2018 GT engine rattle.

[cjldad]

Hi everyone, I probably chatted with some of you on youtube. I have a 2018 GT manual with 1500 miles. Noticed this noise from when I first bought the car which already had 500 miles on it. Original dealer said it was normal. Took it to a different dealer who replicated the noise which happens between 2000-2500 rpm and stays constant when I hold it at 2200 rpm. The heavy line tech dropped a scope and found cylinder damage to #5,6,7 and 8. No metal was found in the oil pan. He submitted a report to Ford recommending a full engine replacement. He believes it is from excessive piston slap. Now I'm just waiting for approval from Ford. It's been in the shop for almost two weeks now.

Here is my engine rattle. At 00:16 I hold the rpm at 2200.

Hey man, how's it going?
That's interesting that your tech was able to see damage... Would your noise ever go away once the engine was hot or was it there constantly?

Sponsored

 

[bigriver]

Hey man, how's it going?
That's interesting that your tech was able to see damage... Would your noise ever go away once the engine was hot or was it there constantly?

No it would always be there.

 

[cjldad]

No it would always be there.

Was it any worse cold? Or just stayed the same regardless of outside temp/engine temp?

 

[FISHTAIL]

Keep bugging them for the pics, I'd be really interested to see what he found. I have a scope, so I can compare notes. I also have a few friends with S550's that we can check wear patterns against if needed.

 

[FISHTAIL]

No it would always be there.

Well see, that's interesting. Typically piston slap reduces dramatically once parts come up to temp. Also, using IDS (at least if it's a single cylinder, which is far more typical) you can make the noise go away almost entirely by shutting down that cylinder.

It's odd that you have an entire bank that the tech didn't like the look of.

 

[bigriver]

Yeah it is really odd. The tech has never this kind of issue before. These guys move slow. I’m getting close to 3 weeks of time in the shop for this issue. By the time the engine gets here it will be over the 30 day mark.

 

[FISHTAIL]

So I didn't even notice this noise until [MENTION=34968]bigriver[/MENTION] posted his video and wouldn't you know my car does it too. It definitely is louder cold and once warm it is a lot more quiet.

Oddly there is no noise at idle in neutral and if I rev the engine and hold it at 2200 in neutral there is no noise. Also third gear is definitely when the "rattle" is loudest. I'm going to drive my buddies '18 GT A10 and see if his car does the same thing. Wouldn't the pistons slap even under no load?

Yes. And it should get quieter when warm. My car makes this sound also, but only in gear, and I can really only hear it in 1st and 2nd. After that, my exhaust is too loud for me to notice it. Dealership said it was trans related, as they were able to reproduce it.

 

[bigriver]

So I didn't even notice this noise until [MENTION=34968]bigriver[/MENTION] posted his video and wouldn't you know my car does it too. It definitely is louder cold and once warm it is a lot more quiet.

Oddly there is no noise at idle in neutral and if I rev the engine and hold it at 2200 in neutral there is no noise. Also third gear is definitely when the "rattle" is loudest. I'm going to drive my buddies '18 GT A10 and see if his car does the same thing. Wouldn't the pistons slap even under no load?

Yes, that's the same with mine. exactly the same.

 

[bigriver]

Was it any worse cold? Or just stayed the same regardless of outside temp/engine temp?

It was worse cold, but it's still there. I have a 40 mile commute and would hear it when I drove in my neighborhood as I got close to home.

 

[mjr1989]

Just wanted to chime in myself, mine does the exact same thing. Noise is most noticeable in 1st and 2nd gear, 2000-2500 RPM. Does not do it in neutral when revved up to that RPM. Does not do it in any other gears. Goes away when warmed up. Build date is 3/18. So odd. I really hope someone can figure this out. :shrug:

 

[FISHTAIL]

Just wanted to chime in myself, mine does the exact same thing. Noise is most noticeable in 1st and 2nd gear, 2000-2500 RPM. Does not do it in neutral when revved up to that RPM. Does not do it in any other gears. Goes away when warmed up. Build date is 3/18. So odd. I really hope someone can figure this out. :shrug:

This seems waaaay to common on the 18s to be an actual problem. I'd bet it has something to do with the DI system, or the dual mass flywheel or something. The sound on the 15-17's might sound similar, but is probably a different issue. I wouldn't think the odds of so many people with 18 mustangs hearing the same noise would be very good if it was a bad motor.

