I would tend to agree with Novadon that synthetic isn't really needed but I'll give it a shot on mine for a few thousand miles to see if it makes any difference.  I've tried a half dozen different oil additives without much luck yet but I'll look for the rislone and try some.  It used to help if the oil was kept at the full mark but now that makes little difference, though I still keep it topped off as best as possible.

I just keep delaying the inevitable - changing the lifters. I guess it would be a good excuse to do the timing chain and tensioners too.

For what it's worth. I was on a couple of Isuzu forums (I owned a Trooper II years ago) And the newer Trooper V-6's have a valve tick problem, pretty much the only oil that clears up the problem is Mobil One.  If you run that oil, there is no valve ticking. 

You could look at it that way I suppose.

I choose to view syn as over-kill and over-priced. 

That's hard to follow, unless you pay something like four times the mineral oil price for synthetic (based on one change a year instead of four) - I expect you do not.

You've lost me on your 1:4 ratio "one change a year instead of four" comment.  

Are you suggesting that Syn oil allows for four times the mileage change periodicity over the factory recommended oil change interval?  

Yes, if the interval is 3 months. I believe that a sizeable number of US motorists insist on 3 monthly changes.  If it's 6 months, the ratio would be 2:1, of course, so not quite the dramatic saving, but still some.

Btw, some cars sold in Europe have a 15 month interval with the specified synthetic oil.  The cars have a 5 year mechanical warranty, so the manufacturers must be confident.  And that's not recent - dates back some 5 years or so.

I would tend to agree with Novadon that synthetic isn't really needed but I'll give it a shot on mine for a few thousand miles to see if it makes any difference. 

Quoting myself...

I figured I'd update this thread after I tried some Mobil 1 0w-30 synthetic.  It didn't completely cure the lifter tick but it is about 95% better.  I've tried about every additive mixed in with different 5w-30 non-syn oils over the last 50k miles that I've had the problem. None helped as much as the switch to synthetic.  I'm still not saying everyone needs to run synthetic, but I'll probably continue to run it on this motor since it has been the best thing yet for the lifter issue.

Good to hear!. You've probably still got a little of the gummy deposits which cause the tick.  Time, and, in due course, an oil change with the good stuff, will eliminate it completely, I expect.