A mate wants to buy a 2003 fairmont ghia 5.4L V8 with only 85,000km on it and full service history...eveything's hungky-dorey EXCEPT for a noisy lifter (real noticeable just after startup). Been told it's not uncommon with this engine.....is this right???? any known cure apart from new lifters?? about how much would dealer/workshop charge to replace the lifters??? thanks for any suggestions.

hey mate

is the noise a clicking noise straight after start up then stop after bout 10 secs or so and only does it when its cold or hasnt been driven for a while.
or is a clicking noise with start up and continueing while driving

could possibly not be lifter noise mate.
i bought my fairmont ghia 5.4 a couple of weeks ago and it makes a ticking noise, had it to a mechanic and he said its actually coming from the trans. apparently bolts between to torque converter and flex plate can come loose on the ba's and cause it to make noise.

the timing chain and tensioners can also come loose and tick on ba's.

ive also been told that the 3v motor is naturally noisy and does tick a little bit because of the vct,

i wouldnt say any of these things are a reason not to buy it.

how much is he picking it up for can i ask?

Thanks blokes...will tell the mate tomorrow. Well the ticking noise is at startup then seems to die down after a minute...and hardly notice it as you rev the engine higher....but he reckons definitely coming from the top end rather than transmission. The seller's asking 15 grand...and my mate was real keen maybe try for 14, but everything else about the car was mickey mouse. Thanks again!...Steve.

yes it probably isnt lifters if it stops after start up my ba xr8 does the exact same thing.
On start up it ticks but only for about 10 secs not like urs. ive been told that not to worry so much bout it. im not sure bout it though if it does it as long as that car. i have been told what the problem is.
a good mechanic friend said that its chain that runs from the cams down to the harmonic balancer.
the ticking noise is because over night the oil drains out of this area leaving it unlubricated. when u start up the next day the ticking noise you hear is the chain rattling it stops when the chamber is again full of oil.
theres a hole which the oil is pumped through but doesnt work efectively in keepin the oil there when the engine isnt running. In the bf model the fixed it by replacing it with a key hole shape hence no ticking.
the part is only bout $50 and process to replace it takes 4-6 hours if you no what you r doing and can be quite tricky

I am having the same problem with one in a manual RTV, seems to happen all the time, i especialy notice it when i get home. Not sure what it could be, it is a little rough when it is cold as well, anyone else notice this?

I had the same thing in my bf xr8 ute and it was the timing chain rattling on start up ,the chain tensioners blead down once the engine is turned of . They then rattle for ten to twenty seconds untill they blead back up .differant brands of oil are worse then others .If it is doing it all the time it maybe some thing wrong with the tensioners.

yeah mate mine makes alot of noise, i think ive got a combination of noises.
at start up i get a slight rattle from lack of oil
when driving ive either got loose timing chain or a f**k torque converter i think.
might also have one or two noisy lifters aswell.
enough to drive you crazy!!!!

my 04 XR8 has a little bit of a clicking sound at low engine speeds, been told its the injectors by the ford workshop that services it, apparently they have had a few that do the same thing and they cant find anything wrong with the injectors, just noisy.