 

[GritzNGravy]

Just wanted to chime in myself, mine does the exact same thing. Noise is most noticeable in 1st and 2nd gear, 2000-2500 RPM. Does not do it in neutral when revved up to that RPM. Does not do it in any other gears. Goes away when warmed up. Build date is 3/18. So odd. I really hope someone can figure this out. :shrug:

Mine is a 16. It has had a similar noise since 500 miles. It slowly got louder and louder. Will not do it in neutral also. It started with 1st though 3rd gear at 2200 - 2800 rpm. Thought maybe it was my shifter so i put an MGW in. noise got way louder. Then I did BG Fluid, It got even louder. Now it does it in all gears. I had my car in the air and noise was coming from bell housing. There is an inspection hole/plug on drivers side of bell housing, noise was loudest from there.

I really was/still am thinking that my noise is from my tranny. Especially since everything I have done to the tranny had made it worse. My noise sounds just like some of the videos, but some being diagnosed as the engine has gotten me very worried. I did a compression check and every cylinder was 235+ psi. Oil change is due very soon so im gonna do a oil analysis just for peace of mind.

 

[FISHTAIL]

I checked my build date. February 26th for the engine. It's a pretty fresh engine. I just drove 12 miles each way at high way speeds, even took it up to 100 MPH in 4th gear.

Couple observations.

4th, 5th, 6th gear do not produce the rattle noise anywhere between the 1500-3000 RPM.

The car pulls so hard so could the engine have something wrong with it and still be making advertised power?

Once fully warm and getting off the freeway 1st 2nd and 3rd gear rattle is definitely quieter and hardly noticeable.

Putting pressure on the shifter towards the passenger side makes the rattle disappear in the lower gears.

I guess we'll see if Ford issues a TSB for the clutch set up. As of right now I still think it's something with the clutch/flywheel.

I haven't checked my engine build date yet, but same here with regards to the shifter noise. I can't make mine go away, but I can make it change pitch. I think it's something with the clutch/flywheel also.

 

[FISHTAIL]

So I took mine out again this evening to play with it. I haven't found a camera setup that does a good job capturing the noise, but I can definitely change the pitch of what I hear inside with the shifter. So whatever it is, it's carrying into the cabin via the shift linkage.

I'll try to find a way to get a good mic capture inside, then start mounting this camera around under the car/underhood to see if I can capture a good outside sound too. Might take me a bit though, I don't get lots of time to play most nights. I'll also see what I can do about stopping over at the local dealership to see if they'll let me take one around the parking lot. I can reproduce mine at like 15mph, so i'm hoping I won't get much pushback there.

 

[TheKuhb]

Hi everyone, I probably chatted with some of you on youtube. I have a 2018 GT manual with 1500 miles. Noticed this noise from when I first bought the car which already had 500 miles on it. Original dealer said it was normal. Took it to a different dealer who replicated the noise which happens between 2000-2500 rpm and stays constant when I hold it at 2200 rpm. The heavy line tech dropped a scope and found cylinder damage to #5,6,7 and 8. No metal was found in the oil pan. He submitted a report to Ford recommending a full engine replacement. He believes it is from excessive piston slap. Now I'm just waiting for approval from Ford. It's been in the shop for almost two weeks now.

Here is my engine rattle. At 00:16 I hold the rpm at 2200.

My exact noise. My 15 f150 4x4 was similar but made a rotational noise if the wheels spun with traction control on. Werid as it sounds the noise was amplified x10 if you kept light throttle during those conditions. Hard to explain. I just wish they would hurry up with my rav program on my 18. Have two cars out of 600 mile radius I'm looking at.

Sponsored