Your ears can be an important tool in diagnosing automotive maladies. Lee Francis knows this, and the tap dance going on under the hood of his Ranger had him worried:

I have a 1998 Ford Ranger with a 3.0 V6 liter engine, fuel injection, 5 speed trans, power steering, cruise control, abs, and 125,000 miles. It has been making a clacking noise lately when I start it. It only lasts 2 or 3 sec. I’ve been told that it’s probably my relays. It runs fine other than that. Any thoughts? Thanks.

Lee, you're smart to listen to any live acts going on in the engine bay. Based on the limited description you gave, my first guess would be that nothing is wrong. Your Ranger has hydraulic valve lifters. This means that your lifters use oil from the engine to self-adjust, lubricate and soften their action. When you leave your car overnight, all of the oil drips and slides its way to the bottom of the engine. The next time you start it up, the oil has to be pumped back up to the cylinder head. Before it gets there, your valves can give you some ticking, tapping and clacking. If you hear it for more than about 15 seconds, the situation may require some more thought. I'd start with simply checking your oil, low oil levels can cause hydraulic valves to put on a show, too.

I doubt you'll ever hear any of your relays in action, but if you can hear them at all, most of them click only once.

photo CC licensed by flattop341