3 weeks ago i started my truck, 2005 King Ranch SCrew 5.4, and it started ticking like it had never done before. I took it to dealership for diag and repair, they replaced all 12 lifters on both banks, 4 cam rollers on each side and both cam phasers. Picked it up yesterday...still ticks. They say it is normal, I say riddle me this: I have owned the truck for 3.5 years and never heard that noise, one day it starts, you replace all that crap, it still makes the noise, and you want me to believe it is normal?

Anyone else have this issue and what the hell could it be! I crawl underneath and it seems like I can hear it the loudest directly under the rear of the engine, near the bellhousing. Sound is there at all RPMs and runs with the RPMs, so not an exhaust leak. I am completely baffled...

 

broken flexplate?

 

Check the starter. It may be hanging up. I would purchase an inexpensive mechanics stethescope it can help in locating the exact location of the noise.

 

Way back, I had a fairly new 302 1970 Mustang. I started hearing a clicking. Positive it was a valve that needed adjustment. Pulled valve cover and found out that the rocker arms were not adjustable and it was not a lifter. Checked closer and found that the noise was coming from the front of the alternator. I pulled the alternator and checked. Found nothing wrong but replaced the front bearing anyway just in case. Still clicked. Further investigation determined it was the alternator belt. It was a v-belt that was split for a few inches horizontally. When the split part of the belt ran over the smallest pulley in the lineup, the alternator pulley, the belt would make the clicking noise. New belt fixed it!!!! Had me scratching my head for a while!

 

I am going through the same thing with my truck. I just got it back from the dealership after they replaced both cam phasers, lash adjusters, and lifters. Now the engine rattles on cold start ups and has the same knocking/tapping noise.

Did you notice a power loss since you got your truck repaired?

 

Cold start rattle? What brand of oil filter is on it?

 

I use mobile1 5w-20 fully synthetic oil and Motor Craft oil filter.

 

Update for everyone. Looks like it was just loose plugs! Glad they replaced all the internals, but I got it back making same noise, took back to dealer, they said 'must have been a bad lifter we installed'. I picked it up again as I needed to use the truck and started reading others on here that had this exhaust leak ticking sound and smelling gas in the cab after changing plugs. I checked and they were all loose. I torqued to the 13lbs specified to begin with, but that was obviously not enough. I retightened to 25lbs and all is still well. No more noise, no more smell, no nothing. So anyone else with these noises/smells, if you have recently done your plugs, check them out!

 

13 ft/lb is not enough. 3V plugs need 25 and 2V plugs need 28.