I have an 04 f-150 w/ the 5.4 triton w/97 k on the motor, about a month ago I changed the oil and put synthetic in without realizing it. (dont think that will cause problem). Anyway, today I heard a ticking so I checked the oil and it was about a quart and a half low and there was a nasty buildup in the cap. At first I thought "blown head gasket" but my coolant is good and There is no smoke. the cap smells a little like gas the oil on the dipstick looks fine. When I put a stethascope on the engine I found the noise is coming from the injectors and not the valves and Im hoping the build up in the oil cap is just condensation from the recent cold weather. Would like to hear anyones input on what may or may-not be wrong. I also noticed a decrease in gas milage lately and being the truck is almost at 100,000 miles I ordered new plugs today.

 

I had a similar problem with my 06, luckily mine was under warranty. They ended up replacing the spark plugs, both timing chain tensioners, the right cylinder head assembly, along with some gaskets in the intake manifold. Look after it quickly though, my boss has an 02 King Ranch that developed a tick a couple years ago. He ignored it for a while, and eventually his engine siezed.

 

Guys,

I have a tick in my engine as well. It really sounds like a lifter sticking. I've seen some nice threads on piston slap as well. I have an 05 with 48k on it, so I'm out of warranty, but it sounds really expensive. I have a SCT programmer, so I'll see if there are any codes tonight.

 

on 3v motors those noise's are usually cam phasers.

 

I have the 05 5.4L. What does it take to change these? I see someone paid $1k to have his changed, and I have to admit I'm not sure I want to throw a grand at the truck.

 

Well if you don't, and it siezes... you'd be looking at a lot more. When my boss' engine siezed it was about 11 grand to have the engine replaced.

 

I looked at a used 2005 ford f 150 with 50k miles. The truck had a very noticible ticking coming from both sides of the engine. It was loud but not deafining. The dealer said cam phasers and said it was normal and showed me a tsb. The tsb says it "could" be normal on some engines but should be examined fo other possible issues. I did not get the impression they did an evaluation.

What is the story with this? Is this or could this be normal? What could it be and why at 50kmiles? Overall the truck looked OK but not a gem. The seats were a little dirty. The engine was dirty for this milage. I am not convinced and do not believe the dealer.

Please Help !!!!

 

i'd keep looking..

 

2005 was not a good year for 5.4's. Noisy cam phasers, leaky injectors.

 

[QUOTE=larog72;4000844]I have an 04 f-150 w/ the 5.4 triton w/97 k on the motor, about a month ago I changed the oil and put synthetic in without realizing it. (dont think that will cause problem). Anyway, today I heard a ticking so I checked the oil and it was about a quart and a half low and there was a nasty buildup in the cap. At first I thought "blown head gasket" but my coolant is good and There is no smoke. the cap smells a little like gas the oil on the dipstick looks fine. When I put a stethascope on the engine I found the noise is coming from the injectors and not the valves and Im hoping the build up in the oil cap is just condensation from the recent cold weather. Would like to hear anyones input on what may or may-not be wrong. I also noticed a decrease in gas milage lately and being the truck is almost at 100,000 miles I ordered new plugs today.[/QUOTE



I'm not sure if anyone has answered your question yet. The injectors can and do make some ticking noise especially noticable in a quiet environment and especially when we are really listening for something wrong... I think the buildup you see under the oil fill cap is normal condensation from, like you suspect the cold weather. Short trips can make it even worse as the engine doesn't get to burn the moisture off. Mine has the same thing right now from the cold we are having and the short trips I currently am driving. Your poor mileage is also a result of the cold weather I think. As others have said the cam phasers do also make noise. Most times it is not a durability concern just an annoying noise. Myself and I think most others here would recommend that you install Motorcraft sparkplugs in your truck when you change them. These engines are pretty picky about the plugs they want. Good luck.