I have a 2001 Dakota 4x4 I recently purchased has 120,000 on the odometer but its not accurate due to oversize tires (285/75/16) and a lift also has the 4.7L V-8. I love the truck so far but when I start it up it taps especially when its cold outside also does it some times when its warm outside. I'm running 10-30w synthetic blend in it it recommends 5w-30 or 10w-30 my question is should i go thicker and by how much?

Note Oil pressure gauge does run a on this mark when sitting still sometimes however when going down the road it picks up to the mark on the right and doesn't tap.

Only taps when sitting still and not all the time.



My next question is when it snows outside ill be riding around the next morning and the dash beeps and saying "check gauges" battery gauge goes to H but it only does it when it snows. I had the alternator checked and autozone said it was putting out the correct voltage. What causes this the battery temperature sensor?

 

the ticking is "somewhat but not greatly" normal for the 4.7 (I'll let one of the OHV motor guys answer that specifically). As for battery, yes the temp sensor ictates the charging voltage, it can be anywhere from 13.5V with a warm battery or I've seen 14.6 on my digital with the 20 degree temps we have right now. I don't remember how much "high" is, but I don't think it's anything detrimental.

 

I'm going to suggest you put a mechanical gauge on it and see what the oil pressure actually is. The stock gauges aren't that accurate.

Have you ruled out an exhaust leak? They can be noisy when cold.

I wouldn't go thicker on the oil. I run 5w-30 and no tick. It can be a problem with the lash adjusters, even dirt in them.

On the battery, check it with a real gauge. Again, don't trust the dash gauges.

 

Wouldn't the thinner the oil the more it would tick?

 

How bad is the tick?

I wouldn't run an oil heavier than 10w-30 is what I'm getting at. Thats what the engine was designed to use.

The lash adjusters, like lifters, may not pump up and can cause a tick. There is a restrictor in the oil passage to the head and it can get plugged. Thicker oil won't help in that case. Does it just do this at start up when cold? What oil filter are you using? Does it have a anti-drainback valve?

Verify the oil pressure, just in case. Then check the lash adjusters. They should feel firm. If they're spongy then it's bad.

 

That's displaying lower than normal oil pressure. I'd trust it, given the problem you're having. I have the 4.7 and the needle steadily sits at halfway on the gauge. Don't run thicker oil but run extra oil... overfill slightly till whenever you resolve the problem.

The battery gauge is supposed to sit slightly past the half mark. L and H means high and low voltage. Not sure how battery temp out of range is indicated (CEL maybe?)... I'll check my lights at half crank next time I'm in the truck.

 

My '01 4.7 ticks and I've read many on hear have ticking at start up after it's been sitting a long time (several hours).

My pressure gauge sits on the high line when cold and when driving hot. At stop lights, it is common to see the needle at the low line. Take off and it raises again to the high line. 5W-30

Had these symptoms since I got it in '05, some 160,000 miles ago. Has about 225,000 now.

 

It ticks pretty bad almost always at startup when cold and often times once it gets warm and has been driven awhile too. Im using a pureone oil filter. Not sure what a anti-drainback valve is or lash adjusters.

 

A pureone is probably more restrictive than most, due to extra high filtration. How long has the filter been on there?

Edit: The pureone does have anti-drainback valve but that wouldn't matter anyway, since the filter sits inverted and is always filled with oil.

 

To clarify, the anti-drainback valve is in the oil filter.