Ticking Noise

cyatesm04 said:

I have a 2004 3.9L Automatic V6 Mustang and I hear this ticking noise every time I start my car for about 20 seconds then it goes away. I have heard that it might be a Lifter so I tried running Sea Foam through it and I'm still not having any luck, so I tried a thicker oil, 10w-30, and its still doing this do you guys have any idea what it could be and if so what can I do to fix it? I also uploaded a video to youtube if you would like to listen to the sound it makes YouTube - Mustang Lifter Tick?

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Cyatesm04,

I've got an `04 w/ 3.9L with a manual tranny experiencing the exact same issue all the way down to the time duration during which its detectable at start. What have discovered thus far is that this appears to be related to a leak in the passenger exhaust manifold header. I haven't had time to pull it yet to check it out, however, based on feedback from a local shop they've commonly seen this to be the result of cracks in the header itself. Personally, I expect to find it to be an issue with the gasket. I would recommend backing off and re-tightening the bolts on your manifold header and see if that cleans up the leak. I'm finding this issue is more and more common as I research it. I hope this is of some help to you.


Thanks,
Carenath

+1 on above because it sounds like an very small exhaust leak to me as well.

Are there any DTC codes at all? Also could the be releated to the AIR injecting system? The AIR injection system is only active for a few seconds after initial start-up. The timing seems about right. Further, the exhaust manifold around the AIR injection is bad about rusting/cracking/leaking.

Come to find out this is actually a defect from ford. The ac condenser line drips on top of the header and it cracks from the sudden temp change. when the car first starts the metal is still cold and i believe the crack is bigger until it heats up and then it is barely noticeable. I installed a set of pacesetter shorty headers from summit...180 bucks. so far so good no ticks when it starts and a decent power gain. hope this helps you.