1983 bronco II what is this noise

[mightysonofa]

I have a 83 bronco II with the stock 2.8 and a 4 speed man trans it is 4x4 I have has this about 3 years and its been a very good little vehicle I did the dura spark swap and new carb new drive shaft new coil over shocks new exhaust other than that every thing is stock ,all the time ive had this truck the lifters have been a little loud but nothing abnormal and I always change the oil every 3 months I have always used synthetic oil because it does at times when at idle smoke a tiny bit but not very often it has 127k on it I have been towing a small trailer with my lawn mower with it for the past year and a half, the most it could be is maybe 700 lbs with the trailer ,now my bronco II is making a strange sound , it sounds like really loose lifters at take off and when it first starts. you don't hear it at idle ,or if you rev the engine. it don't change if your holding the clutch down or not but I have noticed that it only makes the noise when accelerating in forward gears if I put it in reverse and gas it hard it will just burn the tires off but no noise soon as I take off in first gear the noise is bad sounds just like lifters but it sounds lower under the vehicle or maybe it just sounds this way from inside the truck ,it is not running any different at all no lag no misfires nothing ,it almost sounds like the starter is rubbing the flywheel or something ,.. any ideas?

 

[wildbill23c]

Ugg, the horrible what's that noise problem. I have a horrible valve train noise in my 84 B2 which is normal. If you are having the noise only in certain gears I'm guessing its transmission related.

Maybe something else to think of too is your transfer case. Are your hubs engaged? If they are you may be hearing the chain in the transfer case slapping the inside of the case due to the chain being worn out and too much slack.

Transmission issue could be bearings, worn input/output shafts. I had a horrible knocking or grinding noise for a while in my bronco 2 and had a shop dig into it and one of the bolts had fallen out of the flywheel and was banging around the bell housing. Could possibly be you have the same issue, I'd definitely start looking because you don't want that stuff banging around in there if it lodges itself in there somewhere it can cause severe damage to the flywheel, clutch etc.

Other than those things I'm not sure what it could be.

 

[jhammel85]

That's an odd problem. To me, you might be right about something like the starter making noise. I would start by going underneath and messing with a few things and poke around a bit.

Other than that, Try changing the oil in the trans to see if that helps. The oil might tell you something. To me, it might be that the gears aren't meshing as they should and somethings up but I'd just start with the simple stuff. Just make sure you use the correct oil for the trans, it might be ATF?

 

[wildbill23c]

84 ranger/B2 manual trannies use gear oil, 80W-90 if I remember correctly. If its low on fluid its gonna cause problems, and prolonged lack of fluid will cause permanent damage.

 

[mightysonofa]

I only have 15 lbs. of oil pressure @idle

 

[PetesPonies]

15lbs of pressure is fine at idle.

 

[mightysonofa]

bronco II 2.8 noise

15lbs of pressure is fine at idle.

I took it down the road to a local shop he told me the engine is supposed to have 30 psi at idle and because of this the engine is bad that the cam bearings are most likely worn cause the excessive lifter noise ,where can I find a chart with oil pressures my all data only shows oil pressure at 2000 rpm what is normal at idle Ill check it my self

 

[wildbill23c]

That mechanic is trying to get money out of your pockets. There's nothing wrong with the engine. Oil pressure at idle should be around 12-15psi no where near 30psi at idle. Don't know what that "mechanic" is smoking but he is wrong.

 

[kimcrwbr1]

If the oil pressure needle moves up at all at an idle I wouldnt worry too much about it. The noise could be an exhaust leak also as the engine flexes it makes the crack bigger. Pull the flanges apart and put in new doughnuts if applicable or just tighten the bolts. Be careful they may be old and brittle soak them good with PB blaster overnight if the dont turn very easy then heat the nuts with a torch just prior to tightening or loosening. GL

 

[vwa1]

"I have noticed that it only makes the noise when accelerating in forward gears if I put it in reverse and gas it hard it will just burn the tires off but no noise soon as I take off in first gear the noise is bad..."

Does that year have the CV style rear drive shaft? They make some god-awful noises when they go bad.

 

[PetesPonies]

Trust me, 15 lbs at idle is fine. That's why I told you this . . . see sig

 

[wildbill23c]

"I have noticed that it only makes the noise when accelerating in forward gears if I put it in reverse and gas it hard it will just burn the tires off but no noise soon as I take off in first gear the noise is bad..."

Does that year have the CV style rear drive shaft? They make some god-awful noises when they go bad.

My 83 B2 has that CV style shaft, not sure if its supposed to but that's what it came with. Don't know who had the idea that CV joints should be used on a drive shaft but it's on there.

 

[PetesPonies]

And why do you keep referring to it as an '83?? 1984 was the first model year. Whether yours was built in the last part of 1983 or not, doesn't make it an '83.

 

[wildbill23c]

IDK, For some reason I typed 83, yes its an 84, it was built in 1983 for the 1984 model year as in when they were first released was 1984. A lot of people look at the build date and assume its an 83.

Also my local tire/alignment shop says there's 4-5 different engines available for the Bronco 2 for 1984. What are those different engines?

Wasn't the 84 B2 only available with the 2.8L V6 or a very rare Diesel version?

 

[PetesPonies]

you are correct, the 2.8 and the never seen diesel.

 

[mightysonofa]

2.8 noise

"I have noticed that it only makes the noise when accelerating in forward gears if I put it in reverse and gas it hard it will just burn the tires off but no noise soon as I take off in first gear the noise is bad..."

Does that year have the CV style rear drive shaft? They make some god-awful noises when they go bad.

yes it has the double shaft and it is new the sound is coming from under the hood and I was also thinking it could be a exhaust noise because like some one said the engine will twist under a load in drive but will maybe not in reverse ill check the exhaust manifolds first them babies are rusty like crazy you can hardy get a socket on the any more .thank you for your input

 

[mightysonofa]

83 bronco II

And why do you keep referring to it as an '83?? 1984 was the first model year. Whether yours was built in the last part of 1983 or not, doesn't make it an '83.

your right it is a 84 model year sold in 1983 I just made a mistake thanks

 

[mightysonofa]

tonight ill open the hood in the dark and rev it up and see if I see a flame any where

 

[kimcrwbr1]

My muffeler guy has a special tool for diagnosing exhaust manifolds for leaks it it a long vacuum tube taped to a soft copper wire with the tube open at the end. he can bend it to get to the tight places. Put your ear on the end of the vacuum tube and the closer you get the louder the ticking. Its the same for vacuum leaks the closer the louder the hissing. Allways be careful of moving parts!

 

[wildbill23c]

you are correct, the 2.8 and the never seen diesel.

So I looked around and when I go to the NADA guide to see what my B2 is worth it lists the following engine choices:

Diesel
2.8L V6
302
351
460.

I want a Bronco 2 with a 460 LOL. The local tire shop has the same engine choices. I don't even think the full size bronco was ever built with a 460 I know they had either a 302, or a 351, and I believe a Straight 6 as a base engine, but never saw a 460 in one.

Anyone know why those would even be engine choices? I mean I understand that people have swapped in engines aftermarket, but those weren't even production engines put into the Bronco 2's from the factory.