ok my truck has a ticking sound on the drivers side and the guy at ford told me it is a exhaust leak its either the manifold or somewhere else i dont know is there a way to check it , i looked on the block and didnt see an deposit around the headers please some one help its driving me crazy

 

it could be leaking and you just dont see the black suit around where its leaking.

 

yeah if its a early leak. look around the collector

 

yeah its a 01 4.6 and i hear they had problems with that

 

my 97 just started ticking too. i hear it in the mornings when i start it up. comes from under more by the collector though. think im just gonna run all new pipe

 

yeah iam going to check it later on today but i dont want to it somewhere when its just something loose

 

Before looking for an exhaust leak, make sure you don't have a loose spark plug. Ticks can be a sign that it's about ready to blow the plug out.

 

i hear that lol i blew a plug once now everytime i hear a tick in my truck i get paranoid. lol

 

Make sure you don't have a broken exhaust manifold stud. See a lot of that on those engines. Usually come out ok once the manifold is off. You'll need new gaskets if that's it, also

 

check those plugs first. the exhaust stud thing is annoying my 97 leaked bad and my 01 5.4 has a busted one as well. it doesnt tick yet it still seals good only has 54k so...seems like it always passenger side.

 

Could also be fuel injectors working, just a noisy/dirty injector. I had my manifolds replaced and my motor stills makes a very slight tick at idle at the drivers side of the engine.

 

i got under my truck and i still could not find the damn leak o well i dont know what else to check

 

dude, my INJECTORS are making my ticking noise...lound as hell

 

Check out the exhaust manifold studs between the heads and manifold. It's common to have the rearmost one break on either/both sides. look at the fifth pictureThe outter stud at the y-pipe and mainold will rust through and also cause a leak.

My truck has had both of these issues. I burned the y-pipe stud out and replaced it with a bolt. I'm living with the manifold to head stud. It only ticks when it's cold. I'm thinking about welding a washer to the broken stud and then a nut to the washer. I hope that the heat will make the stud loose and easier to turn. If it does, I'll screw in a new stainless steel copper plated Ford service stud and leave it alone, even it the tick is still there, but I'm hoping a little clamping will seal it back up.

 

No thoughts on a failed lash adjuster or valvetrain?