Terminator owners! Potential buyer needs help!

[WHITE92]

I've searched and read and searched and read for the past week, but I still need some feedback from Terminator owners past and present.

I've wanted a Terminator since they first came out, but the timing and money was never right.....until now.
One thing you should know about me leading into this is that, like many of you, I am incredibly detail oriented and I want things PERFECT! So I wasn't looking really hard but just happened to find a low mile 2004 convertible. Build date on the VIN sticker shows 3/04. From what I can tell that would make this built during the last month of production. (He doesn't have the SVT certificate- second owner and the dealer didn't have it).

Keep in mind this is a 19,000 miles 2 owner and the only mod it's ever had is stainless Flowmaster cat-back. The only mods I plan would be springs, CC plates and offset to get the front end right. A little tint and a stereo and I'd been done.

Anyway, I've read and watched all the videos about "the tick" and I understand it now. The car I'm looking at is 6 1/2 hours away so I've not seen it in person, but when I asked the other night the owner said it does have "the tick". I know a lot of people say it doesn't really hurt anything and it's just annoying but not harmful, but I plan on keeping this for a long time and I want it RIGHT. Besides, if the valves don't seat properly it would have to get worse and lead to bigger problems down the road and I don't want a catastrophic failure in 10 months or 10 years.

I realize the last version of the improved heads (the 2005 version) is supposed to be the true fix, but at $1600 a piece I have to factor that into the overall price and I'm at the top of my budget without that added cost. Here are some of my questions for current and former owners:

Did anyone have the tick, replace with the last version (2005) heads and the problem went away and never re-appeared? Are they a true fix?

Did anyone never have the tick from day one and you still don't have it today? If so, how many miles do you have now?

When I told the owner I thought I was going to decline due to the tick, the owner said the dealer told him it was the likely just the serpentine belt due to the fact that the car isn't driven very often (even though it has no visible cracks) and that a compression test could verify that all is good internally. Could the tick be caused by the belt?

I realize it could be a throwout bearing or exhaust leak causing the tick as well (yes, I've searched!) but is the belt a possibility?

Thanks guys, and other words of wisdom are appreciated!

 

[05satinGT]

My car is a 04, #2044 of about 8,000 04's.

I got the car with 38,000 and only a magnaflow catback. I indeed feel like all these 4V motor's tick, but almost like a really small exhaust leak sound.

Do what I did and put some longtubes on it and you'll never hear the tick again.

BTW I'm almost a 49K and I am not afraid to beat on her and she's running great.

Good luck with your search.

 

[R.D.P.]

Have the guy warm it up, put the phone\camera near the drive side head and either have someone rev it or he can reach over and pull the cable. As long as the audio is clear (no wind), we'll be able to tell you with a high degree of certainty if it has a poorly seated valve. FYI - if you have to try to hard to hear it, it doesn't have it. If you want to really test for it - a proper leak down would be better than just a compression test. Last note - under 20k mile Terminators aren't that incredibly rare. Mine is under 20k and there are many more on here. You really have to get under 10k miles to start talking rare find.

 

[WHITE92]

My car is a 04, #2044 of about 8,000 04's.

I got the car with 38,000 and only a magnaflow catback. I indeed feel like all these 4V motor's tick, but almost like a really small exhaust leak sound.

Do what I did and put some longtubes on it and you'll never hear the tick again.

BTW I'm almost a 49K and I am not afraid to beat on her and she's running great.

Good luck with your search.

Thanks for the feedback, do you know if your heads were ever switched under the TSB prior to your buying it? Just curious if that's the second set of "tickers" or the originals.

Thanks again!

 

[WHITE92]

Thanks R.D.P.! Good to know about the leak down test. Sounds like that will tell with pretty good certainty, but have you ever heard of the belt causing the noise?

You mentioned yours is under 20K, do you have the tick?

 

[cj428mach]

Last note - under 20k mile Terminators aren't that incredibly rare. Mine is under 20k and there are many more on here. You really have to get under 10k miles to start talking rare find.

LOL, agreed. I bought my car last November with under 8k miles. I figured I had better snatch it up as there was only 760ish white coupes with gray or black leather seats so finding one this low of mileage and a one owner car would be extremely rare. With in the next 4 months someone on here was selling a OW coupe with 8k miles on it with gray interior.

To OP, I've owned an 80k mile car that was pullied for 75k and twin screwed for 1k with no tick. The current car was ported blower until 7500 miles and now has a twin screw at 7700 miles with no tick.

