289 tick

My 289 2v has a ticking noise only heard or most pronounced when the engine is at operating temp. Not certain if its coming from the lifters or if its an exhaust manifold leak, seems to be louder when in gear(under load). i was wondering if i should try an oil with the ZDDP additive first. Right now im running 10w30 conventional oil and was thinking of upgrading to 10w40 conventional with ZDDP. Just wondering if anyone could shed some light on this.
Thanks  

what is your outside temp ranges where you live????   makes a huge difference in the weight of the oil you run.

how old is the engine???  

have you ever replaced the oil pump.???

do you have an oil pressure gauge???? or just a light???   even grabbing an oil pressure switch extension tube from a later ford so you can run the pressure switch and a small gauge on the engine .. or buying a 20 buck oil pressure test kit from harbor freight..


10W-30 is to me... living in always warm socal a little thin..  but again there are a lot of variables..


if you have a shop vacuum....  you can tape the hose to the exhaust pipe and place it in the out port of the vacuum .. then feel around or spray diluted dish soap around the exhaust to find leaks..  

Could you have some gas in with the oil, and the viscosity not enough to keep the lifters pumped up, when the oil thins out, had a car years ago that would not start, as the lifters would collapse so much the valves would hardly open.  

I've heard of that!  Almost forgot about it until you mentioned it, thanks. Ill check that!  

Thanks for the tips guys ill keep you posted  

Thanks for the tips guys ill keep you posted