Have a 2001 Screw 4.6 with 48K - it give a puff of blue smoke on start-up - and has started making a noise in the upper part of the engine (intake area), it sounds like a loud clicking noise. This happens went it's sitting or under load. Does anyone have any ideas: has been using some oil

 

What you are discribing is classic intake valve stem seal wear that allows oil to get past the stem seals and sucked into the intake.
On a restart or cold start, you see the results of a larger accumulation of oil at one time but is still sucking oil as the engine runs but can't see it due to the cats buring it over a longer time span.

 

I don't know about the noise it could be that you are now all of a sudden supper sensitive to it.

I have been on this board a long time and every year in the fall the puff-o-blue smoke threads start! Do a search on it and you will see as long as it is not happening every day it is not your valve seals. if you start your truck and say move it from the driveway to the curb then shut it down and let it sit overnight then start it in the morning you will get the puff.

if you want to test the valve seals get the truck up to operating temp and find a long straight mountain road going down. go down the road at speed let off the gas for a few seconds then punch it. if blue smoke comes out you might have bad valve seals which was common on older 4.6's.

make sure the PCV system not just the valve is clean and working properly because this is the number one cause of oil burning and even the clicking noise you are describing.

 

same issue just a little different, in morning i get the puff of smoke and going up hill, or under heavey pull my 2000 4.2 same noise. but here's where it's weird i can be going down the road say 45 mph and stop very hard not slideing but stoping very hard and when i stop like white smoke boils out of exaust just for a couple of seconds. whats up?

 

icucmerc,

The white smoke sounds like steam, the result of water in the exhaust/tail pipe moving forward on the sudden stop, contacting the forward, hotter exhaust pipe. (The water doesn't move forward, it's actually moving at the speed of your truck. When you stop, inertia causes it to continue moving at the same (old) speed, running into the hotter exhaust components (muffler), creating steam). It's quite normal to have water coming out of the exhaust, the result of good combustion.

I wouldn't worry, unless of course the white smoke is the result of rubber reversion hydroplaning, but that's another story!

 

Very possibly could be a bad valve but it could also be worn piston rings. Hows your maintance record?

 

WHITE smoke is nothing to worry about but the thread starter has BLUE smoke VERY DIFFERENT.

 

Good Maintenance - alwasy keep oil changed 4000-4500 miles - use Penns Oil with Motorcraft filter - Approximately one year ago the dealer did a carbon blast treatment, change O/2 senor for pinging. About two weeks ago on accelration heard a loud bang which sounded like something broke in the engine and went through the exhaust system letting out a big black cloud of smoke. Truck ran fine after that except the continous clicking noise in the intake area that has been going on for months. Today checked the oil level 2 qts low, since two weeks ago. Have appointment tommorow with dealer.