Ticking Head Questions

760-MPH · Dec 26, 2003

I have the infamous drivers side ticking head. From what "research" i have done, everyone says that there is no performance difference. The dealership has ordered me a new head and they acknowledge the fact that it ticks.

What i Do know:
*Ford replaced the head on my friends 03 cobra and the ticking got louder

*Someone with a mach 1 drivers side head just blew and he had the tick but no connection has been made *yet*

What i Don't know:
*are they putting a 03 mach 1 head on or an 04 mach 1 head. supposedly the late model 03's and 04 heads have different exhaust port.
1-is there anyway i can find out which head is going on? The ford dealership is just saying its a mach 1 head and they have no way to find out when it was built. My car was built on 7/31/03 and i don't want another 03 head.

*The competance of the dealership. How hard is a head install?

Sorry for all the questions, i just don't know if i should let it go and if something happens i have it documented that i have the tick or wait until Ford actually releases another fix.
What would you guys do?

nickthegenius · Dec 26, 2003

I don't really have any other info, but just wondering why you would want mis-matched heads? If correct and not a all-too-common Mustang urban legend, the '04 head might be better, but if they revised the exhaust port then it may flow better/worse. I don't think that would be a good idea myself

760-MPH said:
I have the infamous drivers side ticking head. From what "research" i have done, everyone says that there is no performance difference. The dealership has ordered me a new head and they acknowledge the fact that it ticks.

What i Do know:
*Ford replaced the head on my friends 03 cobra and the ticking got louder

*Someone with a mach 1 drivers side head just blew and he had the tick but no connection has been made *yet*

What i Don't know:
*are they putting a 03 mach 1 head on or an 04 mach 1 head. supposedly the late model 03's and 04 heads have different exhaust port.
1-is there anyway i can find out which head is going on? The ford dealership is just saying its a mach 1 head and they have no way to find out when it was built. My car was built on 7/31/03 and i don't want another 03 head.

*The competance of the dealership. How hard is a head install?

Sorry for all the questions, i just don't know if i should let it go and if something happens i have it documented that i have the tick or wait until Ford actually releases another fix.
What would you guys do?

760-MPH · Dec 26, 2003

yeah that's another thing i was thinking about myself. supposedly if they put another 03 mach 1 head on there is a good chance it will have the tick

if they put an 04, i probably won't have the tick but will have an 03 & 04 mach 1 heads.

thanks for your opinion, i keep going back and forth on what to do

TR03Mach1 · Dec 26, 2003

Sounds like quite a dilemma there Sam. Personally, I'd run the snot out of it before the warranty is up, and see if it breaks. That has it's downside too, you could wind up stranded somewhere and have to be towed home. Why does that sound familiar??

Completely off the topic, but is anything going on tonight, or is everyone waiting until tomorrow??

vipergts281 · Dec 26, 2003

TR03Mach1 said:
Sounds like quite a dilemma there Sam. Personally, I'd run the snot out of it before the warranty is up, and see if it breaks. That has it's downside too, you could wind up stranded somewhere and have to be towed home. Why does that sound familiar??

Completely off the topic, but is anything going on tonight, or is everyone waiting until tomorrow??

Not funny Jim.

I am about to hop in the shower and then I will be headed out somewhere. Not sure where, but I need to get out and drive.

snoopy98 · Dec 26, 2003

i would

drive it till it really started acting up then change it. but that just my opinion. what do you mean is their anything going on tonight???

vipergts281 · Dec 26, 2003

snoopy98 said:
what do you mean is their anything going on tonight???

We are all good friends and hangout all of the time. Get in your car now and head up to DE. You might just make it in time for tomorrows cruise.

TR03Mach1 · Dec 26, 2003

vipergts281 said:
Not funny Jim.

I am about to hop in the shower and then I will be headed out somewhere. Not sure where, but I need to get out and drive.

Well I've already been down to Dover and back! If you happen to be driving this way, stop on in!!

760-MPH · Dec 27, 2003

whose all good friends?

vipergts281 · Dec 27, 2003

760-MPH said:
whose all good friends?

Not you and I. I'm gonna start hanging out with my "non car friends".

And Abe and I are going to go pick up chicks. 9:30-ish they seem to all get off work at Grotto's.

Btw non friend, I found a place were "certain" people seem to hang out. Think VW Jetta.

ADRENLN · Dec 27, 2003

will this tick effect the car in any negitive mannor? i think i have it also but im not sure. its driver side and sounds like its comming from the wheel well, not too loud though. anyway if it is not going to do any damage to the cat then i don't give a crap enough to get it changed. does it do any damage?

Saleen201 · Dec 27, 2003

Sam,

Well, you just got the car and have plenty of time left on the warrenty. My best advice would be to make sure you document everything (sounds like you are doing that already) and keep all dealership reciepts. Just drive the car like you normaly do, if it breaks the dealer will give you a rental. The rental may suck, but what else are you going to do?

Changing heads is a pretty involved job, i would think even more so on the 4v engines. If you do the work yourself or get somebody else (other than a dealer) to do it, they might void your warrenty.

Good luck with the car.

-Mike

Saleen201 · Dec 27, 2003

vipergts281 said:
And Abe and I are going to go pick up chicks. 9:30-ish they seem to all get off work at Grotto's.

What happened to you and the guy at the Mercedes dealer done with him already

vipergts281 · Dec 27, 2003

Saleen201 said:
What happened to you and the guy at the Mercedes dealer done with him already

Yeah, he wasn't worth my troubles.

ADRENLN- I'm not sure if it has any negative affect on your car. If you think you have it, I'd suggest taking it in to Ford and atleast make them aware of it....just in case something happens down the road.

neoclasiccl · Dec 27, 2003

I went to the shop today to inspect the car. I am having the driver's side head changed for the tick issue. The motor is laying on the floor of the shop and they are waiting on a head gasket that is taking forever to get. It's a very involved job and I hope to have the car back mon or tues.

vipergts281 · Dec 27, 2003

neoclasiccl said:
I went to the shop today to inspect the car. I am having the driver's side head changed for the tick issue. The motor is laying on the floor of the shop and they are waiting on a head gasket that is taking forever to get. It's a very involved job and I hope to have the car back mon or tues.

Sorry to hear that. The dealer told 760 MPH that they can do it in a day. I think that is rushing it.

stallion98gt · Dec 27, 2003

neoclasiccl said:
I went to the shop today to inspect the car. I am having the driver's side head changed for the tick issue. The motor is laying on the floor of the shop and they are waiting on a head gasket that is taking forever to get. It's a very involved job and I hope to have the car back mon or tues.

dang..wassup with all those new cars having issues ?... 03 Mach 1, 03 cobra...and I'm not even refering to all those GTs...hopefully they will fix everything for 2004..

760-MPH · Dec 27, 2003

do you know which head they are replacing it with NEO? like an 03 or an 04?
i am going to call SVT on monday to see if they can tell me what head they shipped out (yes my new head came from SVT)

xenon · Dec 27, 2003

I had the tick also but I never really cared... that was untill it was getting louder and louder every week. I finaly took it to the dealer and they said cylinder #8 lost all compression. So I got a new longblock for free. That was just before i was putting the s/c on.. talk about luck!

neoclasiccl · Dec 27, 2003

760-MPH said:
do you know which head they are replacing it with NEO? like an 03 or an 04?
i am going to call SVT on monday to see if they can tell me what head they shipped out (yes my new head came from SVT)

It's the head with the blue stripe on it which are the same ones that are on the 04's

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