Ticking noise from #4 Cylinder on 4.6L W?

Discussion in 'Engine & Performance' started by 52 Ford, Jul 21, 2021.

  1. 52 Ford

    52 Ford Junior Member

    Age:
    25
    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Location:
    US
    I'm getting a ticking noise from the valvetrain on the #4 (passenger side, rearmost) cylinder on my 4.6L. It's an ATK reman and I put it in about 20K miles ago. It's been doing it pretty much since I put the motor in, but has gotten worse. It would do it for maybe a second when I cold started it, but it was quiet enough that I assumed it was a noisy fuel injector (had old injectors in it when I first put the engine in - had to wait for new ones to get shipped). At this point, it'll do it for about a minute on a cold start, maybe less if it's hot out. I pulled the valve cover off and checked the torque on all of the fasteners and did a visual inspection at around 1,000 miles. All looked fine. Could it be a slightly warped rocker arm or maybe the valve lash adjuster isn't working right? Like oil isn't getting to the adjuster fast enough or it's getting stuck down. The motor runs fine, aside from that. For what it's worth, I broke it in on Valvoline Conventional 5W30, then at 5K, I switched to Shell Rotella Gas Truck 5W30 Synthetic. Been running NAPA Gold 1372 filters the whole time. I cut open the first couple filters during break in and didn't see anything unusual.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
     
  2. 52 Ford

    52 Ford Junior Member

    Age:
    25
    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Location:
    US
    No one? Been a week. I went to another forum and got a little farther. Might be a lash adjuster loosing it's prime. Thanks in advance for any input. I'm going to try to get around to messing with it this week. I reckon I'll update this when I figure it out.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
     
  3. Squirlye

    Squirlye Junior Member

    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Sep 10, 2019
    Location:
    Vail Az
    I have 02 F-150 with a 5.4. And I replaced my exhaust manifolds a few years ago. And with in a week I had a tick coming from the passenger side. Sounds exactly like a sticky rocker arm. It was a pain in the ass to get them torqued correctly. Maybe it's a shot in the dark, but worth looking into. Also my truck has had a knock at start up for years. It goes away after a few seconds. A mechanic friend of mine says that it is very common with these modular motors. Good luck with the search.
     
  4. gruesomesurfer

    gruesomesurfer Full Access Member

    Age:
    44
    Posts:
    104
    Likes Received:
    20
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2015
    Location:
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Hope you've sorted out the issue by now. The forum isn't as active as before.
     
  5. 52 Ford

    52 Ford Junior Member

    Age:
    25
    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Location:
    US
    Thanks. It's a valve lash adjuster on the #4 cylinder loosing it's prime when the engine sits for a while.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
     
    gruesomesurfer likes this.
  6. gruesomesurfer

    gruesomesurfer Full Access Member

    Age:
    44
    Posts:
    104
    Likes Received:
    20
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2015
    Location:
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    Hope you had it fixed already.
     
  7. 52 Ford

    52 Ford Junior Member

    Age:
    25
    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Location:
    US
    Honestly, I've just been procrastinating. The engine is actually under warranty through the rebuilder, but the "shop" that installed it happens to be me. I could have the rebuilder cover the cost of parts and not feel guilty, but I don't think saving $15 is worth the hassle of convincing them they put in a faulty part. I haven't put many miles on it recently, anyway. I'll probably replace the rocker arm at the same time.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
     
    gruesomesurfer likes this.
  8. gruesomesurfer

    gruesomesurfer Full Access Member

    Age:
    44
    Posts:
    104
    Likes Received:
    20
    Joined:
    Mar 20, 2015
    Location:
    Las Vegas, Nevada
    True. It's not worth the stress.
     
  9. Papa Pazwazza

    Papa Pazwazza Full Access Member

    Posts:
    199
    Likes Received:
    61
    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2021
    Location:
    California
    Give 5W40 a chance. Most all motors starting up on 5W20 rattle, I just change it out for 5W30 after 1st oil change. Maybe 5W30 needs the change 2. Only real difference is cold weather, now the oil is paper thin with temps. The real reason for lower weight oils is mileage of the OEM fleet is MHO! No 20,000 + mile motor I ever owned hated 10W40 in june, july, August, september.
     
  10. 52 Ford

    52 Ford Junior Member

    Age:
    25
    Posts:
    6
    Likes Received:
    4
    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2021
    Location:
    US
    One of my lawn mowers has a Kohler Command on it. I probably have 4,000 hours on it. Always ran 10W30 Valvoline (NAPA) and a Wix (NAPA Gold) filter. Got a ticking noise about 6 or 7 years ago, switched to Shell Rotella T1 SAE30 - no more noise. Engine runs great. I'm not exaggerating when I say the oil looks as clean when I drain it as it does when I pour it in.

    On the other hand, I saw a new 2007 F150 with a 3V 4.6L kick out a quart of oil in 4000 miles 'cause it had 10W30 in it on accident. We ran 5W20 Napa and a 1372 filter. Truck had around 250K on it when it was sold and again, the oil was clear at 4000 miles. The guy who bought it is still driving it - saw the truck at the grocery store a few weeks ago.

    Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
     
    Roush PSD Interceptor likes this.

Share This Page