Fusion 2003 1.4 16v valve clearance adjustment

Greetings fellow Fusion enthusiasts.

I recently purchased a 2003 1.4 16v petrol with 69k on clock, with a known fault of a ticking engine noise - however it starts on the button and runs fine.

I have done some investigating and firstly checked the spark plugs, exhaust manifold and used a stethoscope on the injectors and engine ancillaries. I also ran the engine briefly without the auxiliary belt and the noise was still present, and seemed to be coming from the left side of the top of the engine.

The timing belt and water pump were replaced in 2020 about 5 thousand miles ago.

I have today removed the rocker cover to inspect the valve clearances (cold) which I understand the tolerances are 0.27 - 0.33 on the exhaust side and 0.17 - 0.23 on the inlet side.

All of the gaps were within tolerance apart from the first pair of exhaust valves (top left on the engine) which are both quite far out at 1.85. (1.52 out of tolerance) I could see straight away before measuring the gaps the first 2 are way different from the rest, which seems odd.

the camshaft is still operating the valves which are springing up and down ok.

So my assumption is at this stage that it is most likely the cause of the ticking and will need 2 new thicker caps installing.

I just wondered if anyone has done valve clearance adjustments and if the factory fit caps are a standard thickness so that I can work out what I need to order. If not I will need to remove them first before to see the numbers and work out the new sizes.

Also I read somewhere that there is a special ford tool available which enables you to remove the caps without taking the cam off, however I am not sure if it was relating to this specific engine (think its FXJB)

Failing that I guess the only way is to remove the timing belt and exhaust cam using locking tools etc, and I will need to ascertain the torque settings for putting the cam back on.

Happy for any comments or suggestions please - I have done plenty of mechanical work before but this is the first time on this engine.

Cheers guys 😁