For a few days this has been going on. After the truck has sat for a while, when I start it up and as its idles and I give it a little gas, a ticking noise I can hear. The ticking sounds like its something plastic, its on the passenger side of the eng. The ticking is relative to the tach, the truck runs fine and the ticking stops after its normal temp. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like you have a broken exhaust manifold bolt. The ticking is the exhaust leaking out, thats why it speeds up when your rpms go up. I have a couple broken bolts on my 6.0 been meaning to take care of it for awhile, also goes away once engine is warm.
*Just noticed you have headers, I know the stock manifolds really like breaking bolts, heard most people say headers are less likely to, still sounds like it could be a broken bolt though.

 

Yeah I'll check that out, on the driver's side a bold broke when the manifold was being removed, but no ticking, yeah ill check it and hopefully its just that.

 

Not necessarily the bolt but the gasket. If it goes away when the truck warms up it could just be the infamous LS tick

 

valves hiting the pistons...

 

So he just randomly dropped a valve and the truck still runs fine?


Did you use paper gaskets with the headers or re-use the stock manifold gaskets? If you used the paper ones that is likely the problem. Put stock gaskets back in it.

 

headers came with some thick gaskets bigger than the usual gaskets i see. If it is the gasket, you think I will be able to spot some soot?

 

More then likely its the gaskets.. ALWAYS reuse the stockers IMO, they are good... Also could be a lifter that has got dirt in it, not pumping up all the way, at first... Check the gaskets.. And we can't rule out the notorious piston slap, but would be weird why it would just start now.. Not a dropped valve