Hi, I have a 95 F-150 4WD (5.8, E4OD, 150k miles) that we use for
towing.  It's done well, and I've fixed a few annoyances, but it has some
mechanical items I would like an opinion on.  I'm accustomed to doing nearly
all my own work by myself and w/o air tools, but since it won't fit in my
garage, I fear some of it may be unreasonable.  At least I don't need to
jack it up to get underneath it.

   Here's the laundry list:
* Ticking sound from right bank under throttle, in time with engine RPM.
It's perfectly consistent and around 2 ticks/second when near idle speed.  I
wanted to check the EGR tube but stopped short of attempting to disassemble
it when I saw it resembled heavy plumbing.  As well, the manifold didn't
show any cracks but it looked very tight and very rusted to attempt to
unbolt it for inspection.  I looked into checking the timing, but it seems
there is no timing adjustment on these 95s.  Any tips, or suggestions how to
diagnose and repair as a DIY or how bad$$ it might be at a shop?

* Oil collecting around oil pan.  It's not enough to generate a puddle, but
has begun marking the parking space.  I suspect pinhole corrosion leaks in
the pan, or dripping from the mainseals.  If it's any of these problems, it
sounds very messy to repair them on my back in a parking space.  Any help
for diagnosing this and determine how urgent this job is.

* ATF collecting around tranny pan.  Again, it's just enough to wet the pan.
I was planning to drop the pan to change the fluid and install a basic
Transgo shift kit.  But this could become one massive mess even with a 3'x5'
metal catch pan.  Is there any way to do this without messing up the parking
space?

* Fuel tank leakage and/or bad check valves.  The rear tank just pumps to
the front tank, and when it's full it seems to have a slight leak near the
rear filler neck.  Is the filler neck, valves, etc easy to see when I have
the tank dropped?  (I can drop the tank myself, but removing the bed sounds
like a 2-3 person job, and obviously less convenient).

   Tips, links, advice appreciated.

   Dave