Ok then, I’ll add this….my buddy was an engineer on the Ford 5.4. I had an oil
Consumption problem and was going through the oil consumption survey. He told me flat out, when this gets fixed, change to 10 weight oil. He said any 5 weight oil or under is just for emission purposes, to up the gas mileage at the expense of the engine. He said it would cost a little in mileage, but it’s worth not having engine trouble in the future. Take it for what it’s worth, but it makes sense to me.
And for the record, you said you still have a lifter tick, so it sounds like that problem is not fixed.