Latest On Ticking Noise From Engine

[frdwrnch]

A service message came through the other day that reads: Some 2003-2004 Mustangs equipped with a 4.6L 4V engine may exhibit a ticking noise from the cylinder head that can be heard coming from the wheelwell area, or when standing next to the vehicle. A light ticking noise is considered normal on this engine. If the noise is determined to be excessive, follow normal diagnostic procedures to determine root cause. Engineering is currently investigating this condition. Monitor OASIS for updates.
I have also been following a thread on the Ford technicians website that has them complaining that the cylinder head replacement is only fixing about half of the affected vehicles. Furthermore, these techs are pissed because Ford is only paying them for repair on a 2-valve engine as there is no labor standard for the 4V engine. That makes them very reluctant to perform these repairs. I recommend that if any of you guys have this issue, that you get with your service manager to determine if it's abnormal or not, then if it is, have them document that you are waiting for the comprehensive repair procedure that is pending. Good Luck.

[Agent M79]

Mine hasn't ticked since you moved those cables off the head. Nice and quiet!

[TripleTransAm]

A service message came through the other day that reads: Some 2003-2004 Mustangs equipped with a 4.6L 4V engine may exhibit a ticking noise from the cylinder head that can be heard coming from the wheelwell area, or when standing next to the vehicle.

Hmmm.... so, essentially Ford is saying "Marauder owners be damned, we're only concerned about the big seller". I'll definitely remember this next time I've accumulated enough cash for a new American car.


A light ticking noise is considered normal on this engine.


Yeah, my 120,000 mile all-original oil-leaking 1978 Pontiac 400 has a slight tick as well. I would consider it normal on a high mileage hunk of iron, not a brand new piece of 'high-tech'.

Mark my words... IF a fix ever comes out for this problem, we certainly won't hear about it firsthand. It'll be thanks to the Mustang crowd that we'll get wind of any fixes... as far as Ford is concerned, we're just a bunch of cranky Grand Marquis owners who wouldn't notice a difference.

By the way, this leaking chunk of high mileage iron ticks a LOT LESS than my new Marauder did at the height of its problem, last year.
(photo taken in late 2000 shortly after purchase:)
http://www.tripletransam.com/78ta/2001/400_noscoop.jpg

[RCSignals]

Hmmm.... so, essentially Ford is saying "Marauder owners be damned, we're only concerned about the big seller". I'll definitely remember this next time I've accumulated enough cash for a new American car.
You may be over reacting and reading into it something that isn't intended.
Could be that the lions share of problems are with the Mustangs, but that doesn't necesarily mean they are excluding Marauders, Aviators, etc.





Yeah, my 120,000 mile all-original oil-leaking 1978 Pontiac 400 has a slight tick as well. I would consider it normal on a high mileage hunk of iron, not a brand new piece of 'high-tech'.

Mark my words... IF a fix ever comes out for this problem, we certainly won't hear about it firsthand. It'll be thanks to the Mustang crowd that we'll get wind of any fixes... as far as Ford is concerned, we're just a bunch of cranky Grand Marquis owners who wouldn't notice a difference.

By the way, this leaking chunk of high mileage iron ticks a LOT LESS than my new Marauder did at the height of its problem, last year.
(photo taken in late 2000 shortly after purchase:)
http://www.tripletransam.com/78ta/2001/400_noscoop.jpg
Yeah, I remember them when they were new. They ticked then too.

You have cleaned up that engine haven't you?

[Fourth Horseman]

Hmmm.... so, essentially Ford is saying "Marauder owners be damned, we're only concerned about the big seller". I'll definitely remember this next time I've accumulated enough cash for a new American car.

Well said. I agree completely.

[RF Overlord]

(photo taken in late 2000 shortly after purchase:)
http://www.tripletransam.com/78ta/2001/400_noscoop.jpg

/Steve: PLEASE tell me that's not a FRAM filter I see in your air cleaner housing, IS IT?! :eek:

[SergntMac]

I respect your disappointment, /Steve, but I am pleased to see some acknowledgement of the problem get published too.

Considering that this 411 came through a Ford dealer, I would expect the text of the message from Ford to be tailored to apply only to the Ford 4V DOHC applications. This makes me wonder if the corporate divide between Lincoln-Mercury and Ford Motor Company is greater than I believe. In time, I hope that the 411 trickles down to all 4V DOHC applications, but we'll see?

Meanwhile, I learned some related news today myself, and I'll open a new thread on this.

[CRUZTAKER]

Thanks frdwrnch, I'll add this thread to my compiling list a TICK threads....;)

[TripleTransAm]

/Steve: PLEASE tell me that's not a FRAM filter I see in your air cleaner housing, IS IT?! :eek:

I heard Fram air filters kicked arse. Has there been any findings to the contrary?

Fram oil filters suck (or sucked, I haven't kept up with oil filter technology).

