Oil pump is in the timing cover.

The "ticking" that is piston slap sounds like it's just underneath the head. It could sound pretty loud from underneath in a Superduty with all that room. My 4.6L, I stand next to it, and it sounds like it's coming from just below the head. It's certainly not IN the head.

Use the screwdrive test to find the noise.

 

Yea I agree I just did'nt mention that thought since mdpopo59 was sure it was on the very bottom.
MDPOPO59 these trucks are very hard to pinpoint where a abnormal noise is coming from..Heck they usually all make alittle noise that seems strange to me.
Just do the tests and checks and if ya want to talk about it more some of these guys can keep helping you until you find the problem.

 

There is no smoke, no oil burn. The inside of the tailpipe is clean. Ichanged the plugs in November and they were also clean. I use Purolator filters and the Motocraft synthitic blend 5w20. I have never bought an aftermarket oil pressure gauge before. Does it hook up to the factory sending unit?

 

The factory "sending unit" is part of the idiot-light gauge.

To get a real oil pressure reading, you need to either remove the stock sender (switch) or "T" in to it and put in an aftermarket gauge.

I think we'd all suggest a mechanical oil pressure gauge instead of an electrical one.

 

I think that's what it is...I got underneath it on Sunday and that's exactly where it was coming from, the bottom of the head where it attaches to the block. It goes away after the engine warms up. I changed the oil filter and replaced it with a WIX. I didn't hear the noise this morning. I'll see if that makes any difference.

 

Keep us informed!

It ain't no Chevy, so it isn't going to self-destruct

 

some ware in the owners manual there is a note about the posiblity of a after market oil filter causeing low rpm knocks or bleed down . thats one of the reasons must of us stick with the fl820s filter. the wix happens to be one of the better after market filters.

i have seen many cases were a "cheap" after market filter did nothing in filtering the oil properly at all and let the engines sludge up prematurely or allow lifter bleed down over night. for the cost of a good grade or motorcraft "walleyworld $3.29 by me" why play games with a cheaper one.

 

That makes sense to me, I have been using purolator b/c I heard it was a better filter, WIX is hard to find around here. I will definitely be using WIX or Motorcraft from now on. By the way, our walleyworlds only carry that cheap orange filter around here.

 

give walley some time .we just started getting them again here also other parts of the country had them sooner .just keep watching for them .

 

mine does the same thing. it makes all the same noises that you mentioned. it doesnt make any noise at start up till about 30-45 seconds after then it comes and goes for about 3-4 mins usually lasting about 30 seconds for each time. i tried synthetic oil, switching filters, went back to all motocraft and still the same thing. im not sure what it is but it cant be piston slap or bearing wear because it would do it right at start up for piston slap and it would do it all the time for bearing wear. bearings dont get excessive clearance then not.
i dont think it is anything serious. just like someone else said, every one of these engines makes a different sound than the other and some make the same.
who knows.
clarence

 

The "piston slap" issue is such a weird thing, that I would hesitate to say it's NOT piston slap if it doesn't do it on immediate startup.

My '97 Cougar 4.6L has it, it does it on startup (sometimes) but there is also a "ticking" that can not be traced to the valve-train but instead is coming from the top of the cylinder.

That "ticking" which is really piston slap does not happen on first startup.

So, right there, it doesn't mean anything if it doesn't immediately do it on startup.

I think

 

Well, I tell you I'm not that concerned about it. With 75k on the engine it runs smooth as silk, good temperature and oil pressure with no oil burn. It is probably the best/smoothest running engine I have ever owned. The noise isn't coming from the oil pan so it can't be a bearing and its not coming from the valve covers so it can't be a valve issue. There is not hesitation, rough idle, or vibration when I accelerate so it's definitely firing on a cylinders (unlike some people I know). krewat, what you described is exactly what this is. It starts about 30 seconds after I start the engine and last a couple of minutes, then it's gone. I've done a little research about piston slap and I can't find any documentation of it actually causing engine failure. So, I think I'll just watch it and make sure it doesn't change or get any worse and maybe, by about 150 - 200 thousand miles, I'll forget about it. It's like my mechanic said when I was complaining about my serpentine belt squeaking, "Just turn the radio up, you won't hear it." Well, maybe not quite like that, but close. I've had engines with worse problems last a long time and unless there is an easy cure, I'm not willing to tear into it to try and "fix" something. Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease.
I really appreciate everyone's help and input...and patience.

 

Sounds like you've settled with it. I wouldn't worry about it either.

And I agree with the following:

 

The "tick" in my '97 cougar goes away if I really beat on the thing for 15-20 minutes... for months and even a YEAR once. I wonder if the tick is some carbon stuck somewhere, and I just need to break it loose ...

The wife hardly uses it...

Mm... belt squeeks. My nemesis. W/all my modulars. '96 t-bird 4.6l made squeeks, turned out BOTH idler pullers needed to be changed within 15-20K miles. Replaced with Dayco, no problems ever after. '97 cougar 4.6l - water pump squeeked - putting a few drops in the top breather hole on the pump made it go away. Replaced water pump, no squeeks since.

Now the V10 is going the squeek... I'll have to figure it out.

My brother-in-law when I said something about my Ford squeeking said "What else is new?"

I've owned Fords all my life (and a few Triumph TR7's (WHY do I keep mentioning that?) ) and they all made some belt noise eventually. But it WAS possible to make it go away for a long time...

 

I think you misread what I said, there, bud. I got rid of the 2004 V10 a few months ago - it did have 17k; maybe 18k by the time I waited for the new F350 to come in (I ordered it on that "build your vehicle" website Ford has - took I guess 8 weeks to come in). I have 4k (well, 4400 now, actually), on the '06 PSD and I like it a lot so far. Not sure what a troll is, let alone a TRooooooooooooooooooooooll (did I get the number of "o's" right?...) but if it's someone who doesn't like the fact his $35000 truck with, yes, 17k on it makes a lot of tapping/thudding noises at startup, well, I guess I am one! And if my new $47000 truck has any problems, well, I'll be a troll again and let everyone know about it, because that knowledge may help others in the future, and then, yes, I may take a Ford hiatus and see what others are doing. Not being a TRooooooooooooooooooooll; just being sensible. You might give that a shot yourself...