1996 ford ranger XLT pickup 3.0. Just recently tryed to start and heard loud clicking noise from part non fender near battery. Battery had been charged because it lost power for some reason . I take long rides to and from work and everything was fine till next morring.

The clicking noise is due to low battery charge, or a bad battery. Check to make sure the cables are firmly attached, and free of corrosion, as that could cause your problem If you can jump start it, bring it to a parts store, where most offer a free check of your charging system. Either your battery is bad, or the alternator is not charging it. You could have a drain somewhere, which is killing the battery, but check the charging system 1st. If you can't drive the vehicle to the parts store, pull out the battery and bring it to them, they can test it. Let me know if you have any further questions.