I waited too long for mine, now a shop suggested replacing my engine vs repair. Luckily I don’t drive the JK very often anymore and will just wait to V8 swap it… it’s still drivable but it misfires a lot now.
Sounds like you have a rocker arm tick… sorry to hear that. You should take it to the shop to get them replaced before you need to have your camshaft replaced.
I love live oaks when they are well maintained… my parents house is surrounded by them, I got real good at climbing them with ropes and harness and hand saw when I was growing up. I wanted to be an arborist for a short period of time lol