Another 5.4L tapping noise thread (sorry)

[steeltoe]

tldr: My Expedition clocked 113k miles and just started making the ticking noise. I know this comes up all the time, but does anyone who solved this problem have advice on what to inspect or replace first?





Bought my 2012 last November with 103k miles on it. Good service record, my mechanic gave the powertrain a thumbs up.

Got the oil changed at 110k, and then parked the car for two weeks. When I started it back up the engine was making the tapping noise. Assumed it was the lifters because it sat for a while. Took it to my mechanic who agreed it was probably lifters and said maybe whoever did the oil change didn't use high mileage oil. He replaced the oil for free but the noise is still there. At this point he said I was probably gonna need to take the engine apart to know for sure, otherwise I'd just be wasting money. He suggested I bring it to a friend of his with a bigger shop that works on Ford fleet trucks.

I've read that it could be:

• Use heavier oil.
• Use lighter oil.
• Use a premium oil filter
• Lifters / Cam followers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOda8QPZ36s
• Loose spark plugs - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sMSzsCYXgw
• Bad spark plugs / coil pack - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf8drMIYGq8
• Cam Phasers
• Timing chain

Since the noise started I've noticed a super inconsistent issue with power loss when accelerating, usually between 1st 2nd or 3rd gear. Usually doesn't happen on the highway or from a dead stop. More noticeable on back roads when I slow down for someone turning and then gas again. Also seeing 13-15mpg highway, compared to 16-18mpg before the noise. This makes me think spark plugs, but the fact it's so random makes me wonder if that's an unrelated airflow sensor issue or something.

Other info:

• Check engine light has never came on.
• Oil pressure is normal.
• Noisier on the passenger side.
• Increases speed when I rev the engine.
• Pretty loud when I start up. Gets quieter after driving, but not always.
• I live in Brooklyn, so it sees some city miles. But I mostly use it for road trips and off-roading on weekends.

Saw a lot of posts here & in F150 forums with people saying that they just ignore it. Some other posts saying the engine is gonna blow up. I kinda don't care if the truck sounds busted, but I definitely don't want to be running it into the ground. Especially if the engine is gonna throw a spark plug when I'm 15 miles from cell service.

Before I start throwing parts at it, what should I try to fix first? Most likely issue? Cheapest fix to try? Spark plugs & coils? Open up the engine to check the lifters and camshaft? Buy a BlueDriver and check for codes? Anyone have a link on how you fixed this in your truck?

 

[Brons2]

sounds like you've got a bad roller follower to me. I personally would not ignore it, if it spits out the follower you could drop a valve and that would mean new engine time. Watch some of FordTechMakuloco videos on YouTube, he is the most prolific 5.4 fixer on YouTube (edit: I see you have them posted). How good are your mechanical skills? You can diagnose it by taking off the valve cover if it's a roller follower. If you find one that the bearings have gone bad on the pivot wheel of the roller follower, it will have play in it and you will be able to physically move it by hand.

 

[JExpedition07]

Sounds like a timing job to me

 

[mr_dave]

It sounds very similar to mine when this happened: https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/lets-play-guess-the-repair-bill-total.48997/

 

[steeltoe]

Sounds like a timing job to me

Do you have a video with what that sounds like? I can't really find one that sounds like my engine.

Timing chain would explain the inconsistent power loss though, right?

 

[steeltoe]

sounds like you've got a bad roller follower to me. I personally would not ignore it, if it spits out the follower you could drop a valve and that would mean new engine time. Watch some of FordTechMakuloco videos on YouTube, he is the most prolific 5.4 fixer on YouTube (edit: I see you have them posted). How good are your mechanical skills? You can diagnose it by taking off the valve cover if it's a roller follower. If you find one that the bearings have gone bad on the pivot wheel of the roller follower, it will have play in it and you will be able to physically move it by hand.

His videos are great but I don't know if I trust myself opening up the engine. I took it to this fleet mechanic to diagnose. He said it was probably roller followers too, but he hasn't opened it up yet.

I know the cost for replacing lifters and followers is mostly labor and I'm checking out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdAUeVRBNA8 and it seems easy, just tedious. I have a friend who works on his truck all the time and owes me a favor, but is this something we wanna try to fix ourselves?

Other question is even if there aren't timing chain issues, maybe I wanna get the timing set replaced anyway and while the cam is out, the lifters and followers can all just get replaced too? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2R3ZLQyu3U Like, if I'm at 114k miles and I wanna drive this thing another 90k+ I'm gonna have to do a timing job eventually.

 

[steeltoe]

It sounds very similar to mine when this happened: https://www.expeditionforum.com/threads/lets-play-guess-the-repair-bill-total.48997/

sounds like I'm in the same boat. I think I'm going to have to replace the timing chain and while that's out the lifters and roller followers too. Your repairs came to $6k, how much of that was from them dropping the valve? I'm guessing my repairs are gonna be in the $3500-5000 range.

I also have an extended warranty that covers major engine repairs, but idk if I'm going to be able to get them to pay for something "preventative" like this, who knows.

 

[tommyddsr]

If it is making noise like you describe this would be indicative of a problem and not preventative. Since it is under warranty just let the dealership look at it before you start wasting money without a proper diagnosis. If you start messing with it yourself you may void your warranty depending on the restrictions set forth, unless you are a certified mechanic. Just some friendly advice.

 

[scottc]

sounds like I'm in the same boat. I think I'm going to have to replace the timing chain and while that's out the lifters and roller followers too. Your repairs came to $6k, how much of that was from them dropping the valve? I'm guessing my repairs are gonna be in the $3500-5000 range.

I also have an extended warranty that covers major engine repairs, but idk if I'm going to be able to get them to pay for something "preventative" like this, who knows.

I just purchased a 2010 Exp. with 220k km (135k miles) that had a timing components R&R at 195k km (120k miles), but not roller followers, lash adjusters or the oil pump. I have been debating what to do with that combination, and finally booked an appointment for an oil change and interior mechanical oil pressure gauge installation, using a gallery plug in the RH (passenger) head, where starvation, if it happens, wouldl be greatest. Watch it carefully for for declining op, I guess. Might be worth knowing what you oil pressure is at hot idle in gear before planning ?
I envy your engine warranty. Just 113k miles, a good service record and a professional pre-purchase inspection. What is going on with these engines? mr_dave had around 45-50k miles on his, if I remember

 

[mr_dave]

sounds like I'm in the same boat. I think I'm going to have to replace the timing chain and while that's out the lifters and roller followers too. Your repairs came to $6k, how much of that was from them dropping the valve? I'm guessing my repairs are gonna be in the $3500-5000 range.

I also have an extended warranty that covers major engine repairs, but idk if I'm going to be able to get them to pay for something "preventative" like this, who knows.

Most of that was from retrieving the broken valve. It would have been closer to $1500 if they only did roller followers and cam.

If you have a warranty, I'd recommend bringing it to a dealership and seeing what they can find. If it's an aftermarket warranty like mine, they will look for every little thing they can, which is exactly what I wanted. The other option would be to drive it until it blows up and then get the warranty to cover a reman engine.