2004 Ford pickup 5.4 liter motor tick noise

[maxwell11]

the motor on my son's 2004 Ford pickup, 5.4 liter motor has started making a ticking noise after it's warmed up,
94,000 miles, truck is in excellent condition other than this minor ticking noise.

you can hear the noise at idle, but not when driving down the road.

he uses Ford oil filters and Ford oil 5W20.

most of you guys that ever owned a truck this model have probably traded them off for newer trucks by now.

but, do you ever remember having a motor tick with your 5.4 liter Ford motor.

if so, what is the cure, is it a valve, injector, it does not miss, so I would not think it was a plug loose.


I really do not know what to tell him to do, as he likes to have his vehicles in top condition.
he only drives the truck approximately 8,000 per year. has the oil changed at 6 months or 4,000 mile intervals.

reason I ask here, he has ask the dealership, local repair shop and one or two others, who should know about this model motor, has gotten a different answer from each;

bad plugs, loose or worn timing chain, flywheel loose, coil packs bad,
etc:
Thanks for any suggestions,

I suggested changing the oil, use Ford filter and 5w20 oil, but replace one qt of oil, takes 7 qts (I think) with one quart of Lucas oil stabilizer,
might be worth a try, before letting some one tear into this motor,

again, any suggestions are appreciated!

[TNRIVERSIDE]

The ticking noise on my 09 turned out to be both exhaust manifolds were cracked. This got more noticeable after a long pull up a really steep mountain. New manifolds = no noise. Good luck identifying you ticking source.
I had over 90,000 when I replaced the manifolds.

[lawnspecialties]

LynnandCarol wrote:
Ours has the ticking, after warming up it less noisy. Took it to a mechanic and he indicated it was exhaust manifold leaking and the 2004 was notorious for that and always the same side (passenger). If this is it just ignore it!

That's what I was going to say. Mine did it on my old 2004.

I think I had mine fixed if I recall correctly. I believe they were able to grind it down smooth so it would seal again.

My bet for the OP's question is leaking manifold.

[LynnandCarol]

Ours has the ticking, after warming up it less noisy. Took it to a mechanic and he indicated it was exhaust manifold leaking and the 2004 was notorious for that and always the same side (passenger). If this is it just ignore it!

[phillyg]

My 2004 5.4 developed the cam phaser tick while under warranty, at about 35,000 miles. Fixed and sold at 145,000 miles; no further ticking.

[sd75mac]

My Expedition started ticking after plug change. The ticking for me is a precursor to spitting plugs. So far 6 plugs and inserts were replaced, at $300 each plug.

[301TBS]

I had the death rattle (tick) in mine at 180,000km. $2,000 later it was gone. Cam phasers,guides,and hydraulic tensioners. It was a lot of money, but sure sounds quiet now. Only was noisey when hot, especially after pulling the trailer. Hope this helps.

[spud1957]

Gdetrailer wrote:

maxwell11 wrote:
the motor on my son's 2004 Ford pickup, 5.4 liter motor has started making a ticking noise after it's warmed up,
94,000 miles, truck is in excellent condition other than this minor ticking noise.

you can hear the noise at idle, but not when driving down the road.

he uses Ford oil filters and Ford oil 5W20.

most of you guys that ever owned a truck this model have probably traded them off for newer trucks by now.

but, do you ever remember having a motor tick with your 5.4 liter Ford motor.

if so, what is the cure, is it a valve, injector, it does not miss, so I would not think it was a plug loose.


I really do not know what to tell him to do, as he likes to have his vehicles in top condition.
he only drives the truck approximately 8,000 per year. has the oil changed at 6 months or 4,000 mile intervals.

reason I ask here, he has ask the dealership, local repair shop and one or two others, who should know about this model motor, has gotten a different answer from each;

bad plugs, loose or worn timing chain, flywheel loose, coil packs bad,
etc:
Thanks for any suggestions,

I suggested changing the oil, use Ford filter and 5w20 oil, but replace one qt of oil, takes 7 qts (I think) with one quart of Lucas oil stabilizer,
might be worth a try, before letting some one tear into this motor,

again, any suggestions are appreciated!

That 5.4 should be a 2 valve per cylinder engine, so NO cam phasors to worry about.

As far as the 5.4 2V or even 3V ticking, yes, they ALL can do that and not have a problem. Some are more loud than others and often only when extremely cold..

I have one with just under 200,000 miles and it had a slight tick when cold that would go away when warmed up.

BUT, even so, with a 2004 there ARE a couple of things that NEED to be checked.

