What exactly qualifies as unusual ticking?

[StevenJ]

I have noticed my car has a tick from about 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm. It sounds like ticktickticktick and speeds up as the car builds rpms until about 3000-3500 rpm. I have a K&N Concical air intake kit. Could I be mistaking valve train tick for just the noise generated from the CAI kit? I read some of the other post on this board regarding valvetrain tick. I don't hear it at idle from inside the car. It isn't present until I start moving and is auidble from the mentioned RPM ranges. I have heard others say that DOHC tick by nature which is true I suppose. I have heard this noise while the motor is cold, which is understandable, and as well as after the motor has warmed up. It isn't a deafining sound or anything, it sounds more like a low rattle but it is clearly audible. Do you think I should have anything retorqued? Just curious, that is all.

[RR|Suki]

I have noticed my car has a tick from about 1500 rpm to 3000 rpm. It sounds like ticktickticktick and speeds up as the car builds rpms until about 3000-3500 rpm. I have a K&N Concical air intake kit. Could I be mistaking valve train tick for just the noise generated from the CAI kit? I read some of the other post on this board regarding valvetrain tick. I don't hear it at idle from inside the car. It isn't present until I start moving from and is auidble from the mentioned RPM ranges. I have heard others say that DOHC tick by nature which is true I suppose. I have heard this noise while the motor is cold, which is understandable, and as well as after the motor has warmed up. It isn't a deafining sound or anything, it sounds more like a low rattle but it is clearly audible. Do you think I should have anything retorqued? Just curious, that is all.

that might be a problem...

[StevenJ]

I've never had smoke on start up btw. I can hear the ticking from the driver's side quaterpannel while I had my car in the garage with the hood open. I know that can amplify the sound a bit. Still, never had smoke on start up. Seems to run fine under full throttle etc. I've only used 5w20 and 5w30 motorcraft oil from Ford. Any ideas or commetns about what i should be looking for?

[RR|Suki]

I've never had smoke on start up btw. I can hear the ticking from the driver's side quaterpannel whiel I had my car in the garage with the hood open. I know that can amplify the sound a bit. Still, never had smoke on start up.

I don't think the "valve tick" thing in general is a reflection on durability, the same with the blue smoke, more an issue of tolerances... mine makes a very loud vlave chatter, you can hear it at idle chattering away, not really a tick, but a chatter... if it is a ticking though, while you are in the gas... I dunno seems like that might be something else... hard to say without hearing it

[RUSTY]

Small exhaust leak at the manifold maybe?

[Constable]

I'm making a comeback to post on your issue here, so consider yourself important for a moment :)

I was one of the first on this site to have Ford replace a cylinder head for warped valve seals; I believe TripleTransAm was the first. If it was the "tick" valve noise, you'd be able to hear it from at least 20 feet away, wether the hood was open closed, or what. No need to listen or focus your hearing, it's LOUD and annoying. The average DOHC does have "normal" valve noise that is just a low-low chatter. Some call it injector tick... whatever.

Any slight smoke on start up should go away quickly. It's mostly due to a bit of oil seeping past the valve seals after the car has sat for a day or so. If none of these symptoms sound like your car, then be happy.

If it is that loud and annoying, let the dealer torque the cam ladders and do whatever else they want to try to quiet it down. If it's the "tick", then nothing will fix it except a few new seals. The heads are considered "non-serviceable" by Ford, so you'll end up getting a new head instead of having new seals pressed in to the original head.

If the dealer tries to shove you out the door and tell you that it's normal, have the service manager get on the horn with the Romeo plant. They're well aware of the problems with these heads and will reccommend that it be replaced.

[StevenJ]

Small exhaust leak at the manifold maybe?

Could be, I had an aftermarket kit put on recently. Thanks Constable for posting, I was hoping your or Tripple Trans Am would. I'll see if I can hear it from far away but I don't think it is that bad. I just wanted some guide lines to know what to look for specifically. I don't believe you can hear it from 20 ft away on my car so it isn't that bad.

