posted a few weeks ago about a ticking sound which i thought was the motor, so i installed new header gaskets, new exhaust studs, new spark plugs. After this the truck is still ticking so its not a exhaust leak, i can rev the truck in park or neutral and its quiet, but as soon as i put it in reverse or drive the tick appears? I'm assuming its the trans now, but what i cant figure out is what would tick inside of it when i put the truck in gear? Ive been looking for this problem for four months now and I'm at the point of I'm going to fix it right now or I'm just gonna sell the truck.

 

Bummer man.... I've been following your "tick" threads. I am stumped. My truck is ticking and chirping and my mechanic buddy says I need gaskets and studs. I've got 2 broken on each side so I agree. He's gonna dig into it this Friday. Good luck man, I hope you get it figured out. You got a badass truck

 

I'm extremely slow at work today so Ive been outside all morning messing with the old girl, I'm 99% sure its something in the trans because the truck is quiet in Park and Neutral yet as soon as i put her in gear the tick starts immediately. I just checked the TQ bolts and them suckers are tight, so its either inside the TQ or its something inside the trans itself. O and Ive noticed lately too that when I'm cruising in 2nd gear and i stomp on her and she drops to first when it goes to shift up into 2nd again it feels like it hits rev limiter at 4800rpm and then it shifts? Giving me more concern on the trans making the ticking

 

I had this problam with my truck, everytime in drive or reverse. I finally took it into Ford, and was told that some torque converters were bad. Luckly I bought an extended warrianty which covered most of the repair. I had to pay about $250 out of a little over a $900 repair. Yours sound a lot like my problam.

 

thanks islandblueV10, i called my local dealer that i deal with and talked to a warrenty guy and of course he said he never heard of anything like this before. Tomorrow ill call a few transmission shops and ask if they seen this before, and get a price on a new TQ so i can install it this weekend i hope

 

islandbluev10 when your truck was doing this would it move forward whenever u took your foot off the brake? Ive noticed mine has been doing this alot and it even moves on steep uphills like the TQ is grabbing at idle which it shouldnt be?

 

To be honest I don't remember if it would take off at idle, only thing I know mine was doing was the tick sound. I would hear it more when my windows were down and I was next to a wall, like at a drive through or if I drove past something that the sound would bounce off of. I could put the truck in park or nuetral and nothing, but as soon as in reverse and drive it was there. It was doing it for awhile and I read on the forums about the cover being lose and rattling, and mine was nice and tight. So one day I had my truck in for something else and asked the Tech to check out the noise. He came back and said that there was a report out years ago about some bad torque converters and said that was what was making the sound. Luckly my warrenty would cover most of the cost so I said to change it. It's been over 2 years and no longer have the noise.

Maybe try removing the cover on the tranny covering the converter, and see if the sound is louder. I never tried that but might be able to tell if it is the converter. I hope you can find it without throwing more money and parts at it.

I can see if I can find more info on the report about the torque converter? My next door neighbor is the ford service advisor at the dealer who fixed mine.

 

you may have already checked but i have seen a u-joint act like this

 

+1 on the U-joints, especially if the noise happens when you're moving but not when you are stopped.

 

Good advice. But my tick would happen anytime I was in gear moving or not. Just all the time my truck was running and in gear.

Just keep other idea's coming, because my problam doesn't mean it is the same as his problam.

 

A $15 mechanic's stethoscope is a good tool to track down unusual noises.

 

islandbluev10 your described my exact tick to the letter! Louder when windows are down, you defiantly hear it bounce off building or when i pass cars. It also does it in gear if I'm sitting still or moving so after this I'm almost sure its the TQ, i dropped it off at a local trans shop that fixed my 1997 F350 when the e4od blew up in that. Told him about the problem and he said no problem hell have a tech check it out and have him call me by lunch today with a answer.

 

I bet if you listen to your return line at the trans you will pin point it. If you still have the bypass tube your ball check valve may be sticking causing the rattle. It did on mine. I installed the eliminator kit. There is still one ball check valve that is at the return line that won't allow the trans fluid to go back up the line. Mine rattles sometimes. I also monitor my trans temp all the time and it is good.

Take a screw driver and put one end to the line and the other to your ear.

 

bergy i removed that crossover pipe about six years ago with the eliminator kit from i think BTS diesel? Thanks though

 

well i finally got my answer today, i took it to the trans shop and the two mechanics said its 100% a passenger side exhaust leak. Now I'm f$cking pissed off! I just spent an entire Saturday removing the old header and installing all new studs, a new gasket and checked the header for any pin holes etc. Then to still have the tick and now I'm being told that all these new parts and I'm still having a leak, no freaking way! So i paid the 100 dollar an hour labor at my Ford dealer this morning and i already picked the truck up and the mechanics there also said that the tick is from an exhaust leak on the passenger side header or right where the y-pipe bolts to the header flange. Only good thing is i now know that the tick is an exhaust leak but i have to remove it all over again and buy a different gasket i suppose or put on a new y-pipe because the tech said the ball flange might have a crack or its out of shape causing the problem. So the fix is still up in the air, I'm starting to really hate my truck lately......