2018 GT low rpm engine rattle, cylinder damage pics, Ford buyback process

[D6tse]

It is piston slap, simple as that. Whether it’s meant to expand and be there or whether it doesn’t is a different matter. The fact of the matter is - can you live with something that sounds like an old wreck or not ‍

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[sebounet]

Mine today. It hurts everytime i hear it

 

[D6tse]

Yours seems more BBQ tick.. I had the orange fury too.. over here in the UK it’s not even discussed.. Brits aren’t used to owning Mustangs like you guys so think it’s ‘normal’. I took mine back to Ford and the head technician of 25 years looked me in the face and said ‘I’ll tell you now.. that noise should not be there, but we’ve had it on the new Bullit too and Ford will not do anything about it’. I traded it in after 10 days... I miss it but could not live with something that had no real explanation or meaning! All I had to hear was ‘5.0l’s all do this...’ anything. But when I came across this page I just had to get rid.. don’t get me wrong... I don’t think your cars will blow up and you look the Dogs nutts in one but knowing something ain’t right on a brand new car just doesn’t seem right... the only comfort I think you can all get is that they all seem to do it... that has to be some good right? What I couldn’t comprehend was having an exhaust that sounded like Thor and an engine that sounded like Peter Parker. Just didn’t add up :(

 

[GreenS550]

I've been watching this thread over the last many months. Several comments I have. And I have owned an 5.0 S550 that had engine problems, but it was due to the tune of the shop that didn't know what they were doing.

I now have an 18 and 19. And here are some comments I have. First of all these engines have four camshafts not one. They have independent cam timing and every one of those pieces in the engine make noise and move. I hear noises in my engine if I listen closely to it. A lot of that is simply normal. Also the way the engine runs which is very unique to the modular engines, creates exhaust noise that's fairly unique compared to say an LS or a hemi.

if you talk to old guys that own muscle cars from the 60s like me, header gasket leak and just some odd cam lift can actually sound like metal on metal when it's not.

The cool thing in my mind about these engines. They are unique, highly sophisticated and if you start focusing on every little issue with these cars you can get stressed out and not enjoy driving them. You've got a five-year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. Just drive the thing.
This is a world class class engine. And the only thing close to this would be a foreign car costing a multiple of your Mustang. GM and Mopar dream about an engine like this but they never invested the money. try 8000 RPM on any 8-cylinder engine other than a coyote or voodoo and good luck keeping the rods in the block.

 

[dn1984]

I've been watching this thread over the last many months. Several comments I have. And I have owned an 5.0 S550 that had engine problems, but it was due to the tune of the shop that didn't know what they were doing.

I now have an 18 and 19. And here are some comments I have. First of all these engines have four camshafts not one. They have independent cam timing and every one of those pieces in the engine make noise and move. I hear noises in my engine if I listen closely to it. A lot of that is simply normal. Also the way the engine runs which is very unique to the modular engines, creates exhaust noise that's fairly unique compared to say an LS or a hemi.

if you talk to old guys that own muscle cars from the 60s like me, header gasket leak and just some odd cam lift can actually sound like metal on metal when it's not.

The cool thing in my mind about these engines. They are unique, highly sophisticated and if you start focusing on every little issue with these cars you can get stressed out and not enjoy driving them. You've got a five-year 60,000 mile powertrain warranty. Just drive the thing.
This is a world class class engine. And the only thing close to this would be a foreign car costing a multiple of your Mustang. GM and Mopar dream about an engine like this but they never invested the money. try 8000 RPM on any 8-cylinder engine other than a coyote or voodoo and good luck keeping the rods in the block.

Exactly. One of the things these guys forget about also is that if it was an engine issue, they would have DRIVEABILITY issues long before the 60k mile warranty. Like, serious power degradation or complete loss of power. An engine doesn't just run perfectly fine except for some noise for 60k miles if it has an actual problem.

 

[djpheer]

Mine today. It hurts everytime i hear it

Yeah that is NOT the low RPM rattle we are talking about. thats a bbq tick.

 

[sebounet]

Yeah that is NOT the low RPM rattle we are talking about. thats a bbq tick.

