04 cobra with tick possibly...?!?!...:(

[TXGTP]

ok i bought my cobra used in nov w/47k miles i got the oil changed at dealership with 5w20 syth blend....well car drove fine... for past few months and i garaged it (not my d.d until now cause beater broke)..ok so fast forward to yesterday I hear a ticking noise im not exactly sure when it started...so ya..any who check oil everything is well.....im thinking possibly the previous owner used synthetic oil...and the move to non made this come out?...any ideas....also the motor seems very hot now its not over heating and gauge is normal but i can see heat coming thru the vents while sitting at stop light i dont remeber it being like this when i first got it.....today i added the lucas oil syntheic stablizer hoping the noise would go away......it seems like it has gotten alittle bit quiet but not by much...any ideas... was thinking of getting full oil changed tommrrow with 5w30 sythentic hoping the noise might go back away....also the noise seems to be coming from the passenger side head...area......

 

[timspony]

Piston slap? ... Making the noise only when cold or all the time?

 

[TXGTP]

all the time...so far ive had one person look at it ..(only like 5min though and they say something in the head....

 

[TVSCobra]

How long did it sit? The Lucas stuff makes the oil thicker, not really sure what else is in it. I would use a quality Xw-30 synthetic oil Mobil1, Pennzoil Plat, Castrol Syntec, Redline etc. This would have nothing to do with switching between syn and dino. Oil can change engine noises but should not cause them (as long as the correct weight is used). Some people have less noise with X brand oil. Check out www.bobistheoilguy.com more info on oil than you ever wanted to know. Do you have a vid? Is the noise always there? Hot or cold have any effect on the noise?

 

[TXGTP]

maybe about a month and a half... but i started it like once a week my noise sounds exactly like...http://www.svtperformance.com/forums/terminator-talk-229/651955-what-noise.html @post #8

 

[CobraBob]

How soon after you had the oil and filter changed did you notice the ticking sound? If around the time of the oil change, what brand filter was used? I'm assuming if it was a Ford dealer they would have used a Motorcraft filter. I ask because once I changed my Terminator's oil and filter and made the mistake of using a Fram oil filter. Instant ticking! I got nervous think the motor had the tick issue but on a hunch I got under the car while it was running and found that the ticking seemed to be coming from the filter. So I bought a Motorcraft filter and replaced the Fram with it. Ticking disappeared! I've heard of others who have had a ticking sound develop when installing a cheap filter. If it didn't actually happen to me I would have never believed it could be possible. I have no idea why a Fram or other cheap filter would cause a ticking sound.

 

[TXGTP]

was awhile... didnt notice it until i started really driving the car again daily...(late mon-tues...

 

[Jefe]

Have you checked all your exhaust connections and the inspection cover on the trans for rattling?

the ticking speeds up with the RPMs? Is there a rhythm to it?

Get one of these($10 at harbor freight or Checkers)

Put it above each cylinder on your heads and see if theres any difference in sound. If its the heads it should be the rear portion of the passenger side. If you cant find the noise or every section sounds the same then get under the car and put it on anything you can reach. You will be able to pinpoint where the noise is coming from

If its coming from inside the motor, then you do not want thicker oil....

 

[SWAMPMODULAR]

ok i bought my cobra used in nov w/47k miles i got the oil changed at dealership with 5w20 syth blend....well car drove fine... for past few months and i garaged it (not my d.d until now cause beater broke)..ok so fast forward to yesterday I hear a ticking noise im not exactly sure when it started...so ya..any who check oil everything is well.....im thinking possibly the previous owner used synthetic oil...and the move to non made this come out?...any ideas....also the motor seems very hot now its not over heating and gauge is normal but i can see heat coming thru the vents while sitting at stop light i dont remeber it being like this when i first got it.....today i added the lucas oil syntheic stablizer hoping the noise would go away......it seems like it has gotten alittle bit quiet but not by much...any ideas... was thinking of getting full oil changed tommrrow with 5w30 sythentic hoping the noise might go back away....also the noise seems to be coming from the passenger side head...area......

I think you should stick to synthetic, thats what our cars were designed to use correct??:beer:

 

[CobraBob]

I think you should stick to synthetic, thats what our cars were designed to use correct??:beer:

Well, they weren't designed to use a full synthetic meaning that is what should be used. If that were the case, they would have come from the factory with a full synthetic. The 2003-2004 Cobras came from the factory with a synthetic blend. So the truth is the motor was designed to use either the blend and or a full synthetic. I chose to use the factory blend. A good percentage of Terminator owners do choose to use a full synthetic. But a full synthetic is not required.

 

[TXGTP]

Ticking speeds up with rpm but i can't hear it once I past 2k rpms
highway speeds I can't hear it driving on street as I come up to light I can hear it

 

[timspony]

...and you say you can hear at LOW rpm's with a warm engine??

 

[Jefe]

Ya do you hear it when first starting up and after driving for a while?

 

[TXGTP]

Ok after letting it sit over nite or while at work on first startup. I don't really hear it but after driving it I come to a stop and it's very noticable

 

[TXGTP]

And yes low rpm with engine warm

 

[03cobrah]

thought i had the ticking issue when i first bought my cobra. it ended up being a exhaust leak. the nut on the passenger side where the midpipe meets the manifold was it. do you smell any gas when you turn your car on through the ac?

 

[TXGTP]

havent run the ac but im gonna try to get it in the air tommrrow and look for a leak on passenger side.....cause whenever i drive down an alley i hear a funky noise on the passneger side.....the car when i got it had a hacked up cutom h pipe w/hi flows...been meaning to replace with upr o/r xpipe...

 

[Heater]

If I had to guess, it's probably the exhaust.

I bought my Cobra back in August and the previous owner used only Mobil 1 in it.

I switched it over to Motorcraft 5W-20 Semi-Synthetic with no problems.

 

[timspony]

Sounds like that donut gasket between the manifold & midpipe perhaps....but does sound like an exhaust leak!

 

[venomous99]

get a stethoscope and start probing away. ull hear stuff that u normally cant