From a performance point-of-view, the FRAM air filters I used on my WS6 are supposed to flow fairly close to K&N category...

[TripleTransAm]

Considering that this 411 came through a Ford dealer, I would expect the text of the message from Ford to be tailored to apply only to the Ford 4V DOHC applications. This makes me wonder if the corporate divide between Lincoln-Mercury and Ford Motor Company is greater than I believe. In time, I hope that the 411 trickles down to all 4V DOHC applications, but we'll see?


I agree with your assessment. My rather murky outlook on the whole matter comes mainly from the difficulty I had (back in October) in getting Ford to apply their TSB (the original one) to my Marauder... even with identical part numbers, the head office maintained the stance that I be given a replacement head "from the heap" (of the same faulty casting) instead of benefiting from the revised casting. It was from that point onward that I developed this "black sheep" outlook regarding Ford's consideration of the Marauder.

Unless the current ticking gets much much worse, I believe I'm going to live with it. As time goes by, I am more and more certain that whatever tick has developed in the past few months is but a mere shadow of what I was experiencing last summer. In many instances, I swear it is totally gone. Just earlier this afternoon, I remote-started the car (to cool the interior somewhat for my little boy) and as I approached the driver's door, I became frustrated at the 'tiK tiK tiK' sound (it seemed louder)... only to realize it was a ratty old late 80s Civic hatchback parked across from me. As I leaned over to have a listen to my own engine, I could discern nothing related to a tick. Tomorrow is, of course, a new day...

I still fear that they will adopt the "oh well, ticking for the 4V engine is considered normal" as they shift engineering and maintenance dollars towards the new 3V motors.

[RCSignals]

I still fear that they will adopt the "oh well, ticking for the 4V engine is considered normal" as they shift engineering and maintenance dollars towards the new 3V motors.
Have no fear. Already taken care of


A service message came through the other day that reads: Some 2003-2004 Mustangs equipped with a 4.6L 4V engine may exhibit a ticking noise from the cylinder head that can be heard coming from the wheelwell area, or when standing next to the vehicle. A light ticking noise is considered normal on this engine. If the noise is determined to be excessive, follow normal diagnostic procedures to determine root cause. Engineering is currently investigating this condition. Monitor OASIS for updates.

[studio460]

If the noise is determined to be excessive, follow normal diagnostic procedures to determine root cause. Engineering is currently investigating this condition. Monitor OASIS for updates.
GREAT post, frdwrnch! Keep up the good work and keep us posted! I USED to have ticking you could hear from 25 feet away . . . now it's barely there (not sure why either).


Mine hasn't ticked since you moved those cables off the head. Nice and quiet!
Agent M79:
Could you elaborate on this a bit? Which cables did you move off the head and why did this eliminate the sound?

[Murader03]

If you all recall, I posted about the slight ticking from both my old '99 Cobra and my old MM engine that was replaced under warranty for overheating. I considered what I had in both instances as normal it wasn't like what had been described within other threads. They must be doing something different in the process of remanfacturing the engines, as the new engine is bone quiet. I can barely hear the injectors ticking at idle let alone the engine. I guess only time will tell if this comes back, but somewhere in the reassembly process, FMC is doing something differently. The new engine now has about 4K on it and is still getting it's wind.

[frdwrnch]

Agent's ticking was more noticable inside the vehicle at idle. It sounded like a clock running. I repositioned the accellerator and cruise control cables as well as the trans shift cable and that cured the problem. In his case normal engine noise from the injector rail was being "telegraphed" into the passenger compartment. Y'all might want to check this out. Small sections of fuel line can be split and used to isolate these cables where they rest on noisey components.

[sailsmen]

Ever since they canned Jack Nasser Ford has taken a "@#$% YOU" warranty and customer service attitude! :mad:

I have bought 9 Ford products since 1988 and I have seen the change in the way they treat the customer.

[Warpath]

Ever since they canned Jack Nasser Ford has taken a "@#$% YOU" warranty and customer service attitude! :mad:

I have bought 9 Ford products since 1988 and I have seen the change in the way they treat the customer.

I beg to differ. Nasser was the worst thing to happen to Ford. He took a successful company and nearly ran it into the ground. He was more interested in "shareholder value" than anything else. If you look at Ford's warranty, it has improved a great deal since Nasser left. It has been improving more rapidly than most other manufacturers.

The unfortunate thing for Ford is that they are represented by their dealerships. They have very little control over them. I've had plenty of unpleasant experiences with dealerships and I always got my way by either contacting Ford or talking to the owner of the dealership.

It may seem like Ford is ignoring MM owners only because they don't show up on the radar since there are so few of you. In other words, since the MM is part of the Panther family, you represent a small portion of their warranty claims. Your warranty claims may appear as "normal" warranty repairs instead of a problem. Since there are many more Cobra owners vs. the number of Mustangs sold, they may have a stronger appearance.

BTW, my 1999 4V ticks and it is normal. I can only hear it with the hood open.