I've got a problem

[Fordsandguns]

First a little history here. A while back I started having an intermittent knock or pecking sound. I don't have a stethoscope so I used a piece of 3/4" pvc to try to pinpoint it. Never could find it. The loudest point was in the exhaust crossover.
I pulled the valve covers and looked for anything obviously wrong and found a loose rocker on the second cylinder from the front on the drivers side.
I talked with towcat on the phone and he suggested running a dose of auto rx. Well, I'm unemployed right now and didn't want to spend the money and my dad was after me to use something called engine restore. I wasn't about to put that in my engine so I compromised and used marvel mystery oil.
At about that same time I had changed my ip to a spare kind of as an experiment. Anyway the noise quit so I was thinking that it was just a sticky lifter. So I pulled the cover and the rocker was tight.
Well, now it's back.
I just did an oil change and when I emptied the catch can I found pieces of plastic in the bottom and I know the can was clean because I had cleaned it prior to starting the oil change.
I would have pics but I accidentally threw the pieces out with the paper towel they were on.
I tried finding that towel, but no dice.
From the size and shape of some of the larger pieces I'm thinking these were what's left of the valve stem seals.
Unless there are other plastic parts used in these engines?
I'm sure that it's time to pull the heads and do some repairs. Just what I need, even more money to spend.
Any advice or opinions?

Sorry for the long post but I figured you needed the whole story.

 

[towcat]

did they look anything like these?

 

[Fordsandguns]

Yeah the size and curvature would add up to that I think.

 

[Fordsandguns]

Probably were that color originally too.

 

[towcat]

those are valve stem seals for the 7.3 if yours are disintegrating, that's not a good thing.

 

[Fordsandguns]

Yeah, I imagine it's not. What is the best thing to do? Pull the heads and get them worked on? What about these pieces in the engine?

 

[towcat]

most of your internal moving parts will have the plastic shrapnel for dinner. only problem area is your oil pump. you have no timing chain to throw. choice is your to pull the motor or not. personally, my back would not survive pulling heads while the motor is installed in the chassis.

 

[Fordsandguns]

Take the hood off and use a hoist. But it might be better to pull it to pull the pan to make sure the oil pump isn't clogged.
I might just pull the heads off the other engine in the parts truck with the leaking pass side head gasket and have them checked out. New seals put in too. Then put them on this engine.
Crap this bites. Winter time too. At least we don't see the temps some of the northern members do.

 

[Fordsandguns]

Alright I talked with towcat on the phone again earlier and through his advice I am going to prep the spare engine for transplant. The pass side head gasket leaks oil and I had thought of doing the gaskets but towcat convinced me that wasn't something I want to tackle with limited funds.
The engine in my truck isn't huffing out either the intake or exhaust so it will continue to be driven until it does.
Thank you for the advise towcat, I really appreciate it!