I have sat here read all the posts in relation to this post.
It is very obvious weall have had issues with ticking and we dont like it but some have dealt with it and others want to fix it.

I thinkl i can live with the ticking as long as i feel there will be no engine damage. What i have not seen is a mention of anyone getting a CEL with a P0012 code. I have and so i replaced the soleniods but I am still getting the code. I have been told something about the sensor. Question is the sensor the same as the solenoid.

Drew

 

I to have been reading for an hour or so now.
I have a 2000 F150 4X4 5.4L with 409,000 miles. Thats not a typo I bought it, for a song, with 398,000 on it, with the idea of reselling it. But, I just can't seam to part with it. I want to see how many miles it will go.

Anyway, I have bought and sold a few F150s with 5.4s in them and all seam to have a tick at some point or another. I have been running 10w40 with a qt of lucas which seams to quiet the ticking some but it still comes and goes.

Reciently I had a miss on #3 cylinder and was working about 80 - 90 hours a week and didn't have time to fix it. So i drove it for about a week with the miss. Well it turned out to be the coil pack on #3 bracket had broken. OK 400k miles who knows how old the coil is, so I replaced it and the plug. Still didnt have time to do the rest of them.
(getting to the point now)
A couple of days later I noticed that the tick is now a clatter. It comes in at about 1500 to 2000 rpm. Coming from the passengers side. I kind of thought it was an exhaust leak before I started reading this forum, but now I'm thinking more of exploding rocker arms and bent valves.

Buying this truck in the beginning was kind of a joke. But the body is good, no rust, its a tennessee truck, I replaced the shocks, ball joints, tie rod ends and the thing runs and drives great! well except for the clatter, which, if I drive it like granny going to church it does even tick.

Any ideas? I obviously am not covered by warranty and don't want to put a ton of money into it, but my work hours have calmed down to a more reasonable 40-50 a week so I don't mind doing the work myself.

Thanks

 

please check carefully for an exhaust leak, these engines can break manifold studs just like my v10!

 

For very little money, you can pick up a mechanics stethoscope, like from Autozone maybe. By simply probing around with that, you can at least isolate the location of the noise. Oddly enough, cylinders #2 &3 seem to be a problem for rockers, lash adjusters, etc..

Clattering sounds more like valve train problems to me. Ticking on the other hand could be exhaust leaks or valve train problems in the early stages.

Dave

 

I switched mine to 15w-40 rotella and the noise went away and has been running fine, hit a deer and smashed front end into oil filter so dealer changed oil as part of fix..with of course the 5w-30 semi-syn oil, didn't even make it home 20 miles and truck was knocking again.. changed oil and filter to 0w-40 syn diesel oil, noise gone again within 5 min of start up...

 

Would a place like Jiffy Lube put the rotella 15-40 in or will I have to do this myself? Time is thin right now, otherwise I would just do it.

 

No, they won,t do it, liability issues abound.....

 

So I just had my ticking truck looked at by the auto shop my work uses. It is in fact an exhaust leak. Possibly just need to reseal the gasket, but might need the passenger manifold replaced.

 

Hey Bigtony.....I know its been several years since you posted this thread but I was wondering if your still using 15W40 in your 5.4L? The reason I ask is that I just purchased an 04 F-250 with 63353 miles, that has develop the cam phaser noise. Haven't had the phasers replaced yet.

Dave

 

Just purchased an 05 Expedition LTD with this same clattering/ticking problem. The dealer said it was a flat lifter caused from the truck sitting on the lot for extended periods of time. I knew when he said this that he was full of crap but figured I could fix the problem myself as the condition of the vehicle is immaculate. Is there anyone in the dallas area that I could possibly meet up with that has had this problem so that I can assure myself that my diagnosis will be correct?? Much appreciated!!

 

Just as a follow up- $778 dollars later my tick is gone. Warped manifold and beat up gasket. Also had to have my exhaust hanger welded back. Probably what cause the leak to begin with. I couldn't be happier. Well unless it didn't cost so much!

 

I have a 2007 expedition with about 70K miles on it and is making that ticking noise everyone talks about. I had taken it to the dealer but they were asking $2500 to replace cam phaser and tensioners. Does anyone know a mechanic in the Miami, FL area that has experience in changing these parts? I figure the cost would probably be half what the dealer charges...thanks

 

would a blown plug make it miss? or coil pack? 2004 f-150 screw bought it new. i know its not the oil filter or the 5w-20 been running fram since day one.it made a loud pop a few months ago hadnt noticed any noise till about 2 months ago like a deisel on the right side. any help?

 

A blown spark plug would be pretty obvious. The noise most guys/gals refer to is mechanical. Not unusual for it to be cam phasers, timing chain guides/tensioners, and occasionally cam followers/lash adjusters.

For about $10.00, you can get a mechanics stethoscope. With this, you can at the very least, narrow down the source of the noise. The cam followers are one of the potential problems that can get fairly serious if left alone. They can cause severe cam damage eventually ( not to mention metal particles floating through the engine.) For some reason, #2 & #3 seem to be popular for abnormal wear/failure.

Of course, not everyone has the same definition of this noise. Has been called a "tick", a "rattle", and a "miss".

bluefrog69- Just my opinion, try the stethoscope. Start at the rear of the valve cover, touch the tip all around #4, across the cover towards the plug. Repeat for #'s 3,2, & 1. Bad cam follower(s), lash adjuster, can usually be isolated pretty close. Extreme rattle at the front narrows it down a bit towards cam phaser/chain guide. The pop you heard could have been a failed follower. Any CEL yet ? Should have a misfire code long ago.

Dave

 

no codes runs great. it only does it when it warms up 15-40 didnt stop it