I have a '99 F-150 4x4 w/ 5.4L V8 Triton. I bought it new and put in a new transmission a year ago. The truck has 154,000 miles. It's making a ticking noise. I've had 4 mechanics put an ear to it and they all say I need a new motor. They say its the rod bearings or wrist pin.

Is this better to repair or does it need replacing. If replacing, what do you recommend (Jasper or Ford)?

Thanks for input.

 

Go to the Motorcraft website. They have specials sometimes on motors or go to the dealer and ask for a deal just like a car.

 

There is mention on this site of the wrist pin thing being real common. If it was me, I'd leave it until it broke, then drop a used motor in that has a decent warranty.....

 

Everyone is telling me there is a "core charge" if I throw a rod. I guess that's a disposal fee.

I have a call into a local dealer to get their price. It looks like it's going to be about 5K form the people I've got estimates on so far. Thanks for you input guys.

 

You'll have to pay the core charge to pick the motor up, and you get it back on return of a repairable engine. If you order a salvage engine (you can get them with a 1 year warranty if you look), you won't have to pay core. I got mine shipped to me for $1225, no core, 1 year unlimited mileage warranty, and it runs like a top. If you buy a local salvage engine, or any new engine, you definitely have to pay the core charge....

 

Does the noise go away once warmed up? Is it there only at startup? These triton motors have short skirts on the pistons, which have the Ford "piston slap" noise to them. Is this what you're hearing? If so, this doesn't affect the longevity of the motor, there have been guys on here that have gottne 300k out of there motor, even one guy with a van that got a million miles!!
Rich

 

If it's a lower end "tick" (and not typical valvetrain tick), it's probably a wrist pin. It'll run like that for a while then turn into a heavy knock one day soon. You don't see many rod/main bearing issues on these engines unless they were run dry.

Want a cheap engine just to get you back on the road? Try Greenleaf Auto. ~$1600 complete
Want to buy an engine with a good warranty? Get a Motorcraft long block (3 yr/100,000 mile warranty). ~$2900
Want to get an engine you'll never have a problem with again? Call up Modular Performance and tell them you want a basic build, they'll sell you an assembly with a new iron block, stock crank, Acer/Manley/Oliver rods (Acers are $250 and much better than stock, Manley's $800, Olivers $1200) and Diamond forged pistons. They'll bump the compression up a tad and used brand new FRPP PI 2V heads and quality ARP fasteners throughout. $3400 (Acers) - $4400 (Olivers). This engine will address all of the cheap pieces (pistons, rods) the factory uses and make an indestructible engine. It'll also have 8 thread heads.

 

Try running stp through it i had that in my 4.6 and it fixed it after my mechanics told me i needed a motor...... some times they use small things to make big money

 

Are we talking about a "tick" or a "knock". Unless it's a pronounced knock that continues after the truck is warm, you most likely have a normal motor.

 

There's a BIG difference in sound between a wrist pin, wrist pin bushing, and/or a cracked piston skirt and your typical valve guide/valve-train tick. Wrist pin tick will start out as a loud tick that rises and gets louder with rpm, then finally develops into a heavy knock when it finally lets go.

Easy way to identify a wrist pin/bushing noise is to disconnect coils/injectors one cylinder at a time. If there is no sound change on any cylinder, you probably don't have a problem. If the noise gets worse (or better) when you kill the cylinder you have a mechanical issue.

I would hope a mechanic could tell the difference between typical engine tick and a lower end problem. Almost every new engine I listen to has some valve-train noise, Chevy 5.3, Toyota 4.7/5.7, Nissan 5.6, Dodge Hemi (some of these sound like they are coming apart when they are running fine), Mod motor, etc. If a mechanic can't tell the difference between normal engine noise and a problem they should be slapped on the spot.

 

I had a ticking noise once and a mechanic told me that I was going to need a new engine or pay dearly to have it rebuilt and it turned out to just be a blown plug ready to happen. $60 later and it was fixed. Maybe its the wrong kind of ticking than you're talking about but I thought I'd throw my two cents in.

 

Thanks for the information guys. It's at the shop now. I should have it back by the weekend.