I have a 2003 F150 4.6L Triton with 158,000 miles runs great, no noise etc...I only put 3000 miles on it this year and 2500 the year before. It's a second car.
Lady runs a light and turns into my drivers side front end. I saw her and slammed on brakes, but she was already turning into me. Left fender dented, left head light, left tire rubs a little on full turn, but NO damage pushed up into engine.
Here's the PROBLEM.
Truck running fine...bam...get slammed into... on re-start Lifters sound like they are about to come out of engine.
Oil pressure good...not overheating.
Insurance will pay for fender etc...but says no way wreck caused engine noise. It doesn't look like it could have to me either...BUT, the fact is it did...but how?
No one has torn down the engine to look, because Insurance tells me that if they find wear and tear they won't pay if can't be proven the wreck caused it...that means I'll be out $1000+ just to find out what's wrong...with no recourse.
I am an honest person and know the impact caused it some way, but how can I prove it? The body damage is minimal.
RECAP:
1. Running Fine
2. Minimal Collision ($1600-damage)
3. Loud Lifter Clatter, Good Oil Pressure
Anyone have any experience with what may have happened?
Thanks Steve

 

The motor is an overhead cam.
The only way valve clatter would occur is restricted oil flow form the main oil gallery through the oil passage up through the block through the head gasket driver side front of the head or rear passenger side head.
Or the pan took a hit and folded up the oil pump pickup feed tube.
Either way don't keep running the motor if there is little to no oil pressure.
Questions:
Did the oil filter take a hit?
Have you checked oil pressure with a gage?
You should see about 25 psi hot idle and close to 50 at about 2000 rpm.
Are you sure the timing chains are not hitting the case from front damage?
It would all be seen by looking.
If you find any outside damage let it alone and show the adjuster.
If there is damage and the adjuster denies it, you have a legit fight with the insurance company and not settle or accept the settlement until it is acknowledged and some agreement is agreed to.
I would lean on your agent kind of hard if there is more damage showing..
Good luck.

 

Thank you for replying.
I'm not a mechanic...so don't know where to look for timing chain damage. Oil filter appears to be good. The truck starts up fine and the oil gauge ( in the dash) moves right up to normal range.
I had it towed to a tire/garage from Body shop...but the mechanic said without tearing down the engine he could not professionally say that the accident caused the engine noise. He just looked at the minimal body damage and listened to it. Well he was really no help at all...he made his opinion just like everybody else. He did say the oil pick up tool may have been jarred off by impact...but a long shot.
All I know is something had to happen at impact...because that's when the chatter started.
He told me take to dealer. The dealer told me $95 an hour minimum 6 hours to tear down to diagnose.
I drove the truck home 15 to 20 mph for 3 miles. The oil pressure never dropped or temp never went up.
That's the problem. The insurance will pay if it was the wrecks fault and not the result of wear and tear.....but getting a mechanic to agree to that is the key. They look at the body damage and say no way.
So the Ins company has put the onus on me to prove it...but I can't afford for a mechanic to tell me I'm lying about the chatter starting after wreck.
How much work is it to check that oil pick up tube on this engine?
Thank you!
Steve

 

Oil pressure;
The dash indicator is not a pressure gauge.
It is an electric voltmeter set to move to a certain point when the 'SWITCH sensor' closes at about 7 psi.
From this you have no idea what the pressure really is except at about 7 psi or above.
If the valve adjusters (lifters in a push rod motor) don't get enough pressure to pump them up to take up the clearance, the valves will clatter.
Look at the front of your valve covers at the outline for the cam drive gears that runs them off chains run off the front of the crank.
Look at the front cover on the motor and at the side toward the accident damage. If there is damage to that extent you have to see it.
If yes, I would expect it to have damaged one chain tensioner because that is where the one chain is tensioned at..
Also the tensioners are dependent on oil pressure so you can see what the relationships can be.
Low oil pressure = no good pressure to the adjusters and loose cam drive chains. Rod and main bearings are at risk.
At this point the oil pressure HAS to be checked with a regular gauge placed in the port where the sensor is, just above the oil filter to see any positive proof about pressure.
Best I can do to help you see where there might be possible issues.
I agree you have a difficult problem but some one has to look into it or you let the truck set or sell it because it's no good the way it is.
Consulting an attorney might be a consideration but that cost money as well.
Your getting more help here that anywhere else at this point.
I wish you the best.

 

Any update?

 

If it is just a ticking noise that changes with engine speed it could be the EGR Tube. It is on the rear of the Drives side exhaust manifold and goes up to the EGR Valve. That part that connects to the manifold is prone to breakage after 100,000 miles. I would take it to a local garage and explain what happened and ask if they can give a diagnosis without tearing apart the vehicle. A small exhaust like can sound just like lifter noise.

 

Thanks for the input, so far the problem developed into an engine full of schrapnel, I changed the oil and it looked like it was full of glitter. That wasn’t a great sign…so I put it on the trailer, hauled its sorry *** 240 miles to town in APRIL. The dealership claims Ford is back ordered on the 6.2, has done nothing to the truck, and refuses to say whether it’s a warranty issue or or the operation is gonna have to shell out 15k for the new motor they can’t apparently supply. There were 5 or 6 other ford trucks at the same dealer with blown engines-the tech I worked with let that slip -then quickly backtracked when I asked if its been a common issue….

Needless to say, I’m not terribly impressed with Ford right now. Since its snowplow season again and my truck is still out of service.

Regardless, friends with the same motor have had great luck with this engine. I must have gotten a lemon.

 

Your engine damn sure could have cracked the plastic on a timing chain guide during the wreck
That is not common but does happen
Too bad you do not have my State Farn agent
He would cover that and he calls me once in a while about questions like yours
I have seen numerous transfer case issues and trans issues after wreck damage
**** up a rope is a common answer from the bad agents

 

Well shoot, I responded to the wrong thread.... Coulda sworn I was on my original post. Oooops!

 

The way this forum just automatically feeds you into older threads as you scroll down is deceiving.