Ok,
I have the 5.4 triton, & I would like someone with solid expertise & mechinacal knowledge of the problem I am having to give me their opinion of what I have wrong with my truck. I read the many different post about cam phasers, and etc.. So, I understand the basic issue.
Ok, when I first crank my truck there is a singular sounding tick that comes from the front most passanger side valve cover area that increases in its loudness as the engine goes through its idle warm up cycle of 15-30 seconds, once the idle drops the sound of the tick greatly decreases, but the tick does remain noticeable. When giving the motor gas you can hear the tick. Also, after driving for 5 minutes or so there is a slight, miss SOMETIMES, not allway's . I have had two mechanics say leave it alone it is the cam phasers, but, the Beach Ford service rep. Told me ( standing in the service lane with his ear only) the sound is the INTAKE MANAFOLD GASKET. ???? When I stand in front of the motor, I can clearly hear the cam phasers clunking, when I stand at the wheel well, I can clearly hear a singular tick. I have taken a wooden broom stick to the valve cover & my ear, and pinpointed the tick to be coming from under the valve cover at the very front, on the passanger side. NO CODES to pull.
WILL FORD FIX THIS FREE UNDER RECALL?
What is it I am hearing?
One guy said it sounded like a lifter not pumping up all the way??? So, if anyone can give me a clear answer on this tick is would great.
The tick is driving me crazy, I can't live with a ticking motor, maybe it's just me, But It drives me bananas being a car guy,

 

Ford will not fix it free, it is not a safety issue.

 

There are no recalls applicable to this issue.

 

It's the cam salamanders, normal problem.

 

I think it is a lifter not pumping up, coming from using a thicker motor and a bad coil, I have found that one of my plugs came out with only the use of my hand and the socket. It was very loose. Took 4 hours on one side now I am going to replace the other bank of plugs to see if there might be the same on the other side. It might be the coil is ad on the cyl. That had the loose plug also. If there was loose plug for that long wat would that affect?

 

Over head cam engines use cam followers so it cant be a "lifter' You could pull off the valve cover start it and see whats going on.. The thick oil would cause sludge to build up clogging the hydraulic timing chain tension-er Thick oil is also bad for the cam phasers because they use hydraulic pressure to operate as well. Be interesting to know if you have a sludged up motor at any rate..

 

somthing to check
spark plug - tight ???

I just spent most of the last year meaning to swap in a new set of lash adjusters ( lifters) 'cause my truck made a continous lifter / valve tick
even spent the money for the new lifters and a pair of rockers in case I needed them

then , last friday night it blew out a spark plug - right at the front driver's corner that seemed to have the bad or worst lifter

sss..

got the truck back from haveing the thread fixed and the rest of the plugs changed - now the engine doesn't tick - at all

haveing now seen the spark plug outta one of these motors I see why the plugs backing out is an issue

champher on the plug isn't going to do much to hold the plug from turning in an alum head - a compression washer might have been nice ...
(you know .. like on a d-o-d-g-e spark plug)

 

3v heads RARELY eject plugs.. Generally ticking noise in 3v engines are caused by timing chain tension-ers going bad and cam phaser issues..

 

Ok,
Let clarify one thing I said and ask another.(the thicker oil was LUCAS OIL TREATMENT)
First, after studying the issue of the 5.4 motor and the ticking.
I fully understand the cam phaser ticking issue and I can identify it easily now,
Before I changed my plugs, I had the cam phaser tick, and a separate single tick, the single tick can be clearly heard from the wheel well I guess the angle gives just enough distance to allow it to dominate the other sound the cam phaser makes.
It is coming from the front of the passengerside valve cover.
WHAT IS THE ROUND HOLE ON THE VALVE COVER WITH THE SILCONE INSERT WITH TWO WIRES RUNNING INTO IT.?
My miss was just a slight miss, after changing the plugs I have what seems like several misses. When I changed the plugs, I ((moved the coil )) that was on cyl 4 loose plug. Up to the number 2 cyl for easier acess to it if I need to swap it out for a new one.
CAN A SINGLUAR TICK EVEN BE THE INTAKE MANIFOLD GASKET.? ,( what the dealer said it is) he went back and ask a mechanic, no one ever actually came and listened to it. Ha just came back and said that's what the mec. Said it was.
If I were to disconnect (for a moment) the cylinder number 1 coil would the tick go away if it is being produced by this valve?
This single tick I have is not the noise every refers to as being the cam phasers. I hear both noises, but I do understand it could be a cam phaser vat I guess but I hear my phasers there making the noise I am expecting them to make.i don't know, I and just throwing it out there to see what kind of 411 comes back, maybe someone has fixed this same tick I have and understands what it is and how to cure it.

 

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER use anything to thicken the oil in a 5.4L 3V. You might have caused more damage already. Could be the oil is thick too the point of clogging the vct passages for proper phaser operation. One thing comes to mind here, could be the cam has been galled and ruined a cam follower (your 'lifter' noise). This would be a new cam and follower repair. I do know the dealer here would recommend a new (reman) motor if this was the case. Another much better item, it could be as simple as a cracked exhaust manifold..not uncommon with these motors. The round 'hole' in the valve cover with the wires is the vct solenoids..which will clog up and do damage with thicker oil. Those solenoids control the phaser operation.

 

Failed VCT solenoids can also cause multiple misfires on the bank with the bad one Generally, when that happens there are codes.. Might start off diagnosing the VCT solenoids first.

 

2000 5.4 Trition with 73K. Drivers side ticking noise at the valve/rocker cover which could be felt by touching the cover. Dealer replaced the cover and there was a broken plastic baffle in the cover that the rocker arm was hitting. $400 fix. 200 miles later the other side started the same ticking noise. Anybody else seen this?

 

The ticking noise is usually caused by carbon build-up in the oil system. It causes the VVT/VCT solenoids and the Cam Phasers to stick, which screw up the ignition timing. A simple, cheap & easy trick to try is....buy a 16oz. can of Sea Foam from any auto parts store or Walmart.......dump (1.5oz. of Sea Foam to 1 quart of oil) into your oil, your truck holds 7 quarts of oil so, 10oz. will do. Dump the other 6oz. in your fuel tank. Run the Sea Foam in the oil for at least a couple hundred miles, then change your oil. You may have to do it a couple times to loosen up all the carbon.

 

Do not put anything in the crankcases of these Ford modular engines except oil, no Sea Foam, no Lucas, or anything else, just the correct grade of oil.

 

If you haven't already, how about getting a mechanic's stethoscope and touching/listening to everything- I mean everything- on, around, and under the motor? I was chasing ticking and rattling that was easily discovered to be both a loose plug at #4 and a broken cat element. Different motor, but same principle.

Retorquing plug in undamaged threads and some exhaust work has the baby right where she ought to be. Now just the normal fuel rail ticking, but not loud.

The stethoscope was the best $10 I could imagine spending. I listen to everything now, and will continue to periodically.