bgeorge87

First off, I'm sorry for posting yet another engine ticking thread. I've looked at many others and can't seem to find one that matches my problem.

I have a 2004 ext cab with the 5.4 with roughly 160,000 miles on it. Everything was going smoothly until I made a 1400 mile trip in my truck. By the time the trip was over my engine had a loud tick coming from it. I don't think I would describe it as a knock, as it doesn't have a deep knock type sound. I had gotten an oil change right before making the trip and I just got another one hoping it would solve the issue (clearly it did not). The ticking is there when I start the truck up and it is there after driving for an hour (as well being there for the entire drive). The tick speeds up and slows down with the rpm's. It's going to a local shop early next week but was wondering if this sounds like something specific that we could look for?

I don't think it's related as it's been happening for a little while, but every now and then when I step on the gas pedal (mostly when entering the highway) the engine seems to have a loss of power and bogs down. It lasts for a couple second then will quickly accelerate.

One last thing I figured I'd ask about is a shaking that I have at about 25-30 mph. It feels to be coming from the rear end. It's not specifically in the steering wheel or pedals. It feels like the whole truck shakes. I've replaced tires, had them balanced, and did an alignment on both front and rear and this didn't solve the problem. Any ideas? My next move it replacing the shocks/struts all the way around.

Thank you in advance for any info. If anything more specific is needed, please let me know!

bgeorge87

I just wanted to add a bit of information for the engine noise issue. The ticking seems to be coming from the driver's side of the engine and seems to be different from the noise that the injectors make.

Why didn't I just edit the original post? I was hoping to bump this up to get a bit more exposure. I'm really hoping somebody can point me in the right direction (even if it's linking to a thread that they feel is relevant. And no, I don't think the cam phaser threads are relevant). Thank you!

VTX1800N1

Failing lash adjuster? Get a mechanic's stethoscope and start probing the valve covers.

bgeorge87

Thank you for the suggestion. I really appreciate it. My local mechanic now has my truck so he can diagnose this as well as replace a U Joint.

Thank you also to the 170+ others that viewed the thread and had no input. It's hard to believe nobody had a suggestion or any idea. This seems like a real helpful community (yes, that's sarcasm).

nrivera04

I'm gonna suggest loose spark plug... At least that was my problem. Truck had a tick that never went away and was progressively getting worse. Turns out the plugs on the 5.4 3V have to be torqued or will cause problems down the road (plugs had been changed appx 3 months prior to me buying). My #8 was the culprit as well as there were 4 more that moved when they were torqued in.

It's easy, it's quick, free if you're mechainically inclined, and won't eat up too much time.

Ford recommends 25-27 lbs

bgeorge87

Thank you. I picked up my truck from my mechanic today (he replaced the u joint. No more shaking!). But he didn't diagnose the ticking as of yet. He didn't want to dig into the engine to look as he knows this will be expensive so he's going to consult with somebody from Ford first. Since I have the truck, I'll take a look at the spark plugs tomorrow. I don't believe it would be them because I've had the truck for over a year now and I haven't replaced the plugs.

Thanks again for your input!

nrivera04

The reason I suggested was because my tick changed in speed with the RPMs but not in sound... It never went away. It also didn't start till about 6 mos after I bought it.

Martian

One easy way to tell if your ticking sound is from the cam phasers is if you hear them when they're working - i.e. under low acceleration or just coming down from a low acceleration. You'll hear a quick "tickatickaticka" as they wind back down, then the truck will sort of sound like a diesel as it idles (after it's hot and the VCT solenoids are active). If it's just a rhythmic tick, once per revolution, it's probably a failing lash adjuster.

The shaking: If the U joint doesn't do anything, I have a few recommendations.
1. Take off your parking brake and go for a drive. If the shaking is gone, there's your problem. Replace the shoes (very cheap), remove the scissor actuator lever and break it apart (they frequently rust into one solid piece) and wire brush / sand / grease the hell out of it, then reinstall.
2. Have your drive shaft balanced. These things seem to fail for no reason. Mine worked fine until one day... for whatever reason... So I took it to a driveline shop. They ground off one of the factory weights and that put it back in balance.
- Added knowledge: the drive shafts in these trucks are junk out of the factory. They have stickers on them that say "SCRAP IF DROPPED." That should tell you a lot.
3. Rotate your tires. If the vibration moves or "feels different", you need your tires balanced.

Martian

Did you buy your truck from a dealership? Is the ticking louder from the wheel well than from under the hood?

HulluCorn

what exactly does this mean? manifold?