I'm looking to purchase a 95 f150 4x4 ex cab. Its a real nice truck with 70k miles on it. It runs nice, everything checks out but one thing. I hear a ticking sound in the engine. It sounds very much like a lifter tick, or maybe an exhaust leak. If its exhaust I'm not too worried. If its a lifter, what am I in for if I buy this truck? Should I skip it and try and find another one? BTW the price is right at 7500 bucks, not too bad in this truck happy town. What should I look at when I go over the vehicle again? It looks like a real PITA to pull a valve cover on that engine, with all the FI stuff over the top of it. Any easy ways to diagnose? What does lifter replacement entail?

Thanks guys

 

at 70k it's most likely just an exhaust leak, the lifter galley is under the lower intake manifold, so it is a PITA. But I would start by looking for hairline cracks in the exhaust manifolds.