Number one is the spark plugs will tick when slightly loose.. If loose you ARE risking having a plug(s) EJECT causing a lot of expensive repairs (timesert or head replacement).

Do not rely on the dealership to check the plugs.. I nearly found out that dealer mechanics do not know what a TORQUE WRENCH is the hard way.

Had my 2006 in for plug replacement, shortly after they replaced the plugs I started smelling raw fuel in the cab (but only when backing up or stopping at stop lights)..

Back to the dealership multiple times and each time they came back with no problem found?

Finally I pulled the COPS one at a time I discovered ALL the plugs were loose.. One plug took a 1/2 turn by hand before hitting the seat!

Those plugs NEED to be TORQUED to proper specs for that engine year.

Secondly is a slight tick can be caused by a broken or cracked exhaust manifold or manifold bolts.. So far I have not had that on any of my 5.4s.. Sounds like it could be a royal pain to fix.

As far as dumping stuff like Lucus or other additives, don't.. They are nothing more than expensive junk and will not "fix" anything..

All good info but small correction. 2004 was actually the first year for the 3 valve in the F150.

[Sam_Spade]

Gdetrailer wrote:

As far as dumping stuff like Lucus or other additives, don't.. They are nothing more than expensive junk and will not "fix" anything..

Good points from someone who knows that engine.
Beyond that however, engines tend to make different noises as they age....most notably extra ticking noises.

Trying a slightly heavier oil might be a good experiment, like a 10W40 for instance. Does it use any between changes ??

[jake2250]

I had a 2004 SCREW with a 5.4, It developed the infamous tick and the nasty rattle at start up, Took it to the dealer and they said it was cam phasers. First he tried to tell me it was the injectors, it is not direct injected. I looked into the phaser issue and some let it go with no problems but some have had phaser failure leading to costly repairs. I sold the truck with 70,000 miles on it and did not do the phasers or try the spark plug replacement either! Check you tube for phaser videos and spark plug issues with that motor.. Good luck!

[Gdetrailer]

maxwell11 wrote:
the motor on my son's 2004 Ford pickup, 5.4 liter motor has started making a ticking noise after it's warmed up,
94,000 miles, truck is in excellent condition other than this minor ticking noise.

you can hear the noise at idle, but not when driving down the road.

he uses Ford oil filters and Ford oil 5W20.

most of you guys that ever owned a truck this model have probably traded them off for newer trucks by now.

but, do you ever remember having a motor tick with your 5.4 liter Ford motor.

if so, what is the cure, is it a valve, injector, it does not miss, so I would not think it was a plug loose.


I really do not know what to tell him to do, as he likes to have his vehicles in top condition.
he only drives the truck approximately 8,000 per year. has the oil changed at 6 months or 4,000 mile intervals.

reason I ask here, he has ask the dealership, local repair shop and one or two others, who should know about this model motor, has gotten a different answer from each;

bad plugs, loose or worn timing chain, flywheel loose, coil packs bad,
etc:
Thanks for any suggestions,

I suggested changing the oil, use Ford filter and 5w20 oil, but replace one qt of oil, takes 7 qts (I think) with one quart of Lucas oil stabilizer,
might be worth a try, before letting some one tear into this motor,

again, any suggestions are appreciated!

That 5.4 should be a 2 valve per cylinder engine, so NO cam phasors to worry about.

As far as the 5.4 2V or even 3V ticking, yes, they ALL can do that and not have a problem. Some are more loud than others and often only when extremely cold..

I have one with just under 200,000 miles and it had a slight tick when cold that would go away when warmed up.

BUT, even so, with a 2004 there ARE a couple of things that NEED to be checked.

Number one is the spark plugs will tick when slightly loose.. If loose you ARE risking having a plug(s) EJECT causing a lot of expensive repairs (timesert or head replacement).

Do not rely on the dealership to check the plugs.. I nearly found out that dealer mechanics do not know what a TORQUE WRENCH is the hard way.

Had my 2006 in for plug replacement, shortly after they replaced the plugs I started smelling raw fuel in the cab (but only when backing up or stopping at stop lights)..

Back to the dealership multiple times and each time they came back with no problem found?

Finally I pulled the COPS one at a time I discovered ALL the plugs were loose.. One plug took a 1/2 turn by hand before hitting the seat!

Those plugs NEED to be TORQUED to proper specs for that engine year.

Secondly is a slight tick can be caused by a broken or cracked exhaust manifold or manifold bolts.. So far I have not had that on any of my 5.4s.. Sounds like it could be a royal pain to fix.

As far as dumping stuff like Lucus or other additives, don't.. They are nothing more than expensive junk and will not "fix" anything..