*Update, If can hear it at idle outside the car. It sounds like a tick tick tick. It calms down as the engien warms but I still hear it and it seems to be intermitent. It's noticeable, not super loud but I can hear it even from about 20ft away. I'm not sure if it is an exhaust leak. It is louder by the driver's side fenderwall. However, as soon as I get inside the car, I cannot hear it. I can't hear it at all from inside. When outside and around the driverside I can hear it, even a bit from the passanger side. My friend thinks running Mobil 1 full syntehtic instead of Motocraft semi should make it better. My car has 54,300 miles on it and never had any signs of detonation.

[Constable]

Sorry, but that description sounds all to familiar. Build a file for yourself consisting of dealer warrantied head replacements (do the research here and print it all out... edit out the fluff so that only the important stuff is in there). Get it replaced. Urge them to installl a complete head (cams, valves, etc...) instead of giving you a new head and re-using all of your old valvetrain.

***Buy a Head Cooling Mod kit and have the dealer install it while they have your top end apart. This will prevent the problem from coming back after the new head is on.***

I got mine replaced, then took a 100mph/1200 mile road trip to Dennis' shop. The new head started ticking by the time I got down there from Jersey :(

[StevenJ]

Sorry, but that description sounds all to familiar. Build a file for yourself consisting of dealer warrantied head replacements (do the research here and print it all out... edit out the fluff so that only the important stuff is in there). Get it replaced. Urge them to installl a complete head (cams, valves, etc...) instead of giving you a new head and re-using all of your old valvetrain.

***Buy a Head Cooling Mod kit and have the dealer install it while they have your top end apart. This will prevent the problem from coming back after the new head is on.***

I got mine replaced, then took a 100mph/1200 mile road trip to Dennis' shop. The new head started ticking by the time I got down there from Jersey :(

I'm going to try switching to full synthetic first to see if it makes a difference. Also, in refference to the 'ticking' issue, Trans Am said that his 7 and 8 plugs were completely fouled and the tips were destroyed. My old plugs were not completely fouled and the tips were relatively intact. One of the Tips was lean but that was from the 1 cylinder.I only pulled them a week ago. I don't know if my dealer will even cover the cost of the swap. I am out of warranty but I do have extended but I do not know if it will cover that. Thank you for your help however, I do appreciate your input. I want to further examine it first before I go bring in to the dealer. It may also be comming from an exhaust leak which is plausable since I recently had the manifolds swapped as well as the midpipe. Another post here reported a similar ticking sound because his EGR tube wasn't quiet right after the swap. My installer had trouble fidning an EGR fitting that would work so it may not be on 'tight'. I'll post back after I make the switch to 5W30 Mobil1 Full Synthetic.

[Constable]

EGR could be an issue. Hope your Xtd Warr. covers the motor if you need it...

[StevenJ]

After closer inspection the issue does not seem to be valve ticking. Though I lack a proper auto stethescope, I was able to find a flathead screwdriver to listen to the noise from the valves and did not hear ticking. Upon closer inspection with a friend of mine, it appears there is an exhaust leak right where the exhaust manifold and midpipe meet. Coincidently, it happens to be very close to the fender wall which is why I had thought I may of had the valve tick. I put my hand against where the exhaust leak was and I did indeed feel air hitting my hand. I remember my iinstaller claiming that he didn't think the flanges would sit right and looks like he was correct. Time to have him unbolt the mid pipe and put in some instant gasket sealer!

[Cobra25]

I told you it was most likely a exhaust leak seeing that it wasn't their before you did the exhaust. I glad that was the problem.

[RUSTY]

Do i win anything?

[Cobra25]

Do i win anything? :rock: Sure you do ! If you come down to Florida you get to spend a day with Steven J ! :bounce:

[ckadiddle]

You'll know it was unusual ticking if you hear a BOOM afterwards.


Maybe I have been spending a little too much time with Jack Bauer....

[Constable]

glad to hear it... guess my previous experiences have left me tainted...

[Todd TCE]

For you DHOC guys who do some motor work I have a suggestion for you; when you put the heads together with your hd springs, valves etc. take time and run a -3AN high pressure feed to the capped end of the last oil galley on the head.

Oil ususlly comes up the block, splits to heads, then splits to the IN and EX runs. From my very costly experience with the SHO we found the end of the EX run was starving for oil. All the added tension of the big parts and high rpm meant it began to run dry.

Take a feed off the PSI feed and simply tee it to where you'll require it. Some hard work to get it there with regard to hoses and fittings is to be expecte but in the end it's worth it.