After an oil change at my local ford dealer, I recently noticed that my F150 was making a much louder ticking noise than just the injector ticking. I called and scheduled a visit. They swear there is nothing that was done during the service visit that could cause the increased noise, but I swear that is when it began.

They called me today and told me there was a TSB on the issue that said to replace both cam phasers and all 24 lifters. I found TSB 06-4-7 here:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/tsb/full...php?tsb=06-4-7

So, they said it would be $1,414 to repair . So I asked the question, what happens if I don't repair? They said it really wouldn't hurt the engine immediately, but may over time. I paid the $70 diagnosis fee and left. I believe all they do these days is run TSB searches.

So - now on to the real brains here. I am not the type to just ignore the noise. I also do not believe they have a clue what is going on. Here are my symptoms:

- Ticking noise that is similar to injector noise, but much louder (even they admit to that).
- Noise only evident at idle.
- No other performance issues - economy stable. Truck runs fine.
- Oil pressure within normal limits.
- Swear it began at the oil change ...............

What would you guys check next? I am very mechanically inclined around engines, just want to make the right moves here. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

the cam phasers are very prone to failing.i would replace them before the lifters.

 

BTW - no trouble codes in the system. Can you please explain to me what the purpose of teh phasers is and how difficult they are to replace. I did find an excellent how to on replacing the cam phasers.

 

I cant believe that. Been workin on 5.4's For a long time.
Either it fails or it doesnt. It aint a "gee i wonder"
99% of the time it is a crankshaft speed noise. (for those of you who dont know the valvetrain runs at half speed of the crankshaft) ((sorry to those who do know))
Usually piston slap (very short skirt on piston) or wrist pin slop.
I have 2 5.4 trucks and both have the same damn noise. One gets quieter after warm. The other just rattles to beat the band. Still fearless. HA
I did notice that thicker oil in one makes the rattle louder (tight yet?)
Look forward to more input.

 

Is it a "tick" or a "tap", and does it ever go away?
JL

 

Everything I have seen thus far indicates I need to work on the cam phasers. The dealership wanted to change both of them and all 24 lifters. The noise does seem to be continuous.......

 

Could be the phasers,but it could also be a failing roller bearing in a follower.
I've seen several instances of this now.
One of them was my own.
JL

 

BTW - I don't know if this matters or not, but this engine has 29,000 miles on the ODO.

 

Mine had ~57K on it when the noise started,and the roller follower failed at 60K.
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/7...r-tapping.html
JL

 

JL,

Is there an easy way to inspect the follower when I have the head off to do the CP?

 

The heads do not need to come off to do the phasers. You can look for any follower that is loose fitting and remove it to inspect the roller for excessive play in the needle bearings.
JL

 

Mine did the same tickign since I bought it new in 04. After several times of being told "that was normal", I took it to a different dealership and they had to replace both cylinder heads. All under warranty. They said it was a scratched cylinder head that was causing the ticking. Who really knows. Now my truck has an occassional rough idle. Thinking about taking it back in.

 

would something like Resoline help the ticking go away?
mine got louder after an oil change as well. maybe I need to go to a lighter oil.

 

Iv never done this before.. But I need some help. I have a 97 F150 4.6. and every time I put it in gear I hear a ticking noice but only when its in gear. It goes away when in N or P... Any idea??

 

I have a similar problem, although it will go away and come back. I also experience a noticable power loss, like a cylinder miss. If I cycle the gas a little bit sometimes it will go away, but when the A/C is on it doesn't go away as easy.

The miss and the ticking I assume are related, but could be different problems. <!-- controls -->