at the begining of gas pedal travel then goes away, then again as i let off the gas. Also, sitting at a red lite (idle in drive) when at full operating temp, my oil pressure gauge flickers down on the bottom of no oil pressure to little oil pressure until i accelerate, then goes back to normal operating range. Was told by my neighbor that it may be a crank or motor bearing going bad. Not sure. Any ideas?? Thanks

[jonmark1985]

It does sound like that could be the case, but don't get nervous or jumpy, I've been driving my Thunderbird like that for 2 years now. I keep good filters on the car and use 20w-50 valvoline and lucas stabilizer.

[ABE]

Originally Posted by bwoodfire45

Ticking sound in my 97 explorer. Engine ticks (or knocks) at the begining of gas pedal travel then goes away, then again as i let off the gas. Also, sitting at a red lite (idle in drive) when at full operating temp, my oil pressure gauge flickers down on the bottom of no oil pressure to little oil pressure until i accelerate, then goes back to normal operating range. Was told by my neighbor that it may be a crank or motor bearing going bad. Not sure. Any ideas?? Thanks

Does not sound like a major engine part, could be a valve lifter allowing the rocker more travel than it should. This can happen in a good engine with thin oil, old oil, etc. Your engine was probably designed around the use of 10W-30 oil (and heavier weight oils should not be used) and changes around 3,000 miles, but current fuel saving ideology pushes 5W-20 which is too thin for older engines. What oil weight and change schedule are you on?

Your oil pressure gauge may not actually be a gauge at all but a sophisticated idiot light (Crown Vic's have this type of gauge). The sensor is probably set to 6 lbs per sq inch, so a lower pressure drops the gauge off the scale while any higher reading puts it up to normal (its just a switch). If you want to diagnose your engine's health you need to get a true pressure gauge and temporarily install in place of the current sender and hook the gauge up in the car. Oil pressure is spec'd at:
1. 5.0 OHV engine 6 to 8 psi at idle, 35 to 60 psi at 2,000 rpm.
2. 1997 4.6 OHC engine 20 to 45 psi at 1,500 rpm.

Hope this helps.

[Flyingjackal456]

ABE> fuel saving usually recommends 5w30, not 5w20. I would personally recommend 10w40 in the summer and 10w30 in the winter.

It might be a good idea to replace the oil pressure switch ($6 Autozone). I believe it is located next to the oil filter. If the guage is still jumping around let us know. I doubt its a motor or crank bearing, unless the engine it self is practically binding up at idle. It could be the oil pump starting to fail. Please write back with any findings.

[jonmark1985]

Originally Posted by bwoodfire45

Engine ticks (or knocks) at the begining of gas pedal travel then goes away, then again as i let off the gas

Any ticks are more than an oil pressure gauge sender. While the sender may also be bad, I'd almost bet that an internal problem is also evident.

[bwoodfire45]

thanks jonmark1985. I use 10w-30 all year round for thickness. I don't believe in Lucas oil stablizer anymore so I don't use it. The "ticking sound" sounds more in-internal than say, a lifter but I could be wrong. Thanks to you ABE. I am in the process of getting a true gauge and will let you know. I use 10w-30 and change consistantly at 3000mi or before. Thanks also to you Flyingjackal456. It does make that sound when its warmed up and idleing, at the begining of gas pedal travel, and when I let off. No ticking during nominal driving. No binding up in idle at all. Thank alot to all you guys for the help. I at least I have some things to look at now.