Piston Slap

[Shiroelex]

Is it possible to suddenly develop piston slap overnight? I started my car after work today, and heard the all too familiar piston slap tick. She was fine on the way into work, and on lunch. Not driven hard (that hard) in a while. I checked all of the fluids, and have 93 octane in right now. No idea how it could just happen out of nowhere. I've looked the whole thing over top to bottom, and know for a fact that it isn't loose plugs, spark knock, injectors, or an exhaust leak. I did some research, and found this out.

What causes piston slap?

Ø According to Ford, the noise is a result of "piston to bore clearance" issues

Will it affect the expected life of my engine?

Ø Ford claims that the problem will not affect the life of the engine. They claim they have thoroughly tested engines with PS ("hundreds of thousands of miles" according to one source) since the issue arose and have had no failures. One owner has over 100,000 miles on his PS engine and it works just fine. No failures from PS have been reported by members and Ford claims they have had none either.

What engines does it affect?

Ø It has been estimated that anywhere between (1 in 500) and (1in 2000) engines will develop this problem

Ø Only 4.6, 5.4 and 6.8L engines built in Windsor, Canada have the problem.
Ø All 5.4 and 6.8L engines are built in Windsor Canada
Ø 4.6L engines built in Romeo Michigan do NOT have PS

What is the likelihood of getting piston slap?

Ø It has been estimated that anywhere between (1 in 500) and (1in 2000) 97-99 engines will develop PS Source: member

How long does it take for PS to show up in my engine?

Ø Very often it shows up in the first few months of operation (as early as 3 weeks) , and less than 20,000 miles, however it has shown up/ been diagnosed at late as 28,000 miles

When does it occur, What does it sound like, and How long does it last?

Ø It occurs on engine start up, anytime after the engine has cooled down from its normal operating temperature. It is most pronounced after sitting over night when temperatures generally are the lowest and the engine has had ample time to cool down.
Ø To me it sounds like the engine is not getting any oil. You can describe it as a ticking, tapping or a knocking noise. Some describe it as similar to the sound a diesel engine makes. It all depends on how loud it gets, some engines are much louder than others. In my case and in others, it can sound so loud your neighbors will notice it, while in others the noise is much less noticeable, similar to a mild lifter noise. If you would like to hear a sample, go to: http://www.mindspring.com/~acbradley/index.html and select F150 garage Tech

Ø In most cases the noise lasts less than a minute, very often only 10-15 seconds
Ø It can last longer, as much as 5 minutes, particularly if it's cold outside
Ø It goes away when your engine warms up


The thing is, my car was still a little warm from when I went to lunch. I just can't see this suddenly happening. Any ideas?

 

[sgarlic]

I doubt it's piston slap. I bet it's valve tick.

Unless I missed a whole generation of threads on this or something, but I've never heard of that issue in these motors.

 

[cooper58d2002]

If I remember right the issue with piston slap was when the piston was at the bottom of the bore in the 4.6 the piston would twist or kink in the bore as it started on the upstroke. Aftermarket offset pistons helped alleviate the problem. The noise would be primarally heard at startup when the oil hasn't cycled through yet

 

[QuickCapri83]

I have it, I have had it since I bought the car. My car has 114k miles, and I have no problems bouncing it off the rev limiter any time I like. Change the oil, you should get 200k out of a 4.6 unless you're ignorant, or really actually mimic a nascar driver at every possible moment driving your car.

Is it possible to suddenly develop piston slap overnight?

Yes. But early in the life of the car, like your research suggests.

For me, it lasts EXACTLY 3 minutes on cold start. Does not matter if it's summer or winter. However, in winter, it's only a little louder, but also, I use different oil, and I use royal purple, so, yeah.

I put tons of highway miles on my car, so most of the miles are sitting at 2300 rpm on the highway, going' where I Need to go, I live in the woods, kinda, but, right on the outskirt of a major town, and, right next to NY CIty and Philly, i'm nearly exactly halfway between them, in stroudsburg PA.

Anyways, yeah, everywhere I go, I use the highway, and we have a lot of junctions and routes that follow each other, and opposite, it's actually a pretty genius system. I can get anywhere in 25 minutes, however I live in the country from the looks of it hehe.

Anyways, I do, know, ALOT, about it. I was VERY concerned with the sound after I bought the car, and also, did a ton of research. Hours of reading. Etc etc. I've heard about it only when I've tried to find out about it, it's really not something that's talked about, and even a lot of ford tech's I've come across aren't even familiar with piston slap. It is truly, not a problem. Take it from me, someone who's had it for a damn long time. I even went so far to track down the original owner of my car, he said he knew all about it too. I was releaved. He told me about it, describing it, exactly, and, he said it started the day he bought the car, brand new, from ford.

Also, he said he took good care of it (he certainly did) and, just changed the oil, did good by the car, etc etc, it never gave him any trouble. He owned it for the first 5 years, and, not once did it sit in a garage, not, one time. Other than Oil, brakes, basic service. It went through one set of brakes, and one set of tires, then another person owned it for a little over a year, then, that person traded it in at a local chevy dealer, and, it sat there for 16 months in the showroom, on the "certified used" side of the dealership. I bought it in February. I have replaced the brakes, just pads and rotors, and the IAC. Nothing else has gone wrong. And I can assure you piston slap is not anything to worry about, also I recommend you get it checked and find out for sure, because I doubt you have it. And even if so, don't worry.

:SNSign:

 

[BurningRubber]

Mine doesnt, and its a Windsor model.

But my Jeep however, has to be one of THE loudest cases of piston slap ive ever heard. It has 160k on it and still runs strong by the way, I drive it just as hard as I drive the Mustang.

Its just part of the expansion cycle of the cold metals. Things are a little loose before they warm up, alot of it has to do with the type of pistons from my understanding. Some contract and expand more than others.