Apologies for the ignorant question (or if this is in the wrong section). I know a little but not a lot. We've previously had a vehicle (2012 VW Routan - Dodge's Pentastar V6...) that had a tapping/ticking sound at 73k miles and it ended up being a huge deal (rocker arms, rods, etc.) and the engine was never the same again after getting it repaired. So admittedly I'm paranoid about engine noises.

I just bought a 2018 F150 XLT 4WD (302a package), 5.0 V8. It only has 32k miles on it, one owner, regularly maintenanced, no accidents according to carfax. Bought at a reputable dealer. I thought I was getting a diamond in the rough - and I still might have. But because of my history with noises I'm probably overly worried.

The sound I'm hearing is only really noticeable at low idle. The first two videos are last night after a lot of city driving - so the engine was pretty warm. The third video is from underneath the truck after a very brief drive today, so the engine was a bit cooler. There are two sounds. One is constant - I don't know how to describe it other than it almost makes it start sounding like a diesel, though not as loud. The second sound is this real light tap/pop/click that isn't consistent at all. You can hear it a decent amount in the second video, and only a couple of times in the third video - but again, it's inconsistent.

Apologies for the Shorts - YouTube forced them to do that from my phone.

Thanks in advance for any thoughts on this - and I apologize if it ends up being, "sounds ok to me... stop worrying and enjoy your truck!"

#1: #2: #3:

 

The knock at idle is widely discussed here. It's a normal operating characteristic of the 5.0L engine and there is nothing wrong with your truck. I understand your concern, given your history. But, enjoy your truck! They make a lot of noises but are generally reliable.

 

Straight from the horses mouth:

 

Last post. Many people user thicker oil than recommended. Ford recommenders 5W20. Many of us user 5W30, 5W40, or 5W50 to help quiet the noises down.

 

Man, thank you so much. I should've looked around a bit more to find that. I really appreciate the info and that definitely helps me relax a bit. I'll look into the oil at the next change as well.

 

The Tick noise that stands out on the passenger side is the high pressure fuel pump.
It is located on the Passenger side valve cover about center and is driven off the Exhaust cam shaft rotation. Look under the Black Rubber cover.
The rest of the noise is normal for an engine that is built to turn 7000 rpm and needs some looseness in the valve train to do that. Just the way its built being a Mustang engine in an F150.
The use of heavy oil is ok but not the best way to quiet the engine down in cold temps and increases pumping losses internally.
A better way is to add Moly M0S2 additive to the normal oil 5w20 and get away from both the oil drag and the noise once it has had time >>to work.
I know the Manual says not to use additives but this is an exception. TSBs even become an exception.
It also does not say use 5w30 or 40 or 50 weight oils. These weights cause more difficult cold cranking and even changes the Phaser cam timing control points from the higher viscosity..
The Moly will not do any of this, but extend the life of and quiet the engine down substantially.
Good luck..

 

Thanks - that's great info as well. I'll look into the additive and oil options. Definitely want to treat this thing right to get me a good 10-15 years (or more) out of it.

 

Not looking to start an argument, but a couple of things in your comment caught my eye. I've seen in other threads where you said you use Lucas oil treatment in your 5.0. IIRC, Lucas treatment is a thickener that has the effect of increasing viscosity. How is that different from using a heavier weight oil?

Also, if using a 5w-30, 40, etc. oil instead of 5w-20, the cold viscosity is supposed to be the same, so it shouldn't affect cold cranking? Though I can see how a 5w-30, 40, 50 oil might affect phaser timing when the engine is hot.

I have "heard" from various unverified random people on the internet that Moly additives can lead to deposits in the engine over the long term. Do you have any thoughts on that?

I'm not an expert on any of this by any means. Just trying to make sense of everything I hear.

 

Mine sounds like a 95 Cummins but runs great

 

Interesting. I looked up the TSB and listened to the audio clip. The erratic tick, tick noise in that clip sounds a lot like a couple of noises that I hear from my 5.0. One of them comes from the air conditioner belt's plastic idler pulley. The other one comes from the throttle body, which will occasionally "clap" like it's doing some kind of self test.