sounds like a good plan.

cheers. that helps heaps. i will check pricing of new ones first and see over the next few days they pump up properly.

Hydraulic. If you could be bothered, pull them out and clean them, or simply replace them with new ones from Nissan. The VG30 ones are the same I believe (but check with nissan before taking that as gospel).
The pinhole in the centre of the cam get blocked, and they stop pumping up.
Ticking means the valves won't be opening as far as they should. And the cam surface will take a bit of a beating if left that way for a long time.

Maybe try a thinner oil? Depends what you are running in the engine right now.

just got my ute on the road again after a few months sitting for some repairs. i have a ticking noise which to me sounds like a sticky lifter. will the problem sort itself out after a little running time. i'm assuming they are hydraulic. and will it do any damage running for long periods????