2013 6.7 Tapping noise

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May 1, 2024 | 05:42 PM

cr_guitar

Thread Starter

3rd Gear

Joined: May 2024

Posts: 3

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2013 6.7 Tapping noise

Hey folks. Hoping someone can help shed some light on this odd noise this truck has developed. 2013 F250 160,000 miles. EGR and DPF deleted around 4 years ago. 40hp thru ludicrous speed 6 pos tuner, Adjustable high idle switch, CCV reroute, H & S cold side boost pipe. Bought it new in early 14'.

A few months ago started hearing this faint ticking/tapping from what sounds like the passenger side valve cover/intake manifold area. No performance loss or excess fuel consumption or starting issues. From the driver seat it sounds alot like gas engine lifter tick. Under the hood it sounds more like an exhaust leak...not really metallic sounding. It's gotten progressively worse over the past few months.

I've run every diagnostic scan/test I can with an OTC Evolve diag scanner. ZERO PCM Codes. Relative compression is normal...power balancing is normal...fuel trims are normal...everything seems to be normal.

During engine running injector control tests, disabling one injector at a time, the noise would dissipate when disabling #4 and increase considerably when re-enabled. #8 would also change the noise to a lesser degree. So i put a new injector in #4 ,entered the IQA and at first it seemed to have cleared up the noise...for a few hours. But it came back. Swapped old #4 injector into #8, changed IQA and again it cleared up temporarily but returned again. It has started to raw fuel haze at around 800 to 1000RPM. Still Running well and still no PCM faults.

I've cut open both fuel and oil filters and there is no metal in any of them. Fuel pressure is normal, fuel rail pressure is normal, no oil consumption, no coolant loss. Next step is tearing it apart i reckon...pulling the intakes and valve covers to put my eyes and hands on the rockers. I'm thinking it could be a rocker flopping around on a valve.

Anybody dealt with something like this before? Any thoughts?

I'll post some video of the noise soon as I can.

https://www.youtube.com/@craigrosdy5447

Last edited by cr_guitar; May 1, 2024 at 05:58 PM.

May 1, 2024 | 08:20 PM

lynnmor

More Turbo

Joined: Dec 2011

Posts: 572

Likes: 29

My thought is that you are doing the right thing by taking a look at the rockers.

May 4, 2024 | 11:58 AM

F350 1990

Fleet Mechanic

Joined: Feb 2007

Posts: 1,652

Likes: 79

From: Mooresville, NC

If you've ruled out exhaust leaks, then it's clearly internal. Rocker noise is highly likely and that comes (more often than not) from a contaminated / clogged lifter. Noise will be more apparent at lower oil pressures, at idle. All that carbon, soot, contamination gets recirculated in these engines and those tiny openings in the lifters don't like it.

Also - Not a big fan of relative compression (OTC, Edge, Launch, Autel, etc just don't have the algos Ford engineers are using in IDS) -- I'd instrument with IDS to run an actual cylinder contribution test.

May 5, 2024 | 07:15 AM

cr_guitar

Thread Starter

3rd Gear

Joined: May 2024

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Quote:

Originally Posted by F350 1990

I appreciate your feedback brother. I think you’re right about it being a valve train issue. Although, I haven’t ruled out an exhaust leak yet. Short of pulling it all apart and looking at it…how else could a guy confirm an exhaust manifold leak?

May 6, 2024 | 09:17 AM

senix

Super Moderator

Joined: Aug 2008

Posts: 37,379

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From: Frederick, MD

look for soot when search for an exhaust leak.

I am also thinking valve train wear.

How often do you change your oil and what oil do you use?

May 6, 2024 | 11:19 AM

obiwan kenobi

Mountain Pass

Joined: Jul 2012

Posts: 132

Likes: 37

Could be rockers, spun lifter, push rods bent. Pull the valve cover and prepare the check book.

May 6, 2024 | 03:00 PM

cr_guitar

Thread Starter

3rd Gear

Joined: May 2024

Posts: 3

Likes: 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by senix

look for soot when search for an exhaust leak.

I am also thinking valve train wear.

How often do you change your oil and what oil do you use?

I’ve been pretty obsessive about maintenance since the day I bought this truck…always motorcraft oil and filters around 5000-6000 miles religiously.

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May 7, 2024 | 07:05 AM

speakerfritz

Hotshot

Joined: Jul 2013

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I recently have zero confidence in any diagnostics that uses engine mounted sensors. Been chasing ghost related to reduced power, turbo inefficiency, egr this and that, and computed intake leaks……u til I replaced key sensors one at a time and finally the problem was gone.

what I have learned from this is that I need to have good base line numbers at different parts of the process stream. When reviewing good data from when things were fine…I noticed the ebp sensor goes wacky above 1500 rpm…replaced the ebp and all the problems were gone.

in your case..there could be a lot of reasons for your noise and your are systematically going down the right path….there are both know lifter side to side travel problems as well as injector leak issues..but..the curious thing is you get temporary relief by rebase lining a few injectors…I am wondering if this is a fuel calculation problem and that would explain why it comes back after you do a one tor rebase line event. The fuel calculation is fowling your subject injector…possible…..which means I would do anything more until you first eliminate fuel calculation related sensors.

you will certainly eventually find the problem.