Of course you are right on that. I had missed the part where he had a local mechanic listen to it. That said, we all have met some good mechanics, and then also some not-so-good mechanics. Then there is the trust factor that the lifter diagnosis is actual vs a diagnosis to bring in a big paycheck.

I think we all agree that lifter failure at 76,000 miles is not acceptable.

I guess being as active with the 6.0L diesel, I have seen a ton of shops "milk" its bad reputation so that customers can be way over-charged. It has turned me into a cynic. On the 6.0L forums we push very hard for owners to get their own scan tool and to do their own "initial" troubleshooting because of the lack of competence or the lack of honesty. It is amazing to me that so many people do not act on simple advice such as getting a scan tool. Installing a mechanical gauge on the oil system shouldn't be all that difficult, I assume the information is available on the internet as to finding an accessible port for it. That said, I understand that some people just can't do it (time, health, etc).

I wonder if an oil analysis might pick up some excess iron if the ticking has been going on for a while.

Also, a mechanics stethoscope is a useful tool when trying to pin down a stray noise.

 

Sorry for the delay in this feedback. First, thank you to each of you for your feedback.

Some comments/points in reply:
- My engine is a 6.2 gas. (In 2017 model year series, I believe it's the 6.7 that is diesel.)
- Unfortunately, I'm way (way, way, way) past age where I can get up on ladder and bend over engine block or crawl under truck on my back, so can't do diagnostics myself and plugging in electronic tester, if I bought one, would that plug into test jack w/in cabin and if so, would it provide relevant Lifter or oil pressure info?
- This noise has not been going on for long (1-2 months, at most I believe)
- I just did oil change about 6 weeks ago (incl. new filter,) so wonder if I'd have suspended iron particulate so soon or detectable (????)

 

I only mentioned diesels because of the reputation the 6.0L has and the fact that many shops are not exactly on-the level. It was clear from post #1 what engine you had.

The lack of integrity with many shops impacts gasoline and diesel repairs alike .................. Finding a good and honest mechanic is almost as important as finding a good surgeon ...... and you may have a good one, hard for us to tell.

My only reason for bringing that up is because we can't hear sounds unless a video is posted. There are several things that can "sound like" a lifter tapping.

You really aren't going to be able to pinpoint a lifter issue with an OBD Scan Tool. It would however tell you if a specific cylinder was under performing.

 

Thank you. I'd thought it was understood about my having gas, but didn't want to take chance and have discussion go somewhere that wasted your time and produced nothing good from your time.

Know what you're saying about good and bad mechanics: I've had TERRIBLE luck with a Ford dealership.(Went to dealership because not a lot of places can do king cab and 8' bed length trucks,) for an alignment and installing some Bilstein shocks. While truck was up on racks the idiot there didn't even notice coil spring had come off it's stub/post; When I drove away (because I'm also an idiot who knows little about cars) I heard noise but I just assumed it was something that needed a day or two to "settle in." Got worse (coil spring rubbing against body) so I returned to dealership. Service write said they put it up on rack and could find NOTHING WRONG and it would cost a day and hundreds of $$ to analyze.

So, I took it to mechanic I trust, he looked in wheel well and showed me coil was off its post. 5 minutes work and he had spring back on properly.

It's THIS mechanic who agreed with my (limited experience) sound was lifters. SO, I think I've got direction in that regard (i.e., it's lifters.)

I'd hoped that this forum might have seen/heard of enough problems with premature lifter failures on this year/engine model that I maybe had a case to have Ford take responsibility even though my truck is past the 60,000 mile warranty period.

 

I don't think it is common, hence the reason for checking the base oil pressure.

 

There are some vehicle engines out there that are experiencing "lifter" problems, but Pretty sure it is not Ford.
We could talk all day , but it shouldn't be too difficult to verify if it is a lifter problem and if it is , remove it and look for the actual cause.
If it is only one lifter, could be just confined to that one, but if in checking the oil pressure and , YES removing a valve cover to confirm what we suspect is the only way to be sure.. The gent offering the diagnosis has an advantage because he can see and hear what we cannot.. So ultimately , what have you decided to do?

 

Thank you for your input and suggestions. My plan is to have the (trusted) mechanic take a look. When he's advised me of his planned process to diagnose/determine/confirm it's lifters, thanks to input here, I'll listen to see if checking oil pressure is part of that effort. If not, perhaps I'll be a bit concerned, but will certainly ask him to do so, and advise me of results before going with major expense.
I don't know how much a "complete" overhaul/service on lifters would be.
If too much, I may decide it's not worth investing in it on this F-250.

 

Depending on what is found that contributed to possible lifter failure, AND the condition of the vehicle, you may need to replace only that one lifter.
A lot will depend on what is found and no sense getting upset about cost to repair if not necessary.

 

Wow. This is VERY reassuring (I hope; fingers crossed). Can you please advise/comment on following:

1. Taking oil pressure reading is not (as I had thought) done as a single, overall reading, but can be done for each lifter (or each cylinder)? (???)

2. If a "bad" (I don't know if that would be a "lower than spec" or a "higher than spec" reading) is found on a single (or a few) lifters, will most mechanics be willing to replace just the "bad" one (rather than insisting all get done, feeling that "since they are already in there....", or concluding "if (1) is bad now, others will go soon, so might as well replace all now" type of thing?

 

Oil pressure is the same to all.
Sometimes a spec of dirt can get trapped inside a lifter and prevent correct operation.
How long are you planning on keeping the vehicle, is the cost to replace all the lifters whether needed or not in your wallet, those decisions are all up to you.
If the shop doing the work pulls all the lifters and finds nothing especially worn, do you still want to have it done?
Fords are not especially known for lifter problems like some "other" brands.
You are doing the right thing , get several opinions.