Ok. so after searching and not really find a good answer to my issues...here is my problem.

97 4L, 5spd...104K...the oil dipstick tube seems to be loose...it moves around, causing a very loud tick tick tick noise that increases depending on the load placed on the engine and decreases according to load. Also, b/c my dipstick tube is not correctly attached, the tab (best description I can think of at the moment) is causing one of my plugs to arc from wire to tab and causing a engine running issue and I also think a power surge type feeling while running. This surge seems most notable in 3rd and 4th at 40ish-55ishmph. I R&R carrier bearing and that fixed some of my drive line surges, but this is a engine surge issue. Could a dirty MAF sensor cause a surging issue? The noise goes away depending on how tightly I can secure the dip stick...but it needs to be mounted correctly...cant find a good diagram that shows where it mounts and how it should be mounted. Also, this engine seems weak power wise, especially right off idle...sometime it wants to stall out...is this normal for this engine? Truck has been meticulously maintained by PO with all service records and was garaged or covered most of its life judging by paint finish. for a 15 yr old truck, it looks and drives new, except for these issues.

 

No one has any ideas?