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

[LightningBlueGT]

My engine build date is February 26th 2018 and I have the rattle.

2/27 for me. No rattle.......yet. Only 300 miles on her though.

Sponsored

 

[BladeGT]

I think the only way I'm going to find peace of mind that my engine is okay is to take it in and have them look at it. Bigriver, what all did you present to them to convince them to look at your engine? Anything i should particularly request? What test did they do to actually pinpoint the problem was it the borescope?

 

[bigriver]

I think the only way I'm going to find peace of mind that my engine is okay is to take it in and have them look at it. Bigriver, what all did you present to them to convince them to look at your engine? Anything i should particularly request? What test did they do to actually pinpoint the problem was it the borescope?

I recorded a video driving from complete stop and rpm under 3000. I was hearing the rattle the loudest in third gear at 2200 rpm where I could keep the rattle constant so it could clearly be heard in the video. I then uploaded the video to youtube and sent the link to the service advisor. Both of my videos are in the first post. If you don't have time, you can send them the links to my videos and say that is the noise you are hearing. then say that my engine was diagnosed by road test and up on the rack. You may want to show them the pictures of the damage to my cylinders. The pictures were taken with a Snapon borescope video camera. If they tell you it's normal without putting it up on the rack and trying to duplicate the noise, then say you will be very upset if you take it to another dealer and they are able to duplicate the noise and potentially find something. Hope this helps.

 

[bigriver]

I may have asked you this already but did your car do the rattle if you just revved it in neutral?

No rattle in neutral.

 

[BladeGT]

No rattle in neutral.

that's interesting cuz I can get the rattle in neutral as well as under load.

 

[bigriver]

that's interesting cuz I can get the rattle in neutral as well as under load.

Can you make a video of the rattle in neutral and when driving?

 

[cthomas5714]

I’m a little confused at the fact that almost all of the 2018s have this noise but only one or two have reported cylinder liner damage. I’m almost tempted to just always drive it like I stole it and see if the noise is indeed the cause of the damage at say 20k miles instead of the 4K I have now. I’ve had this noise since I purchased the car with 5 miles on it and it definitely is the loudest at 2200 rpms. It was one of the first things I noticed with the car but the dealer always said “Oh that’s the new dual injection system swapping back and forth. It’s totally normal.”

 

[bigriver]

I’m a little confused at the fact that almost all of the 2018s have this noise but only one or two have reported cylinder liner damage. I’m almost tempted to just always drive it like I stole it and see if the noise is indeed the cause of the damage at say 20k miles instead of the 4K I have now. I’ve had this noise since I purchased the car with 5 miles on it and it definitely is the loudest at 2200 rpms. It was one of the first things I noticed with the car but the dealer always said “Oh that’s the new dual injection system swapping back and forth. It’s totally normal.”

It is probably normal in most cases but my rattle was loud enough that I couldn't accept it as normal. Especially since I could still hear it after the engine was fully warm. The dealer that I have it at has a technician that only works on Mustangs and he didn't think it was normal and recommended the heavy line tech to take a look. Heavy line tech also consulted with Ford Hot Line and was advised to use the borescope.

 

[88lx50]

I’m a little confused at the fact that almost all of the 2018s have this noise but only one or two have reported cylinder liner damage. I’m almost tempted to just always drive it like I stole it and see if the noise is indeed the cause of the damage at say 20k miles instead of the 4K I have now. I’ve had this noise since I purchased the car with 5 miles on it and it definitely is the loudest at 2200 rpms. It was one of the first things I noticed with the car but the dealer always said “Oh that’s the new dual injection system swapping back and forth. It’s totally normal.”

I don't think they all have it.

 

[youra6]

No rattle in neutral.

That's interesting, I will have to drive my Mustang tonight because IIRC (based off memory) I get the rattle even in neutral as well.

 

[Lost]

Just heard of another 2018 GT that needs a new engine for piston slap that was confirmed and Ford approved replacement.

Here is the conversation on my youtube channel in the comments section

Was there any loss of performance, or oil smoke to go along with the rattle?

 

[bigriver]

Was there any loss of performance, or oil smoke to go along with the rattle?

Nope. Everything worked fine and no symptoms other than the rattle. I've had DI/HPFP cars before so I'm used to the clicking and chattering sounds. But the rattle was loud enough to make me uncomfortable. The actually rattle I hear when driving with my windows down is much worse than what is picked up in the video.

 

[GT Pony]

It is probably normal in most cases but my rattle was loud enough that I couldn't accept it as normal. Especially since I could still hear it after the engine was fully warm. The dealer that I have it at has a technician that only works on Mustangs and he didn't think it was normal and recommended the heavy line tech to take a look. Heavy line tech also consulted with Ford Hot Line and was advised to use the borescope.

Looks like the piston to cylinder clearance was out of spec based on you photos of the cylinder scrapes. I'm suspecting the shop sent the whole block back and didn't tear it down to verify piston to cylinder clearances?

You'll probably never hear from Ford on their tear down analysis if the shop sent it back to Ford for a tear down.

 

[bigriver]

Looks like the piston to cylinder clearance was out of spec based on you photos of the cylinder scrapes. I'm suspecting the shop sent the whole block back and didn't tear it down to verify piston to cylinder clearances?

You'll probably never hear from Ford on their tear down analysis if the shop sent it back to Ford for a tear down.

The shop is supposed to start the reinstall tomorrow. Yeah, I don't think they'll do any of that since it doesn't matter to them. But I can ask the heavy line tech tomorrow.

 

[Lost]

The shop is supposed to start the reinstall tomorrow. Yeah, I don't think they'll do any of that since it doesn't matter to them. But I can ask the heavy line tech tomorrow.

The short block assembly does NOT include the heads, correct? If so, they are going to install your heads on the new short block. You should be able to really check out those bores visually at least. Get lots of pics! Bring a good camera.

Sponsored