5.4 Triton makes wierd noise!!

[1998Expo]

I have a 1998 EB 4x4 Expy with 167k miles... The engine starts and runsfine! plenty of power.... But there is an odd noise coming from the engine... IDK what it is...or how to describe it... Its almost a ticking noise.. Constant at idle.. Not loud, not too quiet either... just ticks..... Almost as if something were loose.... But the engine looks great! clean as Ive ever seen. I paid 3400 for it a month ago, and its made this noise since I bought it... I dont think anything is wrong with it.. Its just my curiousity that is causingmeto ask what it could be.... Any insight is welcome and any experiences too! thank guys..

Oh yea!..Also I have a check engine light on... for EGR malfunction... been driving every where with it... should I be worried? Is it important..Im kind of broke on cash... Thanks again!

 

[ELVATO]

Does the sound vary with RPM?

 

[fiveohpoepoe]

Could be a lifter. However some will go tomorrow and some 2 years from now.

Check the header bolts and make sure they are snug/tight and not broken.
My 99 5.4 had the same thing. The passenger side head went before the lifter so I just let the thing go.

 

[1998Expo]

well...Ive been told its a lifter... How hard are those to replace? Expensive? And the noise does vary with the RPMs..It doesnt get louder or anything...It just ticks the same but faster.. The Engine is very strong.Its just got my curiosity.. Other than a lifter, wht else could it be? Are these common noises on 5.4 with that mileage?

 

[bring_em_on]

Be cautions with these ticking noises. I had that in my engine and was told it's normal (by experienced mechanics). So I left it alone. Almost overnight it got worse and turned into a knock and then a loss of power shortly thereafter. Turns out it was a bad rocker arm roller and the cam was hitting on a roller that wasn't performing as expected. Overtime the roller completely failed and when that happened, the cam was hitting it and that was the knock. It wore a groove in the cam lobe so I needed a new cam and rocker. It might have been cheap to fix in the beginning but I listened to the "experts" and it screwed me in the end.

It's worth it to pull the valve cover and see exactly what the problem is. It might just be a lash adjuster...then again, it might not be.

 

[joezek]

Just to verify something simple, is it possibly your a/c compressor? Does the noise cycle on/off with the A/C? Mine was ticking, sounded like something I've never heard from an engine. I popped the hood and realized it's my a/c, and goes away when it's turned off.

 

[jayhawk2014]

The ticking could just be the normal operation of your injectors. Try running some injector cleaner through it. Does it click all the time or only when it is cold?