Have you noticed a clicking or ticking noise coming from your T6 Ranger engine recently? Has the clicking noise become increasingly loader over time? Does the noise seem out of place and could this be a sign of a component about to fail? Let’s find out!
The clicking noise heard from the Ford Ranger T6 engine is most likely caused by the fuel injectors and high-pressure fuel pump. The injectors are designed to run in split shot mode when idling and at low speeds depending on operating temperature, speed, and load.
There are of course multiple reasons why your engine could be ticking and you shouldn’t assume everything is in order. To accurately diagnose the problem you need to ensure you don’t have anything obviously wrong such as an exhaust manifold leak, low oil, levels, or damage to your tappets, which also emits a ticking/clicking noise that is in sync with the engine RPM.
Also, check your water level. If the water is unusually low, it’s usually a sign you have a water leak and possibly a head gasket leak.
If you are 100% sure all of the above does not apply to you, then we can safely proceed. Let’s first look at a real-world Ford Ranger owner’s experience to get a better description.
Ford Ranger Clicking Noise When Accelerating
User Experience
When I am driving around town, taking it easy on the throttle without the radio on, I can hear two distinct sounds from the engine compartment. I hear the low, throaty sound of the engine and I hear a clicking sound. The clicking speeds up and slows down with RPM and even goes away sometimes (not just when I let off the gas). The interior is very quiet so both sounds get muted a bit but the clicking sound stands out and drives me batty.
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/engine-sound.2734/
Symptoms
Some of the commonly reported symptoms and conditions the noise is most audible are:
- Under Heard under low driving speeds
- Most audible when the cabin is quiet
- Clicking sound emitted from the engine
- Clicking in sync with engine RPM
- Clicking noise Disappears Intermittently
Possible Solutions
As manufacturers produce more fuel-efficient, greener, and more powerful engines, these engines become more and more highly strung and finely tuned. The direct injection system is designed to offer optimal fuel efficiency, reliability, as well as the best performance. It’s a known fact that the direct injection system is generally a noisy design.
It’s partly due to the high-pressure pump, the high-pressure fuel injectors, and the inherent fuel system. Take the ranger to almost any dealership and they’ll have you convinced it’s a design characteristic that needs to be accepted.
Let’s find out exactly why this injection system makes such a racket?
Injector Split mode
Have you ever heard of injector split mode? These injectors operate in this mode when the Ranger is idling and driving under low RPMs. It’s called split mode because a portion of the gas in the injector is designed to exit through a split vent. This basically means that a bit of gas will be vaporized and escape through the split vent.
Direct Injector system
Your Direct Injection system runs at extremely high pressures. My research revealed the pressure on the Ranger pump is as high as 3800 psi. Compare that to port-injection psi which runs at 40 psi. By way of comparison, Toyota’s D-4S system use port injection at lower engine loads and rpm, and direct injection at higher rpm. GM’s direct-injection system can run as high as 1740 psi.
So the major difference in fuel pressure is one reason for the noise level when it runs at these extremely high pressures. Alternating high-pressure flow on and off makes for some interesting noises
Injector rattle
When you hear injector rattle, it could sound very similar to noisy tappets. Constant clicking and rattling, especially at a cold start. Injectors have a limited life span and depending on the grade of fuel you’re using, can either extend or decrease their longevity. Injectors have been known to fail after as low as 40 000 km. The injector could be fouled by contaminants found in fuel. Do your best to use the best grade of diesel available with the lowest amount of contaminants.
Ford Ranger Humming/Whining Noise When Accelerating
Some owners have reported the problem is usually noticeable after starting but disappears after driving for a few minutes. Others reported that it becomes more noticeable when the engine is at full operating temperature and it becomes louder if you allow the warm engine to idle a little while.
If you are hearing a noticeable humming noise from your engine it could be as a result of the pulsations from the oil pump. The Ranger uses a very sophisticated Oil pump that emits audible pulsations as the oil is transferred through the oil pick-up tube and onto the oil pan.
This was a fault on Ford’s side and If still under warranty, the dealership should replace both the oil pan/sump as well as the oil pump pickup.
The new oil pan/sump design has a different stiffness/rigidity and the oil pump pick-up tube has been revised to prevent vibrations from radiating the noise.
The service procedure addresses the problem when the engine is in a hot idle condition as well as cold starting, to recreate the noise.
Resources
https://www.ranger5g.com/forum/threads/engine-sound.2734/
Ford Ranger injectors
Sound dampening
Ford Ranger Fuel Pump
Diagnostics device
Conclusion
Any clicking noise heard from the Ford Ranger T6 engine can be a result of multiple components or issues. In many cases, it can be caused by the fuel injectors and high-pressure fuel pump as it regulates the temperature, load, and engine speed. When these injectors in split-shot mode they tend to make an audible clicking noise.