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In the morning when starting my truck the engine valves tap due to the oil settling. It takes a few seconds before the noise stops. The recommended oil weight is 5W-20.
Be careful when getting away from recommended oil for these modular engines.
The tapping? Is it a hollow "slapping" noise or is it a light tick?
Piston slap is common - I've had it intermittent for awhile now, but I have the V10, which is not that much different. My son has a 5.4 that slaps occasionally.
Ticking might be an injector.
The best thing to do is get an opinion, then another, by someone that can actually hear the noise…and knows something about these engines.
My 99 sd F250 90000 miles .Just started tapping when you first start it for about 5 mins. then goes away . i took it to the dealer and had it checked They said they could not find anything wrong.
In the morning when starting my truck the engine valves tap due to the oil settling. It takes a few seconds before the noise stops. The recommended oil weight is 5W-20.
Does anyone else noticed this?
Let me know what you think.
2003 F250 Super Duty 5.4L
What brand of oil are you using? 10,000 miles on my '04 and every morning, even -18 mornings, I don't hear anything but a nice tight engine starting up. I don't think you should be getting the valve tapping or piston slap. I have had plenty of vehicles including my 85 and 89 F250s that I still have, that have done that, but I don't think your 5.4 should be. The only difference between now and zero miles on mine is the exhaust sounds a little beefier because the muffler finally is breaking in. I use Mobil 1 0w20 and love it. I've said this before, but I'll repeat, I don't suggest swapping from non-synthetic to synthetic on a higher mileage engine. Too many problems....