Please help!! Engine tick in the new edge Mustang GT

Miss.GT

New Member
Jul 13, 2018
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Bradenton Fl
So I bought my car six months ago and it’s been running and driving great. It’s 2000 new edge Mustang GT. About a month and a half ago (roughly) it randomly started an obnoxious ticking noise. I’ve found this is a common problem among my model of stang. I’ve run seafoam, done a motor flush and oil change. Still hasn’t really done much of anything. The ticking is worst sound 1500-2000rpms. It will sometimes ago away once you get into a higher gear/rpms. So most people say it has to do with the lifter (hydraulic lash adjuster) becoming stuck becuz it isn’t getting lubricated. So naturally I would move to replace them however I was discussing it with another mustang owner and they said that it was a flaw within the engine itself and replacing the lifter wouldn’t make a difference. However this is the first time I’ve heard that it can’t be fixed without rebuilding the motor. So I’ve decided to ask the Mustang community. If you have any suggestions on how
 
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The problem is both answers could be right. The trick is to get an accurate diagnosis. Remember that it's rare for a lifter to just "go bad". Something usually "causes" a problem. IMO you are right to be concerned.

I have direct experience with this sort of thing. Consider that IF the timing chain guides wear all the way through, the guides can break. The debris can fall into the oil pan. The debris can block the oil pick up. This will lower the oil pressure. If bad enough this can starve the top end for oil thus ruining the cam towers.

How to trouble shoot? If this were my car I would get an oil filter cutter and cut the oil filter open. Inspect the filter element looking for any debris.

Pulling the valve covers will offer a way to inspect the timing chain guides. However the best method to inspect is to actually pull the front timing cover.

With the valve covers off it's easy to crack open one of the cam bearing cap to inspect the bearing surfaces. Once the cam towers are galled the heads are ruined.
 
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The problem is both answers could be right. The trick is to get an accurate diagnosis. Remember that it's rare for a lifter to just "go bad". Something usually "causes" a problem. IMO you are right to be concerned.

I have direct experience with this sort of thing. Consider that IF the timing chain guides wear all the way through, the guides can break. The debris can fall into the oil pan. The debris can block the oil pick up. This will lower the oil pressure. If bad enough this can starve the top end for oil thus ruining the cam towers.

How to trouble shoot? If this were my car I would get an oil filter cutter and cut the oil filter open. Inspect the filter element looking for any debris.

Pulling the valve covers will over a way to inspect the timing chain guides. However the best method to inspect is to actually pull the front timing cover.

With the valve covers off it's easy to crack open one of the cam bearing cap to inspect the bearing surfaces. Once the cam towers are galled the heads are ruined.


Firstly thanks for sharing your advice with me! I appreciate the reply, secondly I will try your suggestions and see if I can explore it more before I just go and throw lifters on there and waste my money. However you were saying that if the guides break that their debris can clog the oil. I was wondering tho then could the same concept be applied if I ran a very low amount of oil for a long time? Because I did check my oil after I discovered the ticking and it was very low, I have no way of telling how long it’s been like that because I don’t know the previous owners last oil change/fill. I should’ve checked the oil long ago but woe is me I did not. Epic fail there.
 
Running a motor low on oil can cause low oil pressure.

As far as the motor is concerned it doesn't matter the reason for low oil pressure (there are many), the effects are the same and are determined by:
  • How low is low.
  • How long was it allowed to continue
  • How much other wear is in the motor?
  • over all condition of the motor oil
Again the top end of the motor is the part that usually suffers first from low oil pressure. Inspecting one (or more) of the cam tower caps will answer the question if there has been damage.