1997 Ford F150 4.6L Manual 4WD 130k Miles
Good Afternoon all,
I am having an issue with my F150. While I am driving down the road only in gear meaning 1-OD/5, I am hearing a clicking/ticking noise. I already have done the spark plugs, wires, exhaust from catback and the manifolds and EGR system. This does not happen while idling or revving in neutral. I checked my ujoints and they have quite a bit of play but I am not sure if that would cause a clicking/ticking. What do you think? I am quite certain it isnt a performance issue since the power is nice, and the truck has only 130k miles which is quite low for the age. Thanks a lot.
~Ian
Just to expand on this, as it revs higher, the ticks get faster and louder. I have not gotten above 2500RPM yet since I dont want to risk anything. It also goes away when I let off the gas in gear, like cruising on the highway going downhill or cruising on flat roads not needing a lot of power. Thanks again.
There is a possibility with enough play the u joints could be causing the noise but if you verified there is play in them you definitely need to take care of that as it is a safety issue if they were to come apart it could do a lot of damage.. for the exhaust manifolds we’re they replaced with new ones or just new gaskets? A hairline cracked manifold could also cause this noise or a bad manifold gasket.. aside from those check you’re oil level and verify it’s good to reduce the possibility of it being a lifter noise more pronounced under load. Is the noise sound rotational or the speeds up and slows with rpm?
My manifolds and gaskets are brand new. I figure it is not an engine concern because there is no noise when in neutral at the same revs and load being applied, but when in gear it makes the noise. It usually speeds up with rpms, but only when there is a load applied in gear. If my foot comes off the gas there is no noise no matter the RPM. And I just changed my oil myself. I performed the change after the noise started, and my levels are adequate.
I would start with the u joints then if they have play
Okay sounds good. I will try that and then see where I am at.
Took my vehicle to the dealer because I was tired of the noise, and turns out one of the manifolds replaced had a hairline fracture.