Anyone ever heard of adding a small amount of tranny fluid to the oil to quiten down a noisy lifter? Had a ford tech tell me today that it worked and he does it all the time. Just wondering if any one else has heard of it or done it.

Lots of old stories about things like that, might work, might not, something to think about, what if a cam lobe is going bad?

Even if a cam lobe was worn, it still cant hurt the motor.. right?

Transmission fluid is high in detergents so it cleans sludge extremely well which is where the myth came from. BUT it cannot handle heat and has low shear strength so it is completely inadequate for engine oil. If you insist on adding something to your oil use something like lucas. If you want to flush sludge use motor flush or kerosene.

AT Fluid also is good for drilling and cutting aluminum.

But it used to be a trick used years back to help clear up noise tappets/lifters.

All I know for sure is... DON'T use too much, the exact amount I do not know.

A Ford tech said he does it all the time? I don't believe that.

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I didnt either.... but thats what he said.

Remind me not to go to that dealer for service...

If you last long enough, you will find all sorts of tricks that can be used as needed. Adding a quart of ATF to a 5-quart system was a commonly used attempt to free gummed or stuck lifters. At the time, detergent oil and hydraulic lifters were still being introduced and some would avoid detergent oil as they did not trust it(wait until they heard about 10W-30! multi-weight/grade, Oh the horror!)
Any way, ATF is very detergent by reputation, and might loosen up or dissolve lifters that needed just a little extra cleaning to allow them to function. If you ever take one apart, the fit is exceedingly tight between the internal piston and the cylinder. Just a little varnish could make it stick. Most did not 'flow' oil like the Chevy V8, but trapped a small bit of oil used to 'take up the slack' in the valve train, and then that oil just stayed until more wear allowed motion. That style got stuck and tappy regularly. ATF sometimes did help.
Today, I would try it in the crankcase and not worry too much about it, though the likelihood of success is small. Almost all oil is detergent(keeps the sludge in suspension) and it takes a lot of abuse(no changes for loooonnnnngggg intervals) to develop enough varnish or sludge to stuff up a lifter. ATF not likely to succeed. But, on an engine that has not had a good maintenance history, what could it hurt?
tom