70monte

Today I started my 2014 GT for the first time in a little over a month. It has been in my unheated garage during this time. It was 39 degrees out. After I started the car and pulled it out of the garage and let it idle for a minute, I could hear a fairly loud tapping noise on the passenger side of the car that sounded like it was coming from underneath the car.

The noise went away after a few minutes. I'm running 5W-20 Motorcraft and the Motorcraft FL500s filter with 5,900 miles on the oil change and the car has about 10,500 miles on it. This is the first time I have heard this noise from the car in the little over a year that I've owned it.

I didn't hear this noise last year at start up after letting the car sit in the garage from Dec. to March. Not to happy to hear this after all this time.

Wayne

5.M0NSTER

I really don't think you need to worry about it. I heard it on my car last year in a store parking lot. It was kinda loud bouncing of the car next to me, but went away. Heard it on and off last winter. But not once this summer/fall.

Been using 5W-50 for about a year since the first oil change. Maybe it helps. Not sure.

ScottV

I try to start mine up and let it run for 10 min. to get to temperature once every 2-3 weeks just to keep oil up in the top of the motor. I had an Infiniti G37 that i let sit for two months without starting it and when i started it I had real loud tapping for about a minute and then it went away. There was no apparent damage. I figured it was either all the oil had drained out of the valve train or had drained out of the cam phasers and needed to run to pump it back up there. Once that happens there isn't much you can do other that let it run to get the oil back up there. Starting it every couple of weeks avoids the problem plus I get to enjoy that great engine sound during the winter.

Scott

GrabberBlue5.0

Starting it every couple of weeks is the worst thing you can do for it when storing it for the Winter.

Automatic 5.0

I have had no problems with my GT but it is a daily driver with some days skipped on weekends and vacations when I don't bring it.

My poor Trans Am though. It has been cranked one time since October. It has 7,500 miles on it now. If I could get some good money for it, I would consider selling it. I just don't enjoy it enough to justify it being in my garage anymore.

5.M0NSTER

This.

The engine never really gets up to temp while idling, and you never really get the condensation out without putting some load on the motor and getting it past 2 or 3k RPM.

This winter I disconnected the battery and I won't start the car again till March or April.

FordService

These guys have good information, 70monte. However, I recommend you have it checked out at your Ford Dealer and let me escalate this for you if needed. Please PM me with your dealer, and best daytime number.

Deysha

70monte

Thanks guys and Deysha. Typically I would leave the car in the garage all winter until early spring but it's supposed to be up in the 60's through the weekend so I thought I would get it out and drive it for a few days or maybe all next week if the weather stays decent since I'm on vacation.

I'm not too concerned at this point but the few stories I have read where people developed the ticking and had to have the engine replaced does make me wonder. Also, ticking or tapping engine noises have always been a sore point with me and takes away my enjoyment even if they supposedly do no harm.

My car has always had a slight chirping noise on the passenger side of the engine compartment from day one and since it's not been that bad, I have not had it addressed. It almost sounds like a belt or pulley noise.

I will just keep an eye on this noise and see if it happens again while I have the car out. I also may end up changing the oil since the one year mark on this oil change will be in early March and this 5,900 miles is the longest I have ever went on any oil interval. I don't think that having this many miles on the oil change could cause the tapping I heard but I don't know. Anyway, thanks for all of the info.

Wayne

Turbo302

I feel ya 70Monte. I have read all the horror stories and has made me a "paranoid" proud new car owner. I also have heard a sort of chirping/scraping noise from the passenger lower belt area (very faint). It has been there since the first night I brought it home. I originally thought it was the stupid non-tensioned stretch a/c belt breaking in, but I'm not sure as it still does it 2000 mi later. Same intensity. Funny thing is, it only does it at idle and will come and go. Doesn't matter if A/C compressor is cycling or not.

Best way to describe it is engine idling fine, start to hear this noise around A/C belt to crank area. Starts out super faint, slowly gets louder for a short duration (maybe 10 sec, and still very faint), then all the sudden silent.

