When I start the truck up for the first time for the day it sounds like a ticking noise, and the oil pressure gauge is little low. Is this normal or what should I be looking for?

 

How long does the noise last? Does the oil pressure go up when the noise stops?

 

How many miles on the engine?

 

It has 166K. The noise last a few minutes of that but the pressure will raise to bout normal.

 

A ticking sound that goes away after the oil pressure builds could be play in your valve train. With 166k that would not be unusual. If you have a mechanics stethoscope you can try to pinpoint which cylinder(s) and valve(s) it is coming from, just place the end of the stethoscope over the valve cover for each valve and see if the sound is over any particular valve. Some simple fixes might include checking the rocker arm to valve stem clearance, rechecking the torque on the ball nut that holds each rocker in place, checking the length of your push rods. Another possibility might be a collapsed lifter. If the noise goes away after several minutes with oil circulating through the heads I'm not sure I would worry about it just yet. However, if the noise remains constant or gets louder it's probably time to fix it. Have you tried any oil additives?

 

if its there when the engine is cold but goes away when warm; it could be piston slap. I would describe it as a light knock vs a tick. My 2000 4.8 had it on cold start up. This type of noise is more noticeable if you start it up cold and drive away hard. Just don't drive it hard until it warms up and it won't be a problem. The only fix is tear down.

I was waiting for my 4.8 motor to die but it never did 366 000 kilometers when i sold it...and its still going...was going to swap in a 5.3L but the darn thing just kept on living.

 

I would say light tick. Should I add some Lucas or other oil additive/engine treatment?

 

lets hear the noise