First noticed this problem about two years ago when I was hauling a trailer full of stuff to college. I had hauled many things before with no problem. However on my way to college i noticed I was having a hard time pulling the trailer which had previously been no problem. It seems like there is a loss of power. Also when I accelerate there seems to be a ticking noise coming from under the hood. The ticking noise is always present (pulling a trailer or not). If anyone has any idea what is going on I would appreciate there input. Thanks

 

Going to a thicker oil may help.

 

The ticking is caused by the lifters not getting sufficient oil. This happens on almost any high mileage engine (not sure how many yours has). The sludge builds up & causes less oil to reach the top end. The lifters themselvs have little springs in them & when they don't bounce back right away the rocker arm will 'tick' against the push rod.

This is not really a serious issue & won't cause any damage.

You can use thicker oil (maybe a 20w40 or 20w50, but that won't work in winter - too thick.
You can add an STP type oil treatment or oil honey. They all do basically the same thing - thicker oil sticks better & quiets the lifters down.

You can also add a super lube PTFE oil treatment like Slick50 or motorup.

In the end the only real cure is to pull the top half of the engine apart & rebuild. Seems really extream for a little tick.

 

Exhaust leak could cause it and it can be bad enough were you loose power.