Might have to wait a bit and then will do all over again. It's totally not something Ford would say is bad, but I've been working on/building engines for 30 years so I'm super sensitive to any noises. I just hate not knowing exactly what it is.

As far as the "tick". I feel like I have heard a bit of tick from the passenger side low rear when engine is hot (silent when cold). One day in the drive through I really heard a tap tap tap tap and was furious, but after shutting down for a bit and restarting it was quieter and what I guess is acceptable.

I don't notice any grey (bearing material) or even any oil consumption when wiping the dipstick on a white cloth so I know the engine has broke in well as far as ring seal.

After losing sleep and researching all the others on F150 and Mustang forums with ticks, I said fu*k it and told myself I'm gonna run it like its suppose to be run and if she blows, Ford will deal with it. If warranty runs out and she blows, I'll do what Ford was originally suppose to do and build a good engine myself. Then it will be perfect!

I just hate how this has been a problem for years and they can't put their finger on it and say what the heck it is. If they would reveal what it is, a lot of minds would rest easier. Seems like they just throw a bunch of parts at them in an educated guess until they decide to replace the engine. Then who says that one won't make any noise....ugggggg

We should all start a "tick" club. Patches hats and all LOL!

ScottV

I let mine run until the temperature gauge is at mid level - - normal operating temperature - and there is no water coming out of the mufflers - the exhaust is actually hotter that if you were driving it as there is no air going over the pipes - I've done the same thing with every car I've owned and never had a problem. Temperature is temperature. I'd rather do that than hear valve noise for a couple of minutes because there is no oil in the top of the motor.

Scott

Cdvision

Quite often a ticking or tapping noise is just a fuel injector(s). Some injectors are just noisy, it doesn't mean that they are broken or that anything is wrong with them. In most cases noise usually goes away above 2000 rpm.

Wild5.0

I hear the ticking too, but think about this. Inside an engine there are multiple moving parts, if you hear most engines they all have their own tone. Some tick, some dont. Usually ticking is the injectors like mentioned above. Normally dangerous noises in an engine are rod knock, and pinging(long term). My brothers 2012 BMW has the loudest valve train tap I have heard, sounds like a diesel. My engine sounds way better and quieter.

VidPro

I'm on the fence since everyone seems to have an opinion on this issue. The manual says to start it. Ignore the manual?

FordService

You’re welcome, 70monte! Let me know if you need me.

Deysha

70monte

The tapping noise I was hearing was not fuel injectors as this sounded a lot lower on the engine and was louder and I've had fuel injected vehicles since the early 90's so I know what the injectors sound like.

For now, I'm going to do what Turbo302 is doing and just run it. It will go back in the garage soon and will stay there the rest of the winter so I can deal with it in the spring if it is still an issue. Thanks everyone.

Edit: I just went out to start it after it has been sitting since Wednesday evening and it there were no tapping noises. It is 45 degrees out. So maybe it was just from sitting so long without being started and because the outside temps were pretty low.

Wayne

5.M0NSTER

Correction: The manual says to start it IF you don't disconnect the battery. It recommends you disconnect the battery, but if you don't it recommends to start every 15 days just so your battery doesn't die.

So your choice I suppose. I'd rather not have my engine doing a cold start 8-10 times over the winter with no oil at the top of the motor. I prefer to only start it like that once at the end of storage.

Critical Mass

My Ford Focus was like this. The fuel Injectors were pretty loud, it was a common complaint on the older version of the Focus. But I find it interesting that the ticking only comes from the passenger side on the Mustangs.

VidPro

Hmm going to look at it again but I believe you are right. It would be nice if the manual continued on to explain storage if the battery was pulled. Thanks for the correction

lakeguy77

This.

Mine's sitting in the garage, covered, battery disconnected, effectively dead to the world until I fire it up in spring.

tek302

If the fans turn on. Its at operating temp.