unsettling ticking noise...
 

The other night I was driving to school as usual, no funny business. When i got to the city, going up the thinstreets I noticed a strange ticking noise coming from my motor. It was an consistent
TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK

it got louder and faster as rpm climbed. I paid it no thought at first, as it seemed to quiet down. I parked, went to class and came out a few hours later, and the ticking was still there. I pulled over, popped the hood and lsitened, but i couldnt pinpoint it. all mu plugs were in, none of the inectors were loose and nothing obvious was being rubbed against or anything.

From outside the car, with the hood closed it was easiest to hear it at the back of the front fender; right by the gap between it and the door. But on the drive home, it disappeared. it stayed gone for a few days, until tuesday night. It was fine all day tues, but leaving my parents house at around midnight, i heard it again, but once again, it went away.

It has been fine since then until this morning. I started her up and drove to school, with no noises until i was in the city. It was louder today than before. this time when I popped the hood, i stuck my head by the valve cover and it seemed pretty disctinct there.. I'm guessing valve clatter, but it strikes me as odd that it would start and stop. in the II valve clatter was either there, or it wasnt. none of this "sometimes" business and certainly not in varying conditions

Anyone have any idea whats going on? The only engine modification is my JLT cold air intake and I use 91 octane gas (the highest i can find short of 100 octane sunoco), but this is CA, so theres a fair bit of e85 in most gas stations. I'm debating an octane booster, but im not sure if thats a good idea, or even if it would solve the issue here. any help would me greatly appreciated.

Thanks guys

Do you have oil pressure all the time?? What oil filter do you use?

My oil idiot light has never shown me anything other than "optimal"

and I'm not sure what filters in there.. the last oil change was done by the dealer when I took it in for repairs. Actually, its due for another one soon.

I kow it sounds weird but look at the filter and if it is a Fram change it and see what it does.

Two things come to mind...

Exhaust. Check your manifold/headers/exhaust donut Heating/cooling expansion causing the tick to go away, come back, change volume, like has been described.

Low oil. Pressure does not equal oil level, and a low oil level could cause tappets to tick, although, to be honest, I'm relying on 5.0 experience from my old 87 Lincoln Mark VII. It had a small leak, and when the tappet ticks started at cold start, it was time to change the oil (3000 miles, like freakin' clockwork.) With the overhead cam followers, I'm not sure the same principle applies, although a low oil situation could still mean tickin' somewhere else...

--

Could be a lot of things. Gotta *long* screwdriver or a stethoscope, perhaps a good length of decent sized ID tubing? You can use those to listen to pinpoint the ticking for sure. With that, you'll have a better chance of the right answer, if it still eludes ya.

/This is a job for... a second car to use while fixing this one if it needs it!!! *old skool Batman-like music starts*
//Where's the II when you need it? Oh wait, in 'project limbo'...
///I know, I know...School, and that's important, I'm just :poke: :stirpot:

I really just dont get how its being so inconsistent.. its fine when i start a drive, and starts in the middle, or vice versa. it got very very loud after exiting the freeway on my way home today.. le sigh

oil change for sure tomorrow, and filling up at a different station, just in case

Make sure they dont put a Fram on with that oil change. Trust me.

yeah ive heard bad stuff about fram. i gotta drive to robotics, but ill check and see what the filter is and post when im back

Yeah there is a thrad of 14 pages I believe on another forum that I am on about Fram. All not good things.

Just checked and its a Ford Motorcraft piece.

and my oil is filthy. changing tomorrow fo sho

just got it changed, and the noise seems to be gone. I'll see if it comes back anytime soon. but when i was at the speedy oil change place, they showed me this:

http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...3/PB202404.jpg

said that means that theres water in my engine and that my head gasket might be busted... but it doesnt seem like it. theres no performance difference or anything..

Did they happen to tell you if the oil was milky at all when they drained it?? Just having the cap that way could mean that there was condensation under the valve cover.

yeah, would hope if they think it was a head gasket they would have taken a look at the oil before they drained it all out. Dont always lose a ton of performance with a blown head gasket. hopefully it was just old oil and maybe it was low. If not could be a valve or a rocker

Looks like talons. See the 'thumb' to the right side?

they didnt say whether the rest of the oil was milky..

also, the ticking hasnt gone away. but ive noticed this much:

its not always there (totally gone right after the oil change)
when it is there its inconsistent. sometimes RPM dependent, sometimes not
it also has varying volume, its not always super loud or super quiet.. very strange

this has me pretty freaking baffled.

TSB
01-12-3


Some Mustang Bullitt GT vehicles may exhibit a detonation (spark knock) on heavy acceleration that can occur at any RPM. This may be caused by the calibration of the Powertrain Control Module (PCM).


I'd check this first, but I'm concerned of your oil based on that pic. Keep a close eye on that.

where'd you find that?

also.. There were times when it was mildly there, and I romped on it, and it chilled out. and what does spark knock sound like?

The ticking you hear can be mild detonation, if its not a lubrication/wear issue. its a tough call w/o hearing it, you know what I mean.
Because as you well know, water is not the best lubricant either. I hope the least intrusive fix, does it for you.

Maybe it's a bad "lifter" or what ever the modular equivalent is called. :doh: Unless it's (a) worn valve guide(s). My car (302) does a similar thing and that is usually a sign the oil is either low or it's time to change it. I dunno, after seeing a picture of your oil fill cap, I'd say monitor the condition of your oil and perhaps check inside the coolant reservoir tank too if it looks similar just in case.

As far as valvetrain goes, which is likely, your options are: lash adjusters, valve tappets & tappet guides, or the valve guides.

I read your post again, and i'm not sure its the TSB you are experiencing.