Low pitched squealing noise that comes from motor?

[bobbywalter]

I didnt read through everything....but my Expo 5.0 made a TERRIBLE squawking chirp noise intermittently about 3000 miles after the swap (engine sat for 2 years prior).

Ended up being the cam sensor/oil pump drive was dry as a bone. Put a raman unit in and been fine for 20K now. to replace it you will need the cam sensor alignment tool (only a few bucks). You may be able to just pop the sensor off the top and squirt some oil down the housing to quiet it down without a replacement.

great point.
that sensor in the v8 can actually tick/click as well.... i would assume a cali legal swap is running the explorer edis and not a distributor so i can see that being a likelihood and also get by emissions testing.

as a stock explorer engine they have really weak springs that fail and cause issues when let float from wot.....stuck or burnouts ect...seen broken/binding springs--- bent pushrods ect with lower oil pressure tick but tend to clean up with rpm..and get misfire codes like a mofo.


all of this said. it...can indeed be a partially collapsed lifter and run fine and not throw misfire codes....

without seeing it for myself it is all best guess. but my guess is based on what i fix the most.

 

[SlugStang8997]

There are different kinds of lifters but most engines have them- they’re the thing that rides on the cam and provides the linear motion that “lifts” the valves open. If you’ve only had newer overhead cam engines you very likely still had lifters, but most of those designs use a bucket style solid lifter (Or similar) However, whichever type you have, if the clearances are too great, they’ll click and tap. In a healthy engine you won’t usually hear any lifter noise, at least not over the other noises as @bobbywalter mentioned. In a hydraulic lifter engine, if you’re hearing loud valvetrain noises that’s usually not a good sign. If you’re hearing lifter tick from inside the car while driving down the road, and it is in fact actually lifter noise, you do have a problem. As a couple of us have said though, an exhaust tick can sound a lot like a valvetrain tick to a casual listener.
One other thing- a valvetrain tick won’t necessarily change in loudness very much at speed or under load. You mentioned that you hear it while accelerating. That would be more consistent with an exhaust leak IMHO.

My exhaust is Custom and looks nothing like a Mountaineers exhaust or a Rangers. I was going to probably change it to dual exhaust instead of 2 to one large single exhaust. The ticking noise increases during acceleration of the truck then quiets down. There is more ticking in the morning during idle.

I was going to change the oil cause i don't know when the oil was changed last. I know it was changed about 2000 miles ago. The oil was valvoline oil 5w-30 5 quarts. I was going to use HMX Royal Purple oil instead this time around 5w-30 5 quarts. So that is the first step to fix the noisy lifters im going to take.

After i get the oil changed, I will have the truck checked for exhaust leak as well as the pulleys checked tensioner belt etc and see if that is the squealing sound.

I am more concerned about the ticking of the motor then the squealing.

Say i have 1 or more bad lifters does the engine basically need to be rebuilt. How do lifters wear normally? Do they wear out usually evenly like a other mechanical parts?
Does the engine need to be removed and torn down to replace lifters?
Can lifters be upgraded? The engine is a old design i doubt any upgrades can be done.
Again im not a mechanic so forgive me if i ask stupid questions.
How much Money would the repair be? With the engine being very old can i even get lifters or would i have to swap parts off another engine? Im going to give a engine rebuilder a call and get there opinion on it

 

[bobbywalter]

My exhaust is Custom and looks nothing like a Mountaineers exhaust or a Rangers. I was going to probably change it to dual exhaust instead of 2 to one large single exhaust. The ticking noise increases during acceleration of the truck then quiets down. There is more ticking in the morning during idle.

I was going to change the oil cause i don't know when the oil was changed last. I know it was changed about 2000 miles ago. The oil was valvoline oil 5w-30 5 quarts. I was going to use HMX Royal Purple oil instead this time around 5w-30 5 quarts. So that is the first step to fix the noisy lifters im going to take.

After i get the oil changed, I will have the truck checked for exhaust leak as well as the pulleys checked tensioner belt etc and see if that is the squealing sound.

I am more concerned about the ticking of the motor then the squealing.

Say i have 1 or more bad lifters does the engine basically need to be rebuilt. How do lifters wear normally? Do they wear out usually evenly like a other mechanical parts?
Does the engine need to be removed and torn down to replace lifters?
Can lifters be upgraded? The engine is a old design i doubt any upgrades can be done.
Again im not a mechanic so forgive me if i ask stupid questions.
How much Money would the repair be? With the engine being very old can i even get lifters or would i have to swap parts off another engine? Im going to give a engine rebuilder a call and get there opinion on it

the 5.0 engine is one of the most venerable in regards to upgrades and packaging.... the ford 5.0 is legendary in the pre gen 3 gm era. the smallest package to 500 hp goodness for the most part. not cheap to do depending on what the comparison is....and limited to 5-600 hp abuse which was fine for its era. directly compared to the modern hemi, coyote, or gm gen3 plus platforms its dated....but if you put the money to it...it holds its own and then some.

is it dated... not unfair to yes....i would also say that it is much more reliable sub 350 hp then just about anything as well.

but that design makes it easier to deal with in regards to actual lifter replacement compared to the others so that is a good thing. the ford roller lifters are very robust and are often run trouble free into the 100s of thousands of miles with just normal maintenance. reused after 200k rebuilds even.

so lifter issues are not normal for a 5.0 even with high miles. considering i get brand new stuff right out of the box that fails anything is possible... so failure is always an option.

