Hello all. As of today, I am a new member here at B.I.T.O.G.com. My question in concern is a very quick, quiet rattle noise at a "Cold-Start" (or when the car has been sitting for over 4 hours). My vehicle has 120,000 and I have been the owner since 109K. I have done 3 oil changes so far, 2 times being Castrol Edge 5W20 and my most previous being Castrol ultra-clean (white bottle). I have gone with the specified FL-820S oil filter twice and went with a Castrol oil filter once. This eliminates my oil filter drain back valve theory. Additionally, the inside of this engine is very clean. Noted this when I replaced the valve cover. That also partly eliminates my theory of chain guides, since a lot of those fail prematurely due to oil change neglect. To add as an additional note, I have tested the theory of enabling Fords fail-safe mode by holding down the pedal and cranking the engine prior to starting the engine after sitting. The noise did not occur. I wanted to see other people's opinion on this. By the way, I have NEVER used Motorcrafts engine oil.
Grand Marquis *QUICK* startup rattle
- Thread starter UFnate03
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Next time you start it, hold the throttle all the way down it should crank without starting, clear flood mode, only needs a second or two of turning over, stop then start it normally if no rattle it’s the timing chain tensioners bleeding down pressure over time
*edit
My crown Vic would do it with 5w20 I ditched that and went to 5w40 and it stopped but for a very rare occasion it might rattle for a second. My suggestion if it’s only on start up switch to a heavier weight oil and see if it goes away, if so just keep on driving til you decide to scrap the car or get the timing chain system replaced
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If I had a Ford 4.6, I'd run a good 10W30 synth in it.
I may switch to 10w30 on my next change, and then if the rattle still progresses, I will switch to 5w40. It may be a temporary band aid, but I dread doing the timing. The passenger valve cover was absolute hell, so I would probably aim towards an engine pull route.
Good to know. I will run that for my next oil change. Thanks.
Seems lots of Ford guys online like FordBossMe has said that 5w30 instead of 20 is better. If that's the only fault in that car, just drive it easy and get that timing service done when you get the first chance.
Ironically, that's what's in there at the moment. I forgot the cap orders 5w20, and I bought a 5w30 version of the Castrol Ultra-Clean. I'll do a good 10w in Motorcraft oil my next oil change. I'll have to find the proper time to complete the service.
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That's what my best friend ran in his 96 Mustang GT. Had it till almost 400,000 miles. He did outside sales. Did a lot of highway driving.
If it’s simply the tensioners leaking down pressure it may not actually need fixed, yes can be annoying but unless you start hearing the chain rattle continuously I wouldn’t worry to much about it, 5w30 and 10w30 are still 30 grades increasing the winter rating will not likely have a different out come, if it continues to rattle with a 40 then you have 3 options, ignore the 1-2 seconds of chain rattle, clear flood mode every time before you start it or fix the tensioners, if everything else is in good working order then I wouldn’t risk an engine swap, fix the chain system.
I'm with you. It's a quick sound. I haven't heard any clacking/ticking sounds after sound I'm concerned about. I'll experiment with different weights in my future oil changes, starting with 10/30. Then I'll find the sweet spot.
You have not mentioned what year your vehicle is; 2000 - 2003 vehicles had issues with the plastic timing chain guides that become problematic as the miles rack up.
I suggest pulling the serpentine belt off and starting it up to see if that brief noise is still there; I have seen instances where that same noise was coming from AC compressor when I thought it was the HLA's momentarily losing pressure. Later, this would get worse and become an ongoing problem, where it continually resonates, making it sound like it's the engine.
Failing that, I suggest Liqui Moly Hydraulic Lifter Additive (one can if it's a pre-2003 vehicle and two cans if it's a 2003+) to clean up any build up in the HLA's.
Oil wise, I would suggest ditching the xW-20 in favor of xW-30 if you're going for an API/ILSAC rated oil. Depending on where you're based, you can run anything up to 10W-60 and the engine will still keep trucking.
I suggest pulling the serpentine belt off and starting it up to see if that brief noise is still there; I have seen instances where that same noise was coming from AC compressor when I thought it was the HLA's momentarily losing pressure. Later, this would get worse and become an ongoing problem, where it continually resonates, making it sound like it's the engine.
Failing that, I suggest Liqui Moly Hydraulic Lifter Additive (one can if it's a pre-2003 vehicle and two cans if it's a 2003+) to clean up any build up in the HLA's.
Oil wise, I would suggest ditching the xW-20 in favor of xW-30 if you're going for an API/ILSAC rated oil. Depending on where you're based, you can run anything up to 10W-60 and the engine will still keep trucking.
Vehicle is a '02. I'll take a look at the Liqui Moly additive. Should it be used in place of MMO/Seafoam additive? I've recently used Seafoam through the TB, and I USED to put MMO in my fuel. It would quiet the injectors quite well. Although, I haven't used it in a while.
Based out of Florida, as well.
So 2000 thru 2003 will have bad tensioner arms that the plastic falls off the arm and the chain digs into the bare aluminum.
On 2004 ish thru end of production the arms themselves are corrected but they switched to a black plastic hydraulic chain tensioner block. That plastic over time will warp where it mates to the oil passage and the heads will bleed down. On 2 valve engines this does not seem to correlate to any increased failure rates. However this will wear out a 3 vlave top end in short order.
During a long sitting period, just get in the habit of a clear flood start for 7 seconds, then release the pedal.
On 2004 ish thru end of production the arms themselves are corrected but they switched to a black plastic hydraulic chain tensioner block. That plastic over time will warp where it mates to the oil passage and the heads will bleed down. On 2 valve engines this does not seem to correlate to any increased failure rates. However this will wear out a 3 vlave top end in short order.
During a long sitting period, just get in the habit of a clear flood start for 7 seconds, then release the pedal.
The Hydraulic Lifter Additive will go in the oil, so Seafoam through the throttle body or MMO in the fuel will not affect it in any way.
That said, my best advice is to use a stethoscope to pinpoint the exact source of the noise. Have someone start the engine for you when it's cold and see if the noise is coming from the front timing cover or the valve cover. If it's the HLA's, the Liqui Moly additive will help clean up any gunk built up in them over the course of 200 or so miles, and you may wish to use it every once in a while to help keep them clean.
That said, Mobil 1 FS 0W-40 will be a great oil for your application, especially in FL.
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