head tick? rod bearing? need insight

[orchris]

afternoon, ive been trying to find this issue I’ve been hearing, took it to triangle speed shop for a quick diagnosis and they said they found nothing wrong, just 4.6 valve train noise. 03 cobra stock besides lt headers, x pipe and stingers. head cooling mod install 2k miles ago . could this be a rod bearing ? head tick? valvetrain or timing related? was told from another shop its rod knock but im iffy on it . only listened to it.
took an oil sample and could not see glitter.
82k miles, video with both sides of car down below.

also have codes
po174-fuel pump?
po1233
po190
common problems w these? just hit 82k miles

pt.1 here
pt.2 here

 

[04DeadShort]

Why not believe TSS? Did they listen to the car run? They are a reputable performance shop. Long tubes tend to magnify valve train noise and that's what it sounds like to me.

 

[MG0h3]

Def not a Rod bearing.

I hear a squeak; prob TOB.

Long tubes will transmit some extra noise.

The fact that you hear everything down there suggests it’s not the engine.

What clutch do you have? They can make noise.

These engines can make a bit of noise totally healthy. Lot of stuff moving around.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

 

[CobraBob]

I tend to agree with what the shop (TSS) told you. Normal valve train noise.

 

[CobraSam]

Kinda sounds like my car, which has a brand new engine rebuild, but louder.
It’s definitely not rod knock. Maybe your valve seats are starting to get worn a bit. LT’s will absolutely amplify things as well.
Get a mechanic stethoscope and poke around a bit

 

[hotcobra03]

I've had a few tick's ,,
Had a follower fall off when using it till it showed its face ,
Cylinder 6.

I've had tob,cause rod knock .
Bearing blew apart causing fork to bang against transmission

I had lower caged pulley blow rubbers and post were beating pulley. Sounded like valve train tap ,

I also have long tubes.
When I had issues I heard them similar to this ..

Imo that's loud.

Things I did for testing,,
1st a compression test..
Found Cylinder 6 was 0..
Car ran just fine on 7 cylinders

Pulley problem. With car off,
Move blower belt by hand back and forth,,Seen pulley move more than an inch easily..

Tob,,
When I push clutch in or hold foot pressue, knock stopped .

Same with squeaking tob,

Done tob,about 6 times if not more ,,

 

[01yellercobra]

P0174 is a lean code. Have you checked for exhaust leaks?

 

[orchris]

Why not believe TSS? Did they listen to the car run? They are a reputable performance shop. Long tubes tend to magnify valve train noise and that's what it sounds like to me.

Why not believe TSS? Did they listen to the car run? They are a reputable performance shop. Long tubes tend to magnify valve train noise and that's what it sounds like to me.

just simply on the fact that when I asked what had been done for diagnosis, they said they checked it and couldn’t hear anything, asked if they ran codes, they said yes and all checked out, ran codes when I got home and sure enough I have those codes

 

[orchris]

Def not a Rod bearing.

I hear a squeak; prob TOB.

Long tubes will transmit some extra noise.

The fact that you hear everything down there suggests it’s not the engine.

What clutch do you have? They can make noise.

These engines can make a bit of noise totally healthy. Lot of stuff moving around.


Sent from my iPhone using svtperformance.com

yeah so was also told from the shop the clutch cable might be bad , as it clangs once depressed all the way, I also hear the tob squeak but I had been aware, recently installed a mcleod street extreme with the longtubes not too long ago along w a head cooling mod. used a stethoscope and could not here much bottom end, more so passenger side valve cover

 

[orchris]

Kinda sounds like my car, which has a brand new engine rebuild, but louder.
It’s definitely not rod knock. Maybe your valve seats are starting to get worn a bit. LT’s will absolutely amplify things as well.
Get a mechanic stethoscope and poke around a bit

used a stethoscope and could not here much bottom end, more so passenger side valve cover. but if you put your ear by the wheel well after a couple of seconds you can here it

 

[orchris]

P0174 is a lean code. Have you checked for exhaust leaks?

no tests yet , was told it could be exhaust leak but ive let it idle till warm and the noise stays. will do tests soon

 

[hotcobra03]

What are you using to get codes?
Hand tuner?
Hand scanner?
I've had times my tuner didn't pickup all codes.

Have you reset pcm and re scanned ?

Normally we get po171/174

As po171 is passenger side and your getting 174.

Pcv line has been cause for me when getting these codes .

Elbows are known to crumble and blow a hole.

This line is also connected to bottom of lower intake.

I found my issue here.
Ford doesn't use a clamp.
The hose will harden over time. It will not blow off nipple but able to spin,which is a leak.
,
I put a clamp on it and all has been well ,,

Something else I noticed when having valve issue,,
Excessive oil dripping out of throttlebody,,
With stock pcv line from passenger head to air inlet is connected,,some oil is 1 thing.
I had ounces pour out when pulling air tube. It wasn't pretty,
Had to completely clean blower and Intercooler out.

 

[GoGreen04]

I had a very similar noise back in Spring 2020. Sounded like a mechanical fluttering sound on passenger side valvetrain. Turns out it was a rod bearing and the piston was slapping the head. I hope for you its not, because now in deep into a full engine build.

