Failure mode - Ford 7.3L Godzilla Gasoline (Super Duty 2020+, E-Series cutaway 2021+)

Cracked oil pump drive gear (front-of-engine tick at idle, 2020-2022 7.3)

Reliability tier: verified - verify before ordering, see /disclosure/

Symptoms

ticking / clicking / tapping at idle, loudest at the lower front where the timing cover meets the oil pan
noise still present with the accessory belt removed

Compare with the other causes of the same sign on this engine: ticking, knocking, rattle or whine (4 causes)

Root cause

Ford special service messages 50830 and 51330 (2020-2022 F-Super Duty with the 7.3L, 50830 for trucks built on or before 11-May-2022) attribute a front-of-engine tick at idle to a cracked oil pump drive gear.

Diagnosis

listen at the lower front of the engine at idle
remove the accessory drive belt and retest; if the noise remains, Ford's procedure is to remove the oil pan and rotate the crankshaft 360 degrees to inspect the gear for cracks

Fixes

replace the oil pump drive gear (Ford LC3Z-6306-A per SSM 50830/51330) ()

ford-godzilla-7_3: oil-pump (honest catalog gap)

Prevalence

occasional