 

[03dsgcobranc]

Have the owner send a video of it running with attention to both sides of underhood sounds at idle and revving, also at the front wheelwells and from under the car. Then post the vid here.

 

[stangfreak]

There are cobras that have the head tick that have gone 11.20's, high 10's with ported eatons etc. My car has the little tick sound. Nothing crazy. it does not hinder performance. I am the original owner. 710rwhp here stock motor

 

[nrmustang]

There are different "ticks". For example, the injectors "tick". You'll notice the difference between the injectors and the head tick. Have you been around these cars enough to have heard the head tick?

I'm extremely OCD, and unfortunately, since these cars are aging, being OCD and owning a Cobra is like holding an ice cream cone and hoping it never melts! Parts are becoming increasingly obsolete, and what is left costs an arm and a leg now.

 

[hotcobra03]

Buy that new head if you can..put in closet..drive untill it needs it..

Im on the newer head..

I had both prior heads go bad..and only on drivers side..@358k still on stock 4 thread for passenger side

 

[MBoyle1]

Original owner, never had head "tick"or changed heads. Built 1/03 plenty of 10.xx passes. But only 5800 miles

 

[va boy]

Like others said, get the seller to send you a video of the car running, be sure he records on the drivers side in the correct location as noted. Next, search the web for a video of the head tick, it is unmistakeable when you hear it.
That's all I've got, sorry I have no other useful info on the tick, good luck with your hunt, that is the most fun part!

 

[WHITE92]

Thanks for all of the info guys! First things first, I'm going to ask him for the video. However, do you guys agree that the leakdown test would be the most complete way to tell? Seems like that would tell the tale for sure.

Also, any feedback as to whether it actually could be the serpentine?

And yes, I've watched a ton of the Youtube videos of the tick but never witnessed it in person.

Again, thanks for all of the input!

 

[WHITE92]

There are different "ticks". For example, the injectors "tick". You'll notice the difference between the injectors and the head tick. Have you been around these cars enough to have heard the head tick?

I'm extremely OCD, and unfortunately, since these cars are aging, being OCD and owning a Cobra is like holding an ice cream cone and hoping it never melts! Parts are becoming increasingly obsolete, and what is left costs an arm and a leg now.

LOVE the analogy! What parts are getting scarce at this point?

 

[Bdubbs]

I doubt a belt would make a "tick" sound. Maybe a idler bearing or a bad belt tensioner could make a rattling/marble sound. After owning my cobra for nearly 4 yrs (had 20k miles, now 25k miles) you get use to all the noises theses motors make. And notices ones that are not normal. Parts in the eaton supercharger can go bad as well and make some abnormal sounds.

EDIT: And don't kid yourself, a lot of us said we weren't going to mod our cobras, ohhh how that quickly changes! And if your all about doing suspension, get some subframe connectors especially on a vert. Also a different rear diff cover if you haven't done your homework on those!

 

[hotcobra03]

LOVE the analogy! What parts are getting scarce at this point?

There is a thread on parts that are not made.or very hard to get..list is getting longer..

 

[WHITE92]

There is a thread on parts that are not made.or very hard to get..list is getting longer..

I wasn't aware of that thread.....I'll check it out.

 

[SVTORANGE]

I had an 04 and no ticking issues

 

[R.D.P.]

Buy that new head if you can..put in closet..drive untill it needs it..

Im on the newer head..

I had both prior heads go bad..and only on drivers side..@358k still on stock 4 thread for passenger side

So your on your third driver side head? That makes me sad - so there can be no doubt that the wear and tear (likely from heat) is greater on the driver side. Were you running the head cooling mod on either head?

Thanks R.D.P.! Good to know about the leak down test. Sounds like that will tell with pretty good certainty, but have you ever heard of the belt causing the noise?

You mentioned yours is under 20K, do you have the tick?

No tick for me, strong and smooth. The belt isn't going to make that type of sound. As bdubbs said, maybe a bad idler or even the front bearing on the eaton, but not the belt itself.

Where is the car located? In the past, people have offered up $50-$100 for an experienced owner to go check out a Terminator for them in person. Not sure if you want to try that or not, but if so make a new thread with the location and see what kind of replies you get. Someone also mentioned doing something about the rear diff. You'll want to do that first thing and don't be surprised to find it's been leaking and needs to be re-sealed. If they aren't braced - or you swap to the FRP Cover, it's going to happen.