 

[pentode]

My exhaust is Custom and looks nothing like a Mountaineers exhaust or a Rangers. I was going to probably change it to dual exhaust instead of 2 to one large single exhaust. The ticking noise increases during acceleration of the truck then quiets down. There is more ticking in the morning during idle.

I was going to change the oil cause i don't know when the oil was changed last. I know it was changed about 2000 miles ago. The oil was valvoline oil 5w-30 5 quarts. I was going to use HMX Royal Purple oil instead this time around 5w-30 5 quarts. So that is the first step to fix the noisy lifters im going to take.

After i get the oil changed, I will have the truck checked for exhaust leak as well as the pulleys checked tensioner belt etc and see if that is the squealing sound.

I am more concerned about the ticking of the motor then the squealing.

Say i have 1 or more bad lifters does the engine basically need to be rebuilt. How do lifters wear normally? Do they wear out usually evenly like a other mechanical parts?
Does the engine need to be removed and torn down to replace lifters?
Can lifters be upgraded? The engine is a old design i doubt any upgrades can be done.
Again im not a mechanic so forgive me if i ask stupid questions.
How much Money would the repair be? With the engine being very old can i even get lifters or would i have to swap parts off another engine? Im going to give a engine rebuilder a call and get there opinion on it

So, I'll stick with the theory for now that it's an exhaust manifold leak- that would be consistent with louder when cold and louder on acceleration. What @bobbywalter and I are talking about is a leak right at the head between the head and the manifold, or header if you have them. The more "custom" the exhaust, the more I'd suspect leak without more info. There are a bunch of little issues and oversights that can cause a leak like that.
Re: oil... I've said this in other threads lately and it's bound to stir up a little controversy but once you're pretty certain the engine is unhealthy, I'd be inclined to go up a step on the oil viscosity unless you're going to be driving in sub-freezing weather. However, I don't think you're there yet. Of course, fresh oil is better than old oil, and sometimes old oil gets pretty thin and might exacerbate the symptoms you have. If you're partial to Royal Purple, go for it, but when I'm dealing with a questionable engine I like to start with the cheapest fresh oil I can get my hands on. Why risk wasting money if you're going to have to tear into the engine in a few hundred miles? Walmart SuperTech full synthetic is cheap and great quality. Just check Project Farm.
Like @bobbywalter says, lifters are (look away Hemi guys) an uncommon failure. On these engines I would put a lifter failure down to either a freak occurrence or, more likely, neglect. Even then, unusual. I believe he also mentioned oil pressure too, which is worth investigating.
Having said all that, you'll have no trouble whatsoever finding replacement lifters for a 5.0 I'm sure there are hundreds of choices on the market. If you get into doing lifters though, you're going to want to have a pretty serious think about what else you want to do once you have it that far apart. If you're going to have a garage do it, it might end up being cheaper to replace the engine. It depends, lots of factors to consider there.
As far as it being an older design etc etc, I agree with @bobbywalter , it's a legendary engine with a huge following and a huge aftermarket for parts. You can literally do anything at all you want with a 5.0, it's not quite a small block Chevy but it's close in terms of support and community.
Last thing: if you were going to replace one bad lifter and pay a competent mechanic to do it, I would think you're looking, ballpark, into at least the $1000 region - all labor. A lifter is probably $5. However, I doubt any mechanic would approve of that repair, they're going to (rightly) want to do a few more things along the way. A currently working tech might chime in with a much better estimate. Good luck, don't stress about it, just be scientific and methodical and you'll find a way to fix it. Everything's fixable.

 

[SlugStang8997]

Thank you all for your replys to my post
Well you were right my truck does have an exhaust leak at the manifold right driver side. So i guess my lifters are fine. I am very relieved. I am surprised the mechanic didn't hear it. I took the truck to my exhaust shop and they found the leak immediately. Heard the leak immediately. I won't be getting it fix till Monday though.

I was still going to get that oil changed anyway because i don't know exactly when the previous owner changed the oil.

Still got to figure out what the squealing noise is though? Or maybe that was exhaust 2. I don't know but it sounds like a pulley or a slip to me. I will have the Cam sensor checked as well. If the pulleys and belt drive is all okay.