I thought barebecue tick was only at idle and doesn t increase With rpm. I have also the 1700-2000 rpm rattle

 

[Pittpa]

Bigriver, I've been searching here for the sound that my 2019 GT makes. Your sound seems similar but hard to tell on my computer speakers. Mine is most obvious with light throttle in low 2000 RPM range, not while sitting still, not when off throttle or decelerating. It can be heard even at 60-70 MPH. Dealer said its normal, because other car (Bulitt)at dealer does same thing. (this was January 2020 and dealer was instructed by Ford to check another car for the noise, so I take it the dealer was not familiar with this noise) Would you mind looking at my video and see if it sounds like your car did?
EDIT-It seems most obvious from 15-30 seconds, but the road is wet from the snow we had in Pittsburgh today, so I may have to redo the video. I was at about 2,000 in first gear.

Hi Everyone

I have a 2018 GT premium, magnetic metallic, manual with PP, active valve, magneride and smart and safe. 1500 miles. Build date 11/16/2017 Flatrock Assembly Plant. I purchased the car on 3/27/18.

It's my first mustang and it already needs a new engine. I've had engine rattle from when I first purchased it. My original dealer said it was normal. Took it to a second dealer who replicated the rattle which happens under slight throttle from 2000-2500 rpm after shifting and the rattle stays constant when I hold rpm at 2200, loudest in 3rd gear. The noise diminishes a little when the engine is warm but you can still hear it. The rattle is loud enough where I am embarrassed to drive it.

Both the service tech and heavy line tech put the car on the rack and isolated the rattle to the engine. I asked them to check the clutch/driveline and they said this was not the issue.. Heavy line tech found damage to cylinders 5-8 from excessive piston slap. Pictures from borescope attached. The heavy line tech recommended a new engine replacement. Ford only approved a new short block.

UPDATE : Ford approved buyback under lemon law in California on 5/10/18. Worked with Ford Vehicle Reacquisition Department on a refund (started on 5/22/18). Approved the refund on 6/13/18. Refund received on 6/21/18. Loan payoff completed on 7/2/18.


While this OASIS note is for a GT350 (2018 GT uses the same spray bore liner as the GT350), it could be the cause of the noise I'm hearing based on the excessive piston slap that damaged the cylinders.

OASIS 2888-

Some 2016 GT350 Mustangs might exhibit Piston Rattle from Idle to 3000 RPM

Some 2016 Mustang GT350 equipped with the 5.2L engine may exhibit a rattle or rapping type sound during cold operation at light loads and speeds from idle-3000 rpm. The noise will be most noticeable during light acceleration in the 1500-3000 RPM range and may also be noticeable in the 800-1200 RPM range with neutral throttle blips. This sound is caused by the piston motion in the cylinder bore. This is an inherent characteristic of the forged aluminum pistons utilized in this high performance engine. Once the engine reaches operating temperature the noise will diminish, although it may still be noticeable even when fully warm. There are no durability concerns with this sound.

Here are a couple of videos of the noise. Sounds rather minor but it is rather loud when you drive on a quiet street. Pics of damaged cylinders are below the videos.





Pics of the damaged cylinders.

 

[sebounet]

Bigriver, I've been searching here for the sound that my 2019 GT makes. Your sound seems similar but hard to tell on my computer speakers. Mine is most obvious with light throttle in low 2000 RPM range, not while sitting still, not when off throttle or decelerating. It can be heard even at 60-70 MPH. Dealer said its normal, because other car (Bulitt)at dealer does same thing. (this was January 2020 and dealer was instructed by Ford to check another car for the noise, so I take it the dealer was not familiar with this noise) Would you mind looking at my video and see if it sounds like your car did?
EDIT-It seems most obvious from 15-30 seconds, but the road is wet from the snow we had in Pittsburgh today, so I may have to redo the video. I was at about 2,000 in first gear.

