There's that ticking question again...
 

I'd like to have something cleared up. I have an '08 that makes the slight tic, did it since brand new, 0 miles. I know 4 other people in my area with newer ('06+) F150's who all have the same ticking sound. I've been to 3 seperate dealers. My friends have also been to dealers with their trucks. All have had the same response. The slight constant ticking sound is in fact the fuel injectors, NOT the cam phasers. The sound is completely normal on all '04+ F150's. Some tend to be a little louder than others, but in no way is it harmful to the motor.

At least this is what all the different dealers have told myself and my friends. I would like to think I am being told the truth, but not completely convinced. My truck has been making a slight "knocking" sound, the dealer did say that that was not very normal, they want me to go in and have them look at it again. I will post again when I find out what is behind this.

For now, can anyone else confirm that it is in fact the injectors and not the cam phasers that are making this ticking sound? I had an '86 F250 351W that made a somewhat similar tic, this turned out to be roller style lifters, unrelated all together, but funny how the sound was so much the same.

i just bought a 98 f150 4.6 v8 and i know what sound your talking about because mine does the same, but i think it's just the injectors, but i'm not positive.

Hi Ryan, I have an 04 that has a knock sound that is definatly the cam phasers. It almost sounds like a diesel engine, especially noticable at the drive thru or parked near another car. It also makes a tick that you can hear when the hood is open which is the injectors, normal sound. I was at a dealership today asking about spark plugs and brought up the cam phaser noise, he said I would be wasting my money having it fixed because there are no longterm effects by not having it repaired and if you do it will probably come back. He also said that it does not affect performance or anything else, just sounds bad. That is my situation, yours is an 08, I would think that they fixed the cam phaser problem by now so maybe yours is something different, I would bring it in, its covered under warranty so nothing out of pocket for you. Good luck....GO PATRIOTS!!!:rocker:

Thanks S.M.Jones, I just have to get a chance to get in and see the service manager at York Ford. Hopefully one of these Saturdays since weekdays are always tied up. Of course, lately weekends have seemed just as bad (don't wanna go anywhere or do anything after working all week and dealing with the freezing cold! I will try to get in soon and i'll be sure to post and let you know what they tell me.

How's it goin? This is my first reply here at this site. I have an 06 5.4 with these noises of course. I've had it into the dealer twice now and everything is "normal" or "we didn't hear anything." I hear a knocking sound while I'm sitting in my seat with the door closed (acc. off)- and I can hear it almost all the time.....it's drivin me nuts! I'm planning on taking it to another dealer soon since my warranty is almost up. Just thought I'd share.....????:coffee:

Welcome, and sorry to hear you are in the same boat as me and many others. Can you hear the slight knocking only when idling or when driving as well? As for my own truck, I don't hear the ticking when driving, only when idling and especially loud at drive thoughs. The knock is also only heard at idle, and it is very very faint. I tried running 89 octane instead for a few fills, but it didn't change the sound at all, so I guess its not a fuel issue.

I've been told many places and by many people, service techs and owners alike, that the ticking sound is normal. But I have seen here by a few that though Ford may call it normal and causes no long term harm or engine longevity, it can in fact cause damage to the "pins" that are located on the cam phasers (if it is in fact cam phasers and not injectors). I can't be sure, and Ford has no recalls or TSBs that I can find on the matter, and no one will really acknowledge it is an issue. My next step is to go to the dealer, have them look it over and if and when they say it is no problem at all, I want it in writing on their letterhead that they gaurantee it is a non issue and will not affect anything. That way if and when there are problems related to cam phasers or injectors in the future, I will have something on them....I hope!

Hi Ryan. I hear this knocking while at idle and maybe up to 1500 rpm, but it might still be there and not able to be heard over all of the other engine noise at higher rpms. It doesn't sound at all like the injectors. It tends to get barely noticeable after driving for at least 10 minutes. I can't say I hear it while driving, except for sometimes when I am slowing to a stop.

I watched a tech time video online that was linked from one of these topics. It was about the sounds of lash adjusters, injectors, etc. The lash adjuster sound is just like what I've been hearing. The video was helpful I guess. They mic. the sounds of each (injectors, lash adjusters) normal sound level and then excessive. The level of noise was similar (for what they consider normal), but they have the microphone about 2 inches from the valve cover.

What you are describing sounds exactly like what I experienced with my 07 supercrew. My engine made a slight knocking noise at idle and sounded like a diesel at idle and when I accelerated slowly. I also had some "valve rattle" whenever I accelerated slowly with no load. Stick your head under the wheel wells and listen, if your cam phasers are bad you can really tell. After 5 trips to the dealer I had both cam phasers replaced. They also replaced the lash adjusters. This took care of the knocking and the other noises. I can still hear the fuel injectors ticking very distinctly at idle but the engine is much quieter now. I did not notice any improvement in throttle response or power after having the phasers replaced. In fact, it seems like I have to press the pedal about 10-15% more now to get the same response. This may be due to the way this engine adjusts to your driving habits. I also still hear the "valve rattle" whenever I accelerate slowly. Its very faint but definently there. Hope this helps you with your truck.

Well I finally got her in to the service department today. I can't say I am completely happy with the results, but apparently everything is fine and I have a perfectly heathy 4 month old truck. The ticking as I suspected is caused by the injectors. This is, as was described to me by the service manager, one of the "nature's of the beast" of the overhead cam motors. Virtually all of them make the sound. The slight knocking sound is the cam phasers, again, a trait common to basically all of the '04+ 5.4s. I was told the injectors and phasers could be replaced, however because they were not faulty, were not causing any harm, and would not fail or cause problems down the road, it would be at my cost, not under waranty. So I guess for now I am somewhat ok with the answers, but if it gets louder or anything over time, you can bet I will be back. On a side note, my truck is an '08, has about 6300 miles on it, and already the front tires are starting to scallop. The manager noticed this and said they needed to be rotated every other oil change. I told him I switched to full syn last change, so rather than the 6k change, I was waiting till about 8k (5k miles). That is as he said, one of the problems with having offroad tires on a truck that is used heavily for on road purposes. Oh well, can't wait to replace those bad boys. By then I should have the 2.5 AS and 1.5 AAL, maybe fit some 315s on there!

Your dealer is totally feeding you a line of BS. I had both my cam phasers replaced completely under warranty. The service advisor I dealt with indicated that my truck was about the 20th one they had done and all were covered. Your truck is making the knocking noise because the phasers are faulty. Once mine were replaced the knocking went away. I agree with him concerning the injectors. I can still hear mine but that is normal and really not that noticeable. I would go back and try again with the dealer. If you still can't get anywhere than call Ford. Some people have posted here that once they contacted Ford someone called the dealer and made them replace their phasers.
Good luck.

Is this an actual recall? Would it be possible to have a similar recall on a 97? I have the same noise but figured it was due to having 160,000 miles on it.

It's not a recall. It's a warranty repair. You can't expect any manufacturer to fix a 10 year old engine with 160k on it free.

It's not even a warranty repair unless the cam phasers are found to be faulty, which according to so far 2 separate dealers, the knock is normal on an overhead cam motor, so they are saying they are not faulty = no need to replace under warranty.

I've never heard any ticking from my '07 5.4l? Maybe I just never noticed or tried to listen for it before.