 

[orchris]

I had a very similar noise back in Spring 2020. Sounded like a mechanical fluttering sound on passenger side valvetrain. Turns out it was a rod bearing and the piston was slapping the head. I hope for you its not, because now in deep into a full engine build.

not good , hoping its not it. how did you end up finding out it was the rod bearing? pulled oil pan and checked pick up tube? compression test? I wanna try to check other things before going into the rods and pistons

I had a very similar noise back in Spring 2020. Sounded like a mechanical fluttering sound on passenger side valvetrain. Turns out it was a rod bearing and the piston was slapping the head. I hope for you its not, because now in deep into a full engine build.

I had a very similar noise back in Spring 2020. Sounded like a mechanical fluttering sound on passenger side valvetrain. Turns out it was a rod bearing and the piston was slapping the head. I hope for you its not, because now in deep into a full engine build.

my pasenger side valve cover is making a noise too, almost like a slap so im pretty worried now, metal in oil? how did you come to the conclusion

 

[GoGreen04]

not good , hoping its not it. how did you end up finding out it was the rod bearing? pulled oil pan and checked pick up tube? compression test? I wanna try to check other things before going into the rods and pistons


my pasenger side valve cover is making a noise too, almost like a slap so im pretty worried now, metal in oil? how did you come to the conclusion

We thought it may have been transmission related at first because the pressure plate looked a bit rough. So we swapped out with a brand new clutch, bearings, etc. and the noise was still there just as it was. I got a few other opinions and they definitely said it was motor related. Pulled the motor and sent it to L&M Engines where they opened it up and found the damage.

The sound was just like your video and the noise/ tapping sound increased with the RPM of the motor. Almost sounded like a small exhaust leak at idle. L&M determined the damage was caused by excessive heat. I do know before the ticking sounds started that the intercooler pump went bad during a pull and fluid shot out from the cap and through the heat extractor in the hood. Noise started right around then.

Have you had any cooling related issues with your car? Or oil leaks from the motor?

 

[OSU34]

Hate to say it but that sounds bottom end related. Had a sound very similar in my brothers car. Couple things:

- If it were TOB the noise would go away is the clutch is depressed.
- Does it seem to get quieter as you rev the car up? That could be a telling sign as it’s building up more oil pressure.
- the car could still run fine and have good compression if a rod bearing was on its way out.

I’d suggest taking it to a different shop and having them look it over. That’s not typical valve train noise, don’t care what anybody says.

 

[orchris]

We thought it may have been transmission related at first because the pressure plate looked a bit rough. So we swapped out with a brand new clutch, bearings, etc. and the noise was still there just as it was. I got a few other opinions and they definitely said it was motor related. Pulled the motor and sent it to L&M Engines where they opened it up and found the damage.

The sound was just like your video and the noise/ tapping sound increased with the RPM of the motor. Almost sounded like a small exhaust leak at idle. L&M determined the damage was caused by excessive heat. I do know before the ticking sounds started that the intercooler pump went bad during a pull and fluid shot out from the cap and through the heat extractor in the hood. Noise started right around then.

Have you had any cooling related issues with your car? Or oil leaks from the motor?

no major oil leaks changed the rear main along with clutch a bit ago, car has had overheating problems to the point where it would leak from the cap , not coming out of the hood though. sounds like I should get ready for a rebuild then. sucks, are you done with your build? how much do you think a good rebuild would cost? maybe some cams?

 

[orchris]

Hate to say it but that sounds bottom end related. Had a sound very similar in my brothers car. Couple things:

- If it were TOB the noise would go away is the clutch is depressed.
- Does it seem to get quieter as you rev the car up? That could be a telling sign as it’s building up more oil pressure.
- the car could still run fine and have good compression if a rod bearing was on its way out.

I’d suggest taking it to a different shop and having them look it over. That’s not typical valve train noise, don’t care what anybody says.

also considered the clutch, but noise was still there after I pressed down.

as for noise per rev cant really say much but no. a guy from tss was outside the shop and I called him over , he gave it a few revs and said he wouldn’t be worried as the engines are noisy naturally especially with lt’s.

I have now rode it 200 miles with the sound, to and back to the shop and I haven’t heard anything crazy but Im not driving it anymore. the other guy who commented here had same noise in the same place ( pass. side valve cover) and honestly im starting to just say it is a rod bearing. how would I go about checking if it really is before tearing it down. and how much would a good rebuild be?maybe throw some cams while im in there?

 

[OSU34]

that's just my speculation. Personally, I'd take it to a different reputable shop and get their insight before dropping the motor or signing a check. You can certainly check the oil for metal shavings and/or change to a heavier weight of oil to see if noise persists. Like you, my brother was able to drive around with a hurt motor so it doesn't surprise me that you say that. He paid around 12k to have the motor completely rebuilt, and he didn't lay a finger. Block was bored to .20, added diamond pistons (Manley's were on backorder), ARP main and head studs - that's the bulk. That was a few years ago. In terms of cams you can certainly entertain it. If you do indeed have to rebuild it, it would be the time to do it - as changing cams without dropping the motor is a pain, i have done it. I would go for custom grinds to maximize the best cams FOR YOU and your goals - look up Todd Warren, he's one of the best out there and his prices are reasonable.

 

[GoGreen04]

My motor build is at $19,500 since the crank had to be replaced and heads needed to be reworked. Bored .20, custom diamond pistons, Manley I beam rods, custom grind cams, timing components, etc.