New Heads - Rattle NOT Fixed!

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Well, sorry to say....new cylinder heads did not fix my rattle. Of course I didn't hear it again until I was almost home. Car seems to run a little smoother and sounds smoother though. And, of course again, the tech and the shop foreman were neither at work today so I couldn't talk to either one of them about the repair before I left the shop. And no sense calling up there today to complain until the ones who fixed it are at least at work.

Cliff notes - new cylinder heads, car still rattles. Piece of ****.

BooWFO · Jun 26, 2006

Huh? Your kidding right?
Your positive it isn't an exhuast leak? Or Detonation? Or Something else rattling?

tomustang · Jun 26, 2006

What shop is this?

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Nope, not kidding. The car seems to run alot smoother, and sounds smoother with my Mac exhaust. If it is an exhaust leak, it would be strange. Since its been rattling, I replaced midpipe and cat-back. so I would have had to create the same type of exhaust leak in my installation as what was in the factory set-up. If its the manifolds on the heads, you would think they would have had to drop the manifolds to swap heads this past weak, and would have tightened any leaks.

Doubt its detonation just cuz it does it in neutral with no load, and generally at a specific rpm...typically 2.4 or 2.5k...and I can hold it at that rpm and it'll rattle all day long.

Could easily be something else loose. My thinking has been, its under warranty, let Ford fix it. So far I've gotten new heads out of the deal. Wonder whats next?!?

The shops have been Ford dealers. So far this is my second dealer to work on it. The first swore it was a cat convertor, and had me waiting 3 months on a back-ordered part, finally I put aftermarket exhaust on it and it still rattled, didn't bother taking it back to that dealer. This dealer, I could understand them thinking it might be the valve guide TSB problem and Ford ok'd the new heads after them describing the problem.

Anyways, my guess it is just something loose and rattling at this point. Not sure what else it could possibly be....except for the shield on the tranny where the clutch cable enters...maybe I'll check that. Either way, I'm getting a bit tired of this car and Ford dealers, especially when they won't give me a loaner car when mine's stuck at the shop for a week.

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

BooWFO said:
Huh? Your kidding right?
Your positive it isn't an exhuast leak? Or Detonation? Or Something else rattling?

You're ever in Cincy, stop by, maybe you'd recognize the sound.

hotmustang331 · Jun 26, 2006

Are you sure its coming from your engine bay? Have someone rev it to 2400 and go listen around the car to see where its coming from. It could be something loose under the dash, or possably a belt tensioner...maybe even the water pump is jacked up. Check also to make sure your motor mounts are tight.

stangGT97 · Jun 26, 2006

is it possible that it's your tensioner making the rattling sound? Does the car seem to be down on power? Have you over-revved your motor at all? Sorry for all the questions, it just seems crazy that they were so certain it was a valve guide, and then brand new heads did not fix the problem. Try a stethescope to try and pinpoint the noise.

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Not sure its coming from the engine bay....its one of those noises that is real hard to pinpoint...especially over the exhaust and engine noise, although its still plenty loud over those noises. Maybe I'll go out in a little bit to check some of the things you guys mentioned. Haven't tried those yet.

Just very wierd to me that it happens only at a certain rpm range within a few hundred rpms.

Anyways, keep the suggestions coming guys. I'm getting so so so tired with this car. I love driving it, but hate thinking something is still wrong with my car.

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Oh, its hard to tell if its down on power because its rattled since I bought it. I don't think I've over rev'd my engine, but then again if it was doing this when I bought it used, who knows what the old owner did to it. Now that I look back and have owned the car, doesn't seem like the old owner was the best car care person in the world.

stangGT97 · Jun 26, 2006

my car has always had a rattle on startup, but its also a '97 and the people who owned it before me are questionable characters. my mechanic explained that a metallic tapping sound can come from the flywheel and starter teeth not meshing properly, and this would be a continuous sound if the starter is either defective or wearing out, and the gear is not being retracted after the motor is running. Just something to keep in mind. Does it sound like PTV contact? maybe your chain skipped a tooth throwing the timing off, and the dealer never realized this when installing new heads. The reason I asked about overrevving is because maybe you spun a rod bearing, but I don't know how long motors last after this happens. My friend did that in his IROC and it sounded like a metallic tap whenever he was driving. Lastly, does the car shake at all when the tap sound appears?

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Nah, don't feel any noticeable shaking. And since its been rattling for at least 9 months, I imagine if it was something major in the engine, it would be toast by now. I've probably rev'd it to right under the red line a few times.

Not sure what PTV contact would sound like?

stangGT97 · Jun 26, 2006

DocG2828 said:
Nah, don't feel any noticeable shaking. And since its been rattling for at least 9 months, I imagine if it was something major in the engine, it would be toast by now. I've probably rev'd it to right under the red line a few times.

Not sure what PTV contact would sound like?

a metallic tap... its piston to valve contact, metal on metal. Engine isnt throwing any codes?

BooWFO · Jun 26, 2006

I had an annoying whistle rattle sound when the first set of percy gasket started to go out then they blew out and I had an exhaust leak. Percy blowproof gasket my butt. Anyways it sounded like a whistle/whining/rattle type sound. Also seeing as how the OEM gaskets are metal too it's possible they would do the samething. Just an idea.

CRZYHRSGT · Jun 26, 2006

Does your serp. belt idler pulley have any slop in it (the one on the pass. head next to the alternator)? I also wonder if you don't have some sort of oil circulation problem

03ghoststang · Jun 26, 2006

wow so the head replacement didnt even make it go away......have someone revv it to that rpm and walk around to see if you can pin point the rattle

hotmustang331 · Jun 26, 2006

I seriously doubt its PTV contact...it would have snapped one of the valves by now, and they would have seen big dents in the pistions when they pulled the heads.

Howvere it is possable that it is a spun rob bearing....that seriously wouldnt be good.

You could just go to another dealer and tell them to replace the shortblock because you think it has a spun rob bearing

ADRENLN · Jun 26, 2006

people on here say the break sheilds or somthing like that causes a tapping or rattling that often is mistaken for head tapping. check it out even more so it you only have it a certain rpm range. somthing loose.

2000GTNY · Jun 26, 2006

I can't beleive you are still chasing this problem! I was hoping you found it so I would have found my problem along with you!

I'm going to check each of my brake shields carefully too. Especially upfront since the noise is dominant in the front. I still think mine is a heat shield or brake shield and not as serious as a head repair.

Please keep me updated on how things go!

mity2 · Jun 26, 2006

stangGT97 said:
is it possible that it's your tensioner making the rattling sound? Does the car seem to be down on power? Have you over-revved your motor at all? Sorry for all the questions, it just seems crazy that they were so certain it was a valve guide, and then brand new heads did not fix the problem. Try a stethescope to try and pinpoint the noise.

I was thinking of same thing. Chain tentioner went.
I once got nasty rattle. shop and i were puzzled for 3 month. Turned out my idler pully has gone south

DocG · Jun 26, 2006

Ok, dumb question, but the tensioner is the one that actually moves right? On the passenger side there is what seems to be a dummy pully, and then the assembly that moves. The assembly that moves...well when I rev it to the dreadful rpm's....it doesn't wobble front to back, but it does move some in line with the pulley...as though the pulley is tightening and loosening.

The sound is much more noticeable underneath, when I poke my head behind the front wheels. You can hear it in the engine bay, but not as loudly. That could just be cuz of the other noise.

Is it really possible something is wrong with the shortblock?

New Heads - Rattle NOT Fixed!

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