I had this engine rebuilt 8,000 miles ago. It has run fine until a few days ago I stared hearing what sounds like a ticking sound or exhaust leak. So I then checked my oil and ouch! stick is dry, not a drop on the stick. So I immediately go get oil and a new filter. Rotella 10-40 and M1-301 filter. So I get underneath and there are a few drips of oil on the pan. Oil Leak! I then read that I must replace the copper washer on the drain plug each time its changed and im guessing that the grease monkeys who changed mine last time didn't know that. So I fixed the copper washer and now I don't see any oil on the pan after a few days.

So my wonder is whether that low oil level could have caused this ticking?

It is very noisy on cold start up, and in this video is when engine is at operating temp. At temp, it is nearly silent at idle, but when under load in gear it gets noisy again. Check this video showing in gear under load.

Discovery Motor ticking - YouTube

 

If oil fell below a minimal level the oil warning light would come on at about 7 psi. You may have not had enough oil to be on the stick, but that does not mean it is bone dry. But vey low oil can certainly cause engine damage.

One way to isolate noise is to place a stick (broom handle) against one ear and the other end touch to valve covers, etc. The infamous tick can come from slipped cylinder liner (usually from gross overheat on a long term, but sometimes single event basis), and the SAI system can have a role, you can search our forum for that .

Also, many exhaust leaks sound very similar to this, and change with heat and load. With engine cold and just cranked you can feel around gasketed areas, or use an IR thermometer, or small paper flag on a stick, etc. Leak will blow out 400 degree air, so shows up on IR thermometer very well, if you can get a clean shot of it.

 

Why are you not checking your fluid at least once a month, are you looking to buy a new engine??????
Until you spend enough time, under the hood and truck, while it is running, you won't know what is making the sound and no reason for us to guess.
Check for exhaust stains on the exhaust system as well as loose or missing bolts. Is the noise coming from the top or bottom of the engine?
How many quarts did you put into the engine when you found it low and where is the oil leaking from?
Answer these question before you go any farther.

 

Why oh why do people do this kind of thing over and over?
Check your oil level ONCE A WEEK!!!
It takes all of 2 min, do it first thing Sat. morning before going anywhere.
Pro the hood, pull the dipstick, check the coolant, check the power steering.
Close hood.
DO this ONCE A WEEK no matter if you drive 50 miles or 500.
When you park it on Fri park on a level surface, in the morning check the fluids.
And just because you have oil pressure does not mean you have enough lubrication in the engine.
You my friend have fried your brand new engine because you did not check the oil.
Brand new engines use oil like mad until everything is "seated" or "broken in".
Your cam and lifters were ran dry and so they now have worn to the same point as a 100k engine.
So your brand new engine now has 100k miles worth of wear and tear.
Best of luck to you.
Oh, and you have voided any warranty you might have had by doing this.
You can deny it either, once its posted online you can never take it back.

 

try looking for exhaust leaks what i thought was a for sure valve tick was just a small leak there wasnt even any carbon near the leak...i let every thing cool and as soon as i started the eng i felt all over the headers and by all the flanges then i found it...