96 Mustang Gt Ticking Noise

justadodgeman

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Jan 26, 2014
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so ill start out saying this is my first post. me and my dad are trying to get his 96 stang running right after it was stolen (for the third time). its got over 450,000 miles and on its 3rd motor with about 50,000 miles on it. It was running pretty rough when we first started up after about a year, but we changed the filter and oil which was black but didn't look like antifreeze in it (great), new air filter which was disgusting, new thermostat, new pcv sensor, and it sounded better but had a misfire. we looked at the coil pack and it had a crack in it where the plug goes in (not the plug wires but the plug on the side) so we moved it back into place and super glued it to where there is no misfire anymore so it is fixed till we have time to get another one. we drained the antifreeze and it was brown so we are guessing it was rust since there was no white smoke from exhaust, no bubbles in antifreeze while in radiator from an air leak from a leak in the head, no over heating, and no smoke coming from radiator. so we flushed it out using a flushing kit till the water was clear and antifreeze has stayed a bright green color. so it was running great until we changed plugs (which all had a great color on them) and it started ticking from the passengers side valve cover so we took the plugs out just to make sure one didn't get thrown through the head like ive heard happens to 4.6s and they all came out good and went back in good. we di have a problem putting the front most plug wire onto the plug and it still never clicked into place like the others but it is seated better than the other so could this have something to do with it. so im wondering what this could be. sorry for the book ive wrote but i tough it would be easier to troubleshoot if you know what weve done
 
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I got a 96 mustang gt with a tick on passengers side valve cover. just wondering if it could fix it and if so where should I put it in? pcv sensor whole, gas tank, oil, vacuum hose, or get the spray bottle to put in the throttle body. any help is appreciated
 
No.

Is the sound only on startup and goes away after warming up? Is the sound coming from a plug well? You could have a plug that is backing out. Mine sounded like that before I blew a plug out.
 
Is the noise more prominent towards the front of the head? It could be timing chain guide wear.

U can try it..I poured a bottle into my ram.. Into the brake booster line while it was running. Smoked a ton but not sure if it made a difference.

How the hell is seafoam going to cure a mechanical failure?
 
Uh..the same way that stuff in bottles at parts stores cure it. How do you know he has a mechanical Failure? Can't tell you how many noisy lifters over the decades I've cured with a simple bottle of oil additive...if there is any gunk, dirt, etc in the lifter,..a good cleaner may fix the issue.
 
ill check where the sound is actually coming from with a stethoscope but yeah its not always a broken part but good job at trying to be a smartass. the cars been sitting for close to two years with old oil in it where a guy stole it and ran the dog:poo: out of it so a lifter could just be sludged up
 
Uh..the same way that stuff in bottles at parts stores cure it. How do you know he has a mechanical Failure? Can't tell you how many noisy lifters over the decades I've cured with a simple bottle of oil additive...if there is any gunk, dirt, etc in the lifter,..a good cleaner may fix the issue.

Noisy lifters are nothing new to these motors but they usually go away after the engine warms up. OP said the noise doesn't go away
 
Have you ever actually worked on a car? I wouldn't expect a gunked up lifter to stop ticking while warm... Sure more than likely it is a bad lifter i agree, however the strong possibility exists that they could be gunked up lifters... Why not try the $10 fix before tearing the top half of the motor apart
 
ok so I just seafoamed it(1/3 can in vaccum hose, 1/3 can in oil, 1/3 can in maybe a couple gallons of gas) the tick isn't all the way gone but its not nearly as loud probably gonna drive it a little more to see if it goes away but if not im pulling the valve covers off
 
I had a similar issue with my 97 GT. If it has cheap and/or the wrong kind of oil in it, it can cause a tick. Factory suggested oil type is 5W20, but in an older vehicle, I usually use 10W30 and half a bottle of STP oil treatment. I'm dead against using store-brand oil in anything I own, mostly because a lot of them aren't anti-sludge. Mobil and Catrol are the only brands I'll use. They may be pricey, but I'd rather spend a few extra bucks per oil change than have to tear my engine apart to replace something due to poor lubrication.
 
I had a similar issue with my 97 GT. If it has cheap and/or the wrong kind of oil in it, it can cause a tick. Factory suggested oil type is 5W20, but in an older vehicle, I usually use 10W30 and half a bottle of STP oil treatment. I'm dead against using store-brand oil in anything I own, mostly because a lot of them aren't anti-sludge. Mobil and Catrol are the only brands I'll use. They may be pricey, but I'd rather spend a few extra bucks per oil change than have to tear my engine apart to replace something due to poor lubrication.
we just did an oil change a few days ago with Castrol 5w30
 
I'm assuming you just bought the car and it's probably been doing it for awhile...not something you've had and it suddenly started happening.
If it's not very loud, it may not be anything to worry about right now and I'd drive it around for awhile (maybe a week or two) to see if it goes away, since you just put good oil in it.
If it is loud enough to be annoying while driving, then I would go ahead and remove the valve cover and inspect it.