Lifter tick on passenger side

FL335i · January 22, 2017

Truck has 60k, I'm the original owner. Just re-noticed this weekend that on the passenger side of my engine, I hear a tick similar to a lifter tick or as if a rocker arm needs a 1/4 turn to tighten it up. This noise has been there for at least the last year or 20k miles. I know the DI engines make more noise, I've owned BMW DI engines. If that was the case I would assume both side of the engine would make the same noise. I've adjusted many 80's SBC lifters with them idling based on just noise; see my '89 K5 aviator. I adjusted those last year. Slowly tighten them until the tick goes away and then give it another 1/4 turn. My truck runs perfect, do not hear the noise running down the road. Seems to be only at idle on the passenger side. The driver side of the engine is silent. Are others hearing this? Maybe it's the fuel pump on the passenger side? I searched the forum and net and only found a PIP about needling bearings from the rocker arms being found in the oil pan. I started doing my oil changes on the 3rd OLF. I have a magnetic oil drain plug. Never saw any debris on the plug. Oil pressures are good. truck runs like a stabbed rat.

15_silverado · January 23, 2017

Are you saying that noise was definitely not there at all when truck was new or has it just got worse/louder the last 20k miles.

My 2017 ticks at idle, I've always just chalked it up to the DI as you and others have said.

If you've ever seen photos of these DI engines with the intake manifold removed, you'll see the high pressure fuel lines laying right on top of the engine; I've always wondered if they could move around or vibrate slightly when under high pressure and pulsing and therefore making a clanking/clicking noise. Probably not because you would think the would be well secured so the wouldn't eventually rub a hole through one of the lines but just a thought you never know.

FL335i · January 24, 2017

I never noticed it one way or the other until about 20k ago. So it could of been there since new. All I know is the passenger side of the motor makes more noise than the driver side. But you confirmed the HPFP system is on the passenger side.... so i'm 99.99% that's why it's louder and that is what I'm hearing. The truck runs like a switch watch. I just didn't want to have a major engine issue over a lifter that could be easily fixed.

newdude · January 24, 2017

Vacuum pump. One guy on here had one fail and because it is lubed via a feed off of the lubrication supply, it pumped its failed guts through his engine. He had like 99k on the truck.

diyer2 · January 24, 2017

Get a mechanics stethoscope, cheap and have a listen.

newdude · January 24, 2017

I never noticed it one way or the other until about 20k ago. So it could of been there since new. All I know is the passenger side of the motor makes more noise than the driver side. But you confirmed the HPFP system is on the passenger side.... so i'm 99.99% that's why it's louder and that is what I'm hearing. The truck runs like a switch watch. I just didn't want to have a major engine issue over a lifter that could be easily fixed.

HPFP is the valley of the engine (where a distributor would have been on a 350).

FL335i · January 25, 2017

This is on the passenger side, i'd say more toward the front of the motor. Dare I even ask why our trucks have vacuum pumps? They're not diesel. One has to wonder where the inlet filter for it is and what happens when it gets dirty.

15_silverado · January 26, 2017

The vacuum pump is for the brake booster

HondaHawkGT · January 29, 2017

This is on the passenger side, i'd say more toward the front of the motor. Dare I even ask why our trucks have vacuum pumps? They're not diesel. One has to wonder where the inlet filter for it is and what happens when it gets dirty.

The vacuum pump is required because whenever AFM is active, the engine on its own might not develop enough vacuum for the brake booster. Ford uses a small electric vac pump for the F150 ecoboosts for similar reason.

FL335i · January 30, 2017

Good to know! I would think a 12V electric pump mounted on the fender well or something would be a more reliable design. Goes bad, just change it out. Not risking taking out an entire engine. Just my 2 cents.

HondaHawkGT · January 31, 2017

Ford has had issues with the electric pump seizing without warning and the brakes failing.

I deactivated AFM so I wouldn't mind deleting the vac pump and just using engine vacuum like a traditiinal system.

Crf450r420 · February 1, 2017

If it is a lifter then thicker oil would likely stop it or at least change the sound. Change the oil with a little thicker oil or drain a quart and put some Lucas oil stabilizer in it to see if that changes things. If it does you can run thicker oil or replace the lifter. The vac pump could be disconnected safely if you drive only in manual and 5 selected so it stays out of V4. However, you should be able to tell the difference on that without it driving. A small exhaust leak can sound like a tick some times. Last one I can think of would be a broken valve spring, if it is a rapid valvetrain sound and not a slower piston slap.

15_silverado · February 1, 2017

If it is a lifter then thicker oil would likely stop it or at least change the sound. Change the oil with a little thicker oil or drain a quart and put some Lucas oil stabilizer in it to see if that changes things. If it does you can run thicker oil or replace the lifter. The vac pump could be disconnected safely if you drive only in manual and 5 selected so it stays out of V4. However, you should be able to tell the difference on that without it driving. A small exhaust leak can sound like a tick some times. Last one I can think of would be a broken valve spring, if it is a rapid valvetrain sound and not a slower piston slap.

So is the vacuum pump not working when in V8 mode? Does it turn on and off depending on what mode your in? Or is it working all the time regardless?

15_silverado · February 1, 2017

If it is a lifter then thicker oil would likely stop it or at least change the sound. Change the oil with a little thicker oil or drain a quart and put some Lucas oil stabilizer in it to see if that changes things. If it does you can run thicker oil or replace the lifter. The vac pump could be disconnected safely if you drive only in manual and 5 selected so it stays out of V4. However, you should be able to tell the difference on that without it driving. A small exhaust leak can sound like a tick some times. Last one I can think of would be a broken valve spring, if it is a rapid valvetrain sound and not a slower piston slap.

Questions,

Does the pump run all the time regardless of what mode your in; V4 or V8?

If it's only active/running in V4 mode, and you had AFM disabled; running V8 all the time, would you be in no risk of the pump being able to grenade and cause debri going into the engine oil, causing engine failure?

Or could the pump still grenade even if you were running in V8 mode all the time?

If so, what is necessary to delete the pump? Are there already vacuum lines in place for running in V8 mode?