Engine Goes Ticky Ticky Ticky

[Phil Davis]

So after three years of teen daughter driving, see grads, leaves for UT and leaves me with a V8 with sticky push rod that sounds BAD until the oil get up there and the idiot light NEED OIL CHANGE wont go away. Anyone care to guess



1) what's wrong

2) is the oil pressure pump failing?

3) how long can I ignore it?

4) how much to fix?



2008 4.6L V8

 

[blksn8k]

Uh, although I am not real sure what you are trying to describe I have a couple of questions. Have you tried resetting the oil change indicator per the owners manual? Are you sure the sound you are hearing is actually being caused by an oiling problem?

The reason I ask is because these vehicles are known to have issues with warped exhaust manifolds and broken manifold studs. The sounds they make when this happens could easily be mistaken for other things. It is usually loudest when the engine is cold and goes away as the engine reaches operating temp. I have had both manifolds on my 07 replaced along with several broken studs.

 

[scott degroot]

First off there are no push rods on this engine.



Have you checkd the engine oil level? If it is due for an oil change then get it changed but remember that Ford is very particular in the oil for this engine due to the Variable Cam Timing setup, use Motorcraft 5-20 oil and use a MOTORCRAFT filter. After taking care of this very basic maintenance requirement then I would check what Blksn8k is talking about. There are other possibilites as well for the noise but start here and let us know what you find out.

 

[Vic Sorlie]

Check oil level - because your daughter probably never did. As l1tech suggests, an oil change is good place to start. The CHG OIL dashboard light is extinguished by first pushing the INFO light to start the self-check routine, then pressing and holding RESET when oil life value appears. You may have to step through it a couple of times, or lube tech will do it. More than likely the valvetrain noise you're hearing is from the cam phaser on one or both banks. It's a common issue on the 3V 4.6L and 5.4L V8 engines - and one that I'm experiencing in my 08 STA. Google "ford cam phaser problem" and you can see plenty of links on it. Your dealership service people know all about it too, as Ford put out TSB 06-19-8 on it. Expensive repair, but in my opinion it should be covered by the Drivetrain (5yr/60K) portion of your Warranty. I've not yet talked to any dealership service advisor about my own engine. Review Ford's Warranty info; check your car's build date (MM/YY) on the ID plate on driver side door.

 

[EddieS'04]

Some of the V8 tracs also developed exhaust leaks, between the manifold and head. It also makes a tick tick sound.

 

[blksn8k]

Vic, just curious but does the noise caused by the cam phaser issue occur only at cold startup or is it a constant sound that does not change as the engine reaches operating temperature? The reason I ask is that the OP seems to be saying the noise goes away or gets quieter once the engine warms up or as he stated "until the oil get up there". That is why myself, Eddie and I1tech suggested he check for an exhaust manifold leak.

 

[scott degroot]

The cam phaser noise remains constant at idle cold or hot but goes away when the engine gets over about 1200-1500 rpms, however I have seen them only make noise during cold start in the early stages of failure.



For those of you who have had the manifold issues has it been a REALLY noticeable tick when at idle? The reason I ask is that here in Phoenix it never gets that cold in winter and leaking exhaust manifolds are usually only heard while accelerating and they seal really fast which is why most around here don't fix them.



Vic, has that noise quieted down anymore?

 

[MikeSondra Grossen]

For those of you who have had the manifold issues has it been a REALLY noticeable tick when at idle?

YES! you definately know something is wrong. Ours echoed notically while backing out of the garage. It quiets in less than a minute. Ours happened over the summer, so its not just a cold weather condition.

 

[scott degroot]

SVT



Was it very noticeable just idling with the vehicle in park?

 

[MikeSondra Grossen]

Yes, at idle, immediately at startup ( & reverse backing out of garage, and driving past a couple houses before it quit.)

 

[Vic Sorlie]

l1tech, my engine (26K miles) seems to have quieted down somewhat since I removed the dual remote bypass filter setup and changed oil from 0W-30 to 5W-20, both AMSOIL synthetic. No ticking at cold start-up (car is garaged, overnight lows in the 30s here in N Texas), but I do notice it during initial driving before engine is warmed up fully. Oil analysis shows absolutely no discrepancies. I'm going to continue to monitor my engine, but believe the dual filter system was sapping the return pressure too much to be compatible with the cam phasers. Can't prove it, as I didn't rig a direct pressure gauge.

 

[Richard L]

Maybe it's a Timex? :grin:



...Rich

 

[Robert Caffyn]

+3 on the leaking exhaust manifold. Had to take both off, send them out to be planed and re-installed with a gasket set out of Germany.(Victor Rienz gaskets or something) but it really worked. Only after taking out 5 broken exhaust studs and replacing them too! Bob

 

[EddieS'04]

Bob C., Were they gaskets copper? I had alot of success with copper gaskets on my cars with headers. Most of the time reusable. Never had any bolts get loose like composition or paper. My last stang had the stage 8 bolts without the keepers. Never a problem.