Idle tick?

[Nate1]

I am getting a VERY repetative ticking from under my hood at idle. I would personally call it loud, it is louder than my new magnaflow exhaust at idle and definatly audible standing outside my car. I opened my hood in an effor to pinpoint it, but all I can tell is it sounds like it is coming from inside the engine, which didnt help much. Mabey the upper part of the engine. It gets quieter as rpms increase, and is totally inaudible above 1.1k rpms. The only thing I noticed is a lack of oil when I removed the oil cap.
There was a film of oil over everything in there, but I could see no moving/pooled oil anywhere... which I was a little suprised at.
Any ideas on what it is or if it is normal?
Mabey it has something to do with my rough idle?
-----Nate

 

[Alec]

OHV or SOHC?

If it's the OHV then it's the lifters. This is normal....to a point.

 

[Nate1]

No its a SOHC. My parents are going to love getting the news on this one.

 

[cdsl227]

I have 2001 V8, and I've had a tick and a knock ever since 300 miles.

I took it to Ford twice, twice they told me they don't hear it...well about 42,000 miles later I still have the same tick and the same knock and it's running fine!

These things are virtually indestructible.

Well except for the fact that the PCM is bad and giving me a Check Engine light.

The tick started after I read the manual and it said "Drive vehicle at all speeds", I beat on it a little too much I guess.

But I've shown it NO MERCY and it still runs great!

The knock, ahhhh that the damn timing chain knock that these things have...I guess Ford just wants the warrantee to run out.

 

[Nate1]

Well there really is no knock, its this tick that sounds like... well, its hard to describle, but it sounds so regular that its like a rotating something or the other causing it. I guess its time for an oil change, so I'll see if that helps. Ohh well... I'm being picky.

 

[cdsl227]

I'm you know what a rocker tick sounds like...is that it??

Were you roughin it up when it started?

I know mine is a pronounced tick. It's there, just Ford won't do anything about it unless the truck drops dead.

But I've been beating mine up all along, hasn't gotten worse so...I just roll with it.

 

[Nate1]

Well Im not so sure wtf rocker tick sounds like. If I get too sick of my idle being rough and cough up $80 for tiresplus to diagnose my damn engine problems, I'll ask em if it is rocker tick or something else.
Its probably rocker tick... I'll just suck it up and change my oil. I'll probably end up seafoaming it since it is a virgin at 44,480 miles.... mabey i'll put a dab in my oil too.
Thanks,
-----Nate

 

[cdsl227]

Some engines will run forever with a rocker tick, it's when they start getting worse all of a sudden that you NEED to do something about it...wouldn't want a lifter seizing up or a rod pushin through anything...or a bent valve.

A bad tick get, get it checked, a light tick try changing the oil like you said...any tick to a worry wart is gonna sound bad- trust me I know!! I hear things going on under the hood all the time!

Watch out for that SeaFoam, I was reading a thread about somebody hydrolocking their engine with that stuff...

Seems the instructions on the can didn't indicate YOU MUST keep the engine running when putting any fluids into the intake manifold...

Gotta burn it off as you put it in!!

Ahhh, I remember the days of Marvel Mystery Oil!!!

Straight down the carbs throat!

 

[TPLYNCH]

Sounds like your cam chain tensionsers. Have you had the 00M12 and 01M01 work done on your SOHC engine?

 

[Nate1]

Honestly, I refuse to believe it is my chain tensioners. I JUST had another $1300 of unwarranted work done on them on top of 00M12 and 01M01. I have a brand new tensioner and cassets in there, if it is those I am selling the car, I can't keep dumping thousands of dollars a month into this engine.

 

[unclemeat]

Have you tried synthetic oil, or a high quality oil additive. It may help lubricate the top of the engine.

 

[Nate1]

Just found out FORD put 5W20 oil in last time. Seems a little thin to me. I'll go in for an oil change soon, and see if that helps..... stupid ass car... so much is going wrong.

 

[Alec]

In Florida you should be using 10w30.

 

[Adam Berger]

I would suggest you get the tappets adjusted. That is, if this engine has adjustable tappets. It is very common for overhead cam engines to go out of adjustment. You will probably find the tolerence between the rocker and the valve stem is too great. This is only a suggestion and I could be wrong.

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by Adam Berger
I would suggest you get the tappets adjusted. That is, if this engine has adjustable tappets. .

The SOHC (and the OHV) have hydralic lifters, so there is no adjustment. If one of the lifters collapes or is stuck it could make a noise.

Nwiebley - Check to make sure that one of your spark plugs isn't loose. This could make a ticking noise. Also, a leaking (or cracked) exhaust manifold or manifold gasket could make a ticking type of noise. If you cant quite tell where it is coming from, get a mechanics stethoscope and you should be able to tell where the noise is coming from by placing the point near the source of the noise. The stethoscope isn't very expensive, about $15

http://www.sears.com/sr/product/sum...dflf.0&vertical=TOOL&bidsite=&pid=00945164000

 

[Adam Berger]

Dogfriend, just wondering why an overhead cam engine would have hydralic lifters as my understanding is there are no pushrods?

 

[DonM]

Mine did that for a short time, I found it right away!

It was a metal sheilding around the cat, it came loose, so I put a hose clamp around it. Works like a charm.

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by Adam Berger
Dogfriend, just wondering why an overhead cam engine would have hydralic lifters as my understanding is there are no pushrods?

In the service manual, they actually call them "hydraulic lash adjusters", but they are similar to the normal hydraulic type lifters on the pushrod engines.

 

[scorgnetic]

After my big 4000lb tow from NY to Cali I too have experienced what I think is probably my lifters ticking. Being that I cant stand anything wrong with my girl, it really bugged me for a while but I am learning to get over it. No harm no foul I guess. she still runs like a charm

 

[DaHeinah]

Time to prove my ignorance, what is seafoam? My engine makes some very slight tapping, but Rislone at every oil change has reduced it some, but not all. I wish I could take care of the valve clatter by taking it all apart and cleaning it up, but I'd hate to take it apart at its current state, it's running so well.