Engine Ticking

[briangelc]

my 5.4L had an almost unperceivable tick for a few weeks before it ejected the spark plug from cylinder #7

 

[Hugh Janus]

The tick/rattle is coming from inside the motor.



I figured if I am hearing the timing chain or cam phaser rattle or both it is probably a good thing to fix so it doesn't cause any damage.

Don't you guys agree?

Right-hand cam phaser ticking is very normal - it DOES NOT MEAN YOUR MOTOR IS ABOUT TO GRENADE. I would guess 1 in 3 3v 5.4s is ticking away away with long over 200K miles on them.

However, timing chain rattle is a much different issue and you should troubleshoot enough to know whether it is happening in your engine. But chain rattle has nothing to do with cam phasers.

 

[06 ford expedi]

I have a 06 expedition with 150,000 mine started ticking about 2-3 months ago about 4 months ago i replaced the spark plugs and one coil pack. The ticking consists of ticking in idle and faster as rpms go up driving down the road. Just 2 days ago the ticking got louder and then something sounded like it broke a chain or like a rattling noise. Any ideas?

 

[ExpeditionAndy]

One of the easiest things to do is change the cam phaser solenoids. They will help with the ticking. My 05 had 119 K on it when I bought it and it had the cam phaser tick. I drove it to 146K with lots of highway miles at 75 + MPH. Dealer said that it would need timing chain and cam phasers in about 20K miles That would have put me in the 165 -170K range. The cam phaser issues were related to oil pressure, so change your oil often and keep it clean. When the passages get plugged oil flow is reduced to the cam phaser which causes problems with advancing and retarding the timing.

 

[06 ford expedi]

I changed the oil about a month after ticking started been using motorcraft 5w20 for 2 years

 

[JExpedition07]

Rattling is probably timing chain id think if it's constant at all Rpms it needs to be addressed asap. If it's just your tensioners at cold startup you can run it like that lots of guys just leave it. However if your chain actually is worn out it needs to be done and needs attention. If I decide to keep my truck I will prob replace the campshasers and solonoids but it's pretty smooth. Mine is actually the smoothest upon startup and it will tick after it warms up, on mine you cant really hear the tick unless you pop the hood.