well so i have heard from many people these motors do tick even after a rebuild howvere if its real loud id havce it looked at by someone other than the mechanic that you claim rebuilt it as for the oil pump their are other ways around lifting the motor out
you could in turn drop the suspension and lift the motor up but not out course in my opinion if your going to all that trouble and you cannot verify that the oilpump was replaced in the past 8 million years id replace it
steve