 

[pentode]

Thank you all for your replys to my post
Well you were right my truck does have an exhaust leak at the manifold right driver side. So i guess my lifters are fine. I am very relieved. I am surprised the mechanic didn't hear it. I took the truck to my exhaust shop and they found the leak immediately. Heard the leak immediately. I won't be getting it fix till Monday though.

I was still going to get that oil changed anyway because i don't know exactly when the previous owner changed the oil.

Still got to figure out what the squealing noise is though? Or maybe that was exhaust 2. I don't know but it sounds like a pulley or a slip to me. I will have the Cam sensor checked as well. If the pulleys and belt drive is all okay.

Great news! Like I said if someone's not really paying attention that manifold leak can sound very clicky and lead you astray.
Definitely change the oil, you always want to know how many miles are on that. Most important thing you can do.
If the squeal is like a "chirp chirp chirp chirp" that increases in tempo as the revs go up, you might be looking at the cam synchronizer, which isn't a hard job but don't put it off too long. If it's a screech that happens once and goes away, that might be belt, but if it's a constant squealing sound it's probably an idler pulley or tensioner. None of those are hard to fix or expensive.

 

[pentode]

I called my local mechanic and they said that they heard the ticking of the engine and said there isn't anything you can do about that. Cause the engine has lifters. He suggested that i put an oil additive in to quiet the lifters. Would i need an engine rebuild to make lifters quiet without an additive to the oil? So its loud lifters i guess that is the problem with the ticking. He said that he would like to drive it and give it another listen.

Don't want to be negative, especially if this guy is a friend of yours or a pillar of the community, but I'd think twice about handing over my money to a mechanic who reached that conclusion and offered that advice unless he spent less than 30 seconds with the car.
Again, sorry to be the voice of cynicism but I've seen too many friends and family be too loyal to bad mechanics for way too long over the years.

 

[SlugStang8997]

Don't want to be negative, especially if this guy is a friend of yours or a pillar of the community, but I'd think twice about handing over my money to a mechanic who reached that conclusion and offered that advice unless he spent less than 30 seconds with the car.
Again, sorry to be the voice of cynicism but I've seen too many friends and family be too loyal to bad mechanics for way too long over the years.

Thanks for your reply
When i had the truck in his shop he did hear the ticking and thought it was just the lifters. But He was just servicing my AC doing a recharge. Cause the AC wasn't very cold anymore. So he wasn't looking for anything else. So he just missed it cause i had him looking at other things.

He has been a good mechanic for my Dad for a number of years now. I just started going there for basic stuff like oil change check this check that etc. But i don't think he does engine rebuilds or tear downs or anything like that. He put a Red Head steering box in my Dads old 1997 Chevy Silverado and that truck steering i great now. So idk i don't think he is a bad mechanic.

But when i have a bigger problem with my car i go to world motors in ontario Ca. There a small dealership that sells used cars and also does rebuilds and more major repairs to cars and trucks. They do more custom work. So i go to them for any upgrades or after market things i want to do to my car or truck. They have been around for about 35 years. I think we bought a car from them as well in the past or at least someone in my family has.

 

[pentode]

Thanks for your reply
When i had the truck in his shop he did hear the ticking and thought it was just the lifters. But He was just servicing my AC doing a recharge. Cause the AC wasn't very cold anymore. So he wasn't looking for anything else. So he just missed it cause i had him looking at other things.

He has been a good mechanic for my Dad for a number of years now. I just started going there for basic stuff like oil change check this check that etc. But i don't think he does engine rebuilds or tear downs or anything like that. He put a Red Head steering box in my Dads old 1997 Chevy Silverado and that truck steering i great now. So idk i don't think he is a bad mechanic.

But when i have a bigger problem with my car i go to world motors in ontario Ca. There a small dealership that sells used cars and also does rebuilds and more major repairs to cars and trucks. They do more custom work. So i go to them for any upgrades or after market things i want to do to my car or truck. They have been around for about 35 years. I think we bought a car from them as well in the past or at least someone in my family has.

I hope my wording wasn't too harsh. I think it's wise to keep in mind a given shop's strengths and weaknesses. I'm getting old now and I've found that great mechanics are rare and bad mechanics are plentiful. I'm sure most mean well though.

 

[SlugStang8997]

I got the exhaust leak fixed on my truck so the ticking sound seems to be gone. Now all i got do is figure out what squeals. So my lifters are fine sorry i thought it was the lifters. My ear isn't very keen on these things. But even a mechanic thought it was loud lifters at first so i don't feel so bad for considering the lifters being bad. I got a radiator leak now lol so i have to replace the radiator and maybe some hoses. Im going in for an oil change tomorrow and im going to have the pulleys checked. I can't get the radiator for a few days so that is gonna stay broken for a little while. I like to order and research my own parts. Then i take them to my mechanic and pay for labor usually. That way if anything goes wrong im to blame. lol