Okay, so my expy has a new sound that I can't track down. It's like a ticking or clicking sound. It's in the motor compartment somewhere but I can't locate the part causing the noise. Expys make some ticking or clicking sounds anyway but this is louder and I know it wasn't there before. I replaced the belt tension pulley and belt as it had a little more play in it than I would like but that didn't remove the noise.

I can only really hear the noise during idle and when I start the truck up it's exagerated for a short time as the idle levels out. It doesn't sound like it's coming from inside the motor but outside. Anyone have any ideas on what else to look at?

 

A blown exhaust manifold gasket perhaps?

 

Due to broken exhaust manifold studs.

 

Maybe the AC compressor?

 

While I agree with the guys suggesting checking exhaust, TIMIMG CHAIN, oil pressure comes up after a short while and takes up the slack with the tensioner.

 

I'm not following what you're trying to say here?

 

It's common for cold starts on ohc engines to have some some timing chain rattle initially.

 

i have an 03 and it was doing the samething....it actually was getting very loud with the tick/knock.....i did an oil change and added half bottle of lucas oil treatment and the noise is gone now...

 

My Mark used to do it quite a bit, went with the lighter of the oil recommendations, and synthetic and it's nearly gone now.

 

That is a pretty massive blanket statement. I do not think that in general it holds true.

I would go along with the fact that the Ford 5.4 is noisy cold. It is more often piston slap, a very common issue on the 5.4.

I drove a 250k mile F150 for a year as a work truck. That one has some pretty major valvetrain rattle, in addition to the piston slap, until it saw at least 1500 rpm after a cold start. That I would attribute to the tensioner not seeing anough pressure initially to take up the slack.

I have owned dozens of ohc engines, and this is the first one I have heard valvetrain noise on, and it was a very well worn example.

Your statement just doesn't hold water.

Most likely the the OP is hearing an exhaust leak, another very common issue with these engines. I know mine has a slight leak at 135k miles on the passenger side. I just did $250 worth of shocks, and I am saving up for the $170 header set from Summit to cure that problem next.

It also scares me to see a post about snake oil cures. Do you really think that stuff "fixes" anything? Please do not put any faith in stuff like that.

 

Well, I owned my first OHC engine 23 years before Ford made one, and it was a 13 year old design then. That's at least 36 years of production before Ford jumped on the boat.(Original design came out in 59 Mercedes, who later sold the design to Datsun, many of which rattled.) I simply said it's common in ohc engines to have a cold startup rattle, I DID NOT say every one did, or that most do, I said it was common. Nor did I say it was common to fords, although I know the 4v's can be pretty good at it, and you just said the 2v you had did it. I didn't say it in general holds true either, I said it was common. Far as your owning dozens, I had a pile of Toyota engs that darn near reached the ceiling, MANY of which were ohc, and rattled.

Your own statement about the tensioner not seeing enough oil to take the slack out is why I, and Oil engineers, say the lighter oils are better, because they pressurize faster and there is less unpressurized time, hardly "snake oil". I never said thinner oil "fixes" anything either, just that it prolonged, and quieted the situation. In fact, for years, chain rattle was common on most ohc Datsuns, eventually they came out with a ratchet design on the tensioner that wouldn't let the tensioner back off when shut down, and that cut most of it. Sounds like the Fords haven't got there yet.

Far as what holds water and what doesn't, you can't even walk on it.

 

Wow, so back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, ohc engines with timing chains rattled???? You choose Datsun as an example? What has that been 30+ years since a Datsun was sold here?

Come join us in the new century dude. MOST ohc engines don't even use chains anymore, they use belts. It is a LONG way from common for an ohc engine to rattle.

Seems to me you went and took all this personally. YOU were not the poster suggesting the snake oil ie; lucas oil treatment. So maybe while you untwist your undies, take a look back and read, comprehend, relax a little.

Yes, when ohc engines with timing chains get really old and worn out, you can have issues, isn't that essentially what I stated? The OP doesn't have an old worn out engine, 110k on a Ford modular is probably only a third of its life span. The idea here is to try and help with plausible solutions. I would also suggest that much of what you hear in the Fords is piston slap. That ailment along with the broken stud, leaking gasket, exhaust manifold issue, are by far the most common issues. On a neglected 250k mile example, yep I heard some valvetrain noise. Applying that to this problem is far fetched at best.

Back to your cave please.

 

But it was his message you were quoting when you said it. That's the reason for the misunderstanding.

 

"MOST ohc engines don't even use chains anymore, they use belts." It is a LONG way from common for an ohc engine to rattle."

Bullsnort. I can go drop a battery in my 135k 95 Markviii right now and it will rattle for a bit on startup.

Bye the way, don't get to caught up in your new century stuff, Pontiac had rubber timing belts in 1968.

 

I can go fire up my 135k mile 99 Expy and it will rattle, it does it everyday. Problem is, the rattle you are hearing is about 99% for sure piston slap. Piston slap noise is common to the modulars, especially the 5.4's. Valvetrain noise is extremely rare.

I don't think you know what your are hearing.

You want to go back to the stone age again? What on earth does the fact that Pontiac used a rubber belt in an ohc inline 6 cyl have to do with a Ford modular engine? Was the Pontiac prone to valvetrain noise because it was an ohc design? Does it matter?