There there ever was a quote to describe these things, that is it. LOL love it!

 

There are more than 4 lifters.
Just drive it, it will tick forever, or until the day you sell it.

 

lol

 

^Yes. My DI ticks like crazy! I have given up on it and just wait for the day she blows! haha

 

Ditto, I no longer worry about the ticking, it is what it is and since it runs great I just take it for a personality trait - like a truck with Tourette Syndrome.

 

My 2000, 2002 and 2003 all ticked like hell (for 10K+ miles) until I put a K&N oil filter (HP-3001) and 6 qts of Dino-based rotella in them.

Then it stopped. 88.3% of the time............

These engines tick. You have 2 choices - go crazy chasing it, or put in the proper gauges, monitor the vitals, and learn to live with the noise. Oil pressure gauge and an Ultragauge are about $160 shipped to your door, and easy to install.

IMHO, this is a good truck for your son to start learning to work on, pretty simple engines, and he will be hard pressed to NOT have a "to-do" list on the thing.

Don't bother with a replacement engine because of a tick - if you really want to waste $3-4K, come down to Atlanta and I'll show you how, and believe me, it'll be more fun than busting your knuckles or paying a mechanic.

You got the truck for a fair price, and if it's truly his "dream car", then he'll want to keep it up, and this is a good place to learn.

Then he can develop the lifelong habit of "buying one more damn thing with a motor in it!" - Her words.....

 

Look for indy rover shop and get some second opinions...you will need a good local one that can do stuff you cant. Become friends helps. Have them do oil change is a start. Spend some money with them buy a few parts new or used.

As for the whinny reply...we all whine... Except a few with lifts, tools and a shop....these things where never built to last like the commercials said... and there old and the parts are just as expensive..you may have spent 7k but it was originally $40k so thats what you have when you bring it in for service..if your son intends to drive it like a Honda..be prepared for catastrophic failures coming your way..If you drive 100 miles a week ..it should last a long time..

I used to say welcome to the short bus..but in reality , welcome to the idiots club...

 

Well I was about to get on here and brag about getting rid of the tick. Three days and purring like a kitten. Just when I was getting big headed tick tick tick!!! #$#*$&#(@...

Oh well, Before going further, I am interested in why you thing the K&N filter may have made a difference. Is it possible that it is less restrictive on oil flow therefore giving more oil pressure to engine parts.

Lastly, if this is really the lifters (ie. mechanical wear) why does it come and go randomly. It does seem to have gotten better. At park or neutral it goes away but in drive at idle it is definately there???

Thanks for your help guys... No offense taken on the whining. I take pride at being really good at it!

 

When the engine is cool, reach your hand back behind the upper manifold and make sure all the spark plug wires are connected good to to the coil pack. I had a wire come lose (but was still connected enough to spark the cylinder) and it make a random ticking sound. If the truck sat for awhile maybe this is all it is, esp if its louder when you give it rpms. Yeah, I snugged the wire back good to the coil pack and all was well.

 

The oil filter makes zero difference in the engine tick, all the oil filter does is filter oil, yes it matters at cold start up because the anti drain back valve inside the filter helps prevent dry starts, a cheap filter will not perform as well there.
The K&N oil filter is made my Champion Labs which also makes the Fram oil filter which is one of the worst oil filters you can buy.
In my opinion the white paint and nut welded to the end of the filter are not worth the inflated price.

Most of these ticks are caused by the cylinder liners moving up and down ever so slightly, some report using cheap gas makes it go away, other say driving it like you stole it for a day hear and there does the trick.
Yet another says pulling his 5,000lbs boat to the lake and back does the trick.
Others have rebuilt the entire engine and the tick is still there.
Some are in a padded room because chasing this red herring drove them mad.
Most sell.
The rest drive it and enjoy life with the understanding that it is just a stupid truck and it is always going to make noise and give you fits.

Use a quality motor oil, change it every 3-5,000 miles, a name brand oil filter and the proper grade of fuel and dont worry about it unless your oil light flickers at idle or comes on steady.