I know everyone is sick of talking about piston slap, but I need some advice.My 01 CC w/ 5.4 started ticking on start up the first
winter I owned it (bought it in june 01). Dealer said it was a "normal operating condition", and seeing that it only had 5k on it they told me to put some more miles on it and see what happens. Like a dope I did. Noise went away in the warmer weather of 02. Noise started again in fall of 02 and sounded slightly worse. Brought it back again to a differnt dealer and they said it was a sticky lifter. Its an overhead cam motor I though that the cam lobe contacted the valve directly.I feared that their
alledged ace mechanic would further ruin my motor so I left.
Now the motor ticks even in the warm weather of 03,and its been over 90 for the last 2 weeks.I am At my very limited wits end.
Should I A) trade the truck in and take the hit
B)Demand a new motor which is a double edged sword.
plus I can almost predict their answer,NO !
C)Keep driving it seeing that numerous people have
had this problem and gotten decent service life out of
their motors.
I now have 20,000 miles and love my truck and have it just the way I want it. I change my oil religiously w/ amsoil and baldwin filters. Any advice appreciated

 

Not unless you are unhappy with other things about your truck.

Now we both know what this will get you.

C would be my advice, of all the posts about piston slap I cant recall one person suggesting it affected the life of the motor. I get the idea it is more of an irritaion tohave to hear the motor slapping than anything else but I dont think it will cause any damage in the long haul. One thing you may want to try...try using a motorcraft filter. There has been alot of discussion regarding the anti drainback valve in other filters. I have read posts where some people cured the start up slap by changing to a different brand filter. I would give a motorcraft filter a shot.

Just my 2 cents....Good luck

 

Thanks, I was hoping that would be most peoples answer. Id really like to keep it.

 

My 2002 E-350 van does the same thing. only for a few sconds mind you

 

My 01 SD had piston slap diagnosed at 1800 mi and I demanded a new motor. Ford gave me a hard time about it but they ebentually installed a Reman. motor which irked the hell out of me. To make a long story short the tranny blew at 2500 Mi along with the power steering pump talked to a lawyer and in the end Ford gave me an 02 SD and took the "lemon" back. If you do want a new motor you have to be very persistent about it, I used the who would by a truck with an engine knock excuse when they were giving me a hard time about it but then again My truck had only 1800 mi on it when the issue surfaced.

Chuck

 

I get about 30 seconds of piston slap when starting up on very cold mornings. Mine has done it for 2 years now. I am at 87,000 miles now and no noticable engine wear. I undertand that a better filter can remedy some what.

 

Ford tells us that piston slap wont cause any problems even after lots of miles. It just sounds bad.
It is very unlikely that if they replaced the engine it would brand new. Nearly all warranty engine replacements are with Ford remanufactured engines which are at least as good as what was originally in the truck. When Ford remanufactures an engine they use all new parts such as pistons etc, not like a typical aftermarket rebuilder. They also put in any upgraded, redesigned parts that the factory may have used in new engines.
And yes, un4givn your engine has lifters or as they are properly called now, hydraulic lash adjusters. They are different than in an older engine but still work essentially the same. The roller rocker arm sits on the valve at one end and the lifter at the other end. The cam pushes in the middle of it.