All right guy and gals of FTE, I need your help!

Please excuse the length of this post, I just want to make sure the most information is given to you for you to make your analysis.

Okay, so I have a 1979 F100 with a 300 and my engine has been making a ticking noise; it started out to be only at random times and was a quiet noise, but over time, has grown with intensity. Please take into consideration the engine has 155,000 miles on it with no rebuilds. Also, the time at which it happens isn't consistent to a pattern; cold days, warm days, you name it, it does it. But on rare occasion, I'll start the truck up, getting ready to leave work, and she'll just purr, as silent and peaceful as a kitten. After much discussion with people who are more familiar with the 300, I've heard that it may be a "wrist pin" or rocker arms and some others which I cannot remember right now. When I took the truck to a repair shop for some other work about 8-10 months ago, the guy said that he had narrowed-down the knocking/ticking noise to either cylinder 3 or 4.

Any thought, previous experiences, or potential tips to what it may be would be greatly appreciated. Also, if there is anything I should check for, please don't hesitate to post your thoughts. I thought that first I should locate which cylinder it is and go from there. I'm only 17 and limited in experience, so, like I said, if there is absolutely anything I should check for or if something similar has ever happened to one of you, please share.
Thank you for your time,
Scott

 

Forgot to mention, the ticking becomes louder and the interval between ticks becomes less when accelerating.
Thanks,
Scott

 

I'd throw an oil pressure gauge on it. Ticking at idle that goes away as RPMs increase could point to low oil pressure. The only way to know is to measure it; any high-mileage engine needs a set of gauges anyways.

 

Thanks Jeff. Currently, I do not have access to an oil pressure gauge, but I think my boss may; I'll have to ask him. If it is low oil pressure, what is the solution? Anyone else have any other suggestions? Let's hear 'em...

 

Try pulling the spark plug wire for each cylinder one at a time and see if the sound changes this should narrow it down.

 

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...y-driving.html

 

Harte3:
I read the thread you posted; would you or others say that it may be the screen on the oil pump that is clogged? Please remember that the ticking I am experiencing is nearly all the time while the lifter tap that Fordownsall was experiencing was only under highway driving.

Also, another possible cause would be the thickness of the oil. I'll check what the manufacturer recommendation is for my engine, but what do any of y'all think it should be for a Texas climate (Texas is so unpredictable)?

sammie0126:
Thank you for your recommendation; I've heard that once before and will use it to locate the specific cylinder in my spare time.


What do y'all think as far as solutions? Can I now verify that it is, in fact, a lifter tapping and not something else?
Thanks,
Scott

 

There may be a number of things that is causing the noise you hear/experience. I posted that as only one possibility. It might be a lifter itself but without digging into the engine a bit there is only a possibility that you can figure it out from the outside. One thing that can cause a "ticking" noise is a blown donut...the gasket between the manifold and exhaust pipe.

Factory oil spec is 10w30 unless running in a very cold climate.

 

All right, we'll I guess I'll locate the cylinder that is ticking, then put a oil pressure gauge on her, and go from there, possibly take off the oil pan and check the oil pump and screen. How difficult is it to take off the pan with the engine still in the truck?

 

Assuming your truck is a 2WD, you will have a crossmember running under the pan that prevents the pan from dropping. I have the exact same truck. In this case the motor will have to come up to give the pan clearance to drop past the oil pump.

I don't recall if the 300 motor mounts are the same way, but when I did this on a 351W I was able to lift the motor a few inches with a cherry picker, then put wood blocks in between the mounts so that I could set it back down with increased clearance.

Removing the old pan gasket on your back face up is a messy job; bring your goggles. If I ever do this job again, I'll probably pull the motor.

 

Yes, mine is a 2wd and after hearing the difficultly of getting the pan off, I'll talk with my dad and see which option we will pursue in order to fix this problem. I'm guessing after hearing your response that it would be more work to remove the crossmember to be able to get to the oil pan, right? Hopefully tomorrow I'll have the oil pressure gauge and be able to see what is going on within the engine...

 

Sorry guys, I was searching the 1973-79 thread and ran upon this in the tips and tricks thread:

"4X4 oil pan removal trick

On my 73 F-250 with a 460, I had the common problem of getting the oil pan out because of the clearance between the tranny and the cross member. Everywhere I searched, the solution was to jack up the motor to allow clearance for removal. What I did instead is put a jack on the drivers side of the cross member. Jacked it up to unload the suspension, and the pan came right out between the cross member and the axle. Not sure if anyone has done this, but I thought I would mention it. Note, I did remove the oil pump before doing this. Re-install was a PITA but it did work. I put for oil pump in before install the pan, so it made it a little more difficult to work around that but it did work.

Jason"

Although this is a 4wd truck, would this work just as well...I know he said it was a PITA but could it be a possible option? Has anyone ever done this? Also, is it any more dangerous that lifting the motor up to allow for the necessary clearance?
Thanks,
Scott

 

Most manuals say that you simply need to unbolt the engine mounts where they attach to the frame, place a jack under the engine, and lift the engine up far enough to insert at least 1 inch blocks of wood between the engine mounts and the frame. You will need to unbolt the pan, remove the oil pump pick up tube, and then the pan will slide out.

I wouldn't do any jacking between any cross member and the engine. In fact, I can't even imagine this without looking at that '73. Just follow what is in the repair manual and try not to make it any more complicated than it is. I'm about to do the same rod bearing job to my truck and will be following the same procedure as listed in repair manuals. If I were you, I would consider replacing the oil pump while you are in there.

 

I feel the same way, following what the repair manual says because you know it has been done before...also, in response to replacing the oil pump while in there, I think this is a smart idea. I should have an oil pressure gauge on the motor maybe tomorrow, hopefully sometime before the end of the week.
Thanks,
Scott

 

You're welcome. Let us know how it works out.