I have exactly the same noise. Light load around 2000 rpm give the same result. It strange that usually with closed windows I can hear it better. If i drop the top and obviously the weather is nice i hear it less. Because drive it harder make the passage around 2000 rpm quicker. When you know and have this noise you can spot it quickly even in your video that is not so obvious. I think most people that are not aware won t notice anything. On a wet road it s more difficult to spot it, because water splashing makes a kind of white noise close to the sound we are talking about

 

[GMONSTAH]

Bigriver, I've been searching here for the sound that my 2019 GT makes. Your sound seems similar but hard to tell on my computer speakers. Mine is most obvious with light throttle in low 2000 RPM range, not while sitting still, not when off throttle or decelerating. It can be heard even at 60-70 MPH. Dealer said its normal, because other car (Bulitt)at dealer does same thing. (this was January 2020 and dealer was instructed by Ford to check another car for the noise, so I take it the dealer was not familiar with this noise) Would you mind looking at my video and see if it sounds like your car did?
EDIT-It seems most obvious from 15-30 seconds, but the road is wet from the snow we had in Pittsburgh today, so I may have to redo the video. I was at about 2,000 in first gear.

Mine has the exact same noise. Two different dealers say "normal"...

 

[sebounet]

Normal for Ford. But really it s not a good sound for this kind of engine. The typewriter and this and epople that hear it think that you don t take care of your car. I hate those kind if sound and the Ford attitude

 

[GreenS550]

Suck this still exists. I had no 2k rattle/diesel sound until about 500 miles. I'm pretty sure I didn't notice it on the test drive or even early on and probably would have. The noise at first happening only when the car was cold but then pretty much all the time in 2nd gear 2k-2600rpm or so. Drove with the windows down which drowned it out a little bit but it was still annoying.

Sold the GT to Vroom only b/c I took almost no loss on the car and bought it at $8500K off MSRP. Otherwise I would have kept it and dealt with it I guess. Didn't seem to affect how the car drove but it was annoying hearing that sound at lowish speeds. A sound that didn't sound "right" but could have been harmless. Have had my '19 Camaro SS for 1yr now and not a single issue luckily. If you're buying a manual GT, you should do your research and know what to expect beforehand.

If I'm not mistaken yours was supercharged, correct? So, does your comment apply? It also had to be aftermarket tuned. Unless I am wrong.

 

[GreenS550]

I went back to a camaro also. while they can have issues also, none of my motors sounded like anything other then a V8. It socks on one hand because I think the mustang looks better, I had an Orange Fury also, but I couldn't take the noises .

That is because you are thinking of an old fashioned V-8 like from the late 50s or 60s. Your engine has 16, not 32 valves and 1 cam, not 4, and your car needs another whole liter of displacement to make the same power and your engine can only rev to 6,500 RPM.
Apples and oranges.

 

[Pittpa]

I'm quoting myself in order to add a short video that (hopefully) makes it easier to hear the noise for those that aren't familiar with it. This one is on a dry road, so no splash noise.

Bigriver, I've been searching here for the sound that my 2019 GT makes. Your sound seems similar but hard to tell on my computer speakers. Mine is most obvious with light throttle in low 2000 RPM range, not while sitting still, not when off throttle or decelerating. It can be heard even at 60-70 MPH. Dealer said its normal, because other car (Bulitt)at dealer does same thing. (this was January 2020 and dealer was instructed by Ford to check another car for the noise, so I take it the dealer was not familiar with this noise) Would you mind looking at my video and see if it sounds like your car did?
EDIT-It seems most obvious from 15-30 seconds, but the road is wet from the snow we had in Pittsburgh today, so I may have to redo the video. I was at about 2,000 in first gear.

 

[GMONSTAH]

I'm quoting myself in order to add a short video that (hopefully) makes it easier to hear the noise for those that aren't familiar with it. This one is on a dry road, so no splash noise.

Wow! That's exactly what I have, but it's not THAT loud. Maybe half that volume, but it's exactly the same noise at the same RPM.

It's actually going to the dealer I bought it from tomorrow for that noise and for the first oil change.

My guess is still transmission.

Two dealerships have told me "normal", but one lied because my dash cam caught them not doing anything other than a test drive. They claimed they put it on a lift to check out all sorts of things and didn't, so their opinion is tainted. I will certainly update this thread with the outcome.

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