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Dealer describes "Piston Slap" as a "Normal" characteristic of the 5.0 V8

Entreaken

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So I had my GT into the dealer yesterday for engine noise. I provided the bulleted information below to the dealer describing what I hear, when it occurs, the conditions for occurrence etc. The technician stated, "That the noise is normal and all GTs have them." When I asked what causes the noise, he specifically stated that it was "piston slap" and that "occurs with all 'high-performance' engines."

So when the dealer wrote up the ticket for the service visit, they first put, "[Tech] spoke with customer and salesman. Compared to 2 other new mustangs and it is a normal characteristic of the vehicle."

I asked them to rewrite the ticket to specifically state, "Noise described to customer as piston slap".

Ford then rewrote to state, "Lower end piston slap noise."

So this is a semantics game on my part, but "Lower end piston slap noise" is not quite the same as "Lower end piston noise described to the customer as piston slap."

Any thoughts on this?

When I look up articles discussing piston slap, they all tend to state that it is something that should be corrected by the dealer.

  • Starting approximately 1700 rpm, there is a “rapping” sound that can heard. It sounds almost like a hammer hitting a metal plate very rapidly.
  • Sound generally present around 2K rpm and when cold (i.e. not at full operating temperature), the sound can be heard up to almost 3K RPM.
  • Sounds like it is coming from the passenger side of the car.
  • Sound occurs when going from no throttle up to low throttle (about 1 quarter pedal movement).
  • Sound also occurs when coming down off the throttle and transitioning through the low throttle to no throttle.
  • I can make the sound at will, meaning if I hold “maintenance” throttle to maintain speed or adjust the throttle to a certain point, the sound can be heard.
  • The noise isn’t as apparent at higher throttles, but it can still be heard.
  • After the car has warmed up (that is, when at normal operating temperature) the sound it a bit more intermittent, meaning it sometimes does not seem as apparent, but other times it is present when at operating temperature in the noted rpm ranges.
  • Oil appears to be at the normal level on the dipstick.
  • Sound has been present when using either 87 octane or 93 octane with no apparent change in the sound.
  • The “rapping” noise as described began at just over 400 miles and was not present prior to then.
  • RPMs were kept relatively low (less than 5K) and was not redlined during the break-in period. (miles at drop-off were 1177.)
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Conman1138

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What you're describing sounds exactly like the "2K rattle", all Coyotes have it. I always thought it may be timing chain related, but there are a lot of theories. Just learn to ignore the sound and enjoy driving it! Also, look up the "typewriter tick", since you're bound to notice that one eventually, it's also normal!
 

cerbomark

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dump 1/3 bottle of ceratec for starters. see if it quiets down, you can use more FYI.
If you do have another dealer visit after that (for engine noise), I d change the oil once. So that s assuming it s the 2K rattle. I certainly would not want the dealer ripping into it at this point until you determine if it s the rattle or truly piston slap. Even then I don t know. report back.
 

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Pistons slap has been going on for decades on Gm engines and has not been detrimental to longevity
I had a 8.1 that sounded like a diesel when cold
 

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dump 1/3 bottle of ceratec for starters. see if it quiets down, you can use more FYI.
If you do have another dealer visit after that (for engine noise), I d change the oil once. So that s assuming it s the 2K rattle. I certainly would not want the dealer ripping into it at this point until you determine if it s the rattle or truly piston slap. Even then I don t know. report back.
I forgot to mention that I do have a bottle of ceratec in the engine and that did not change the noise or when it occurs. I'm planning to change the oil this weekend and get an oil analysis on that oil. I wouldn't want them to tear it apart if not needed. But I would like them to at least acknowledge in the write up that the noise is from piston slap (as the tech described it).
 
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Pistons slap has been going on for decades on Gm engines and has not been detrimental to longevity
I had a 8.1 that sounded like a diesel when cold
This is my first V8 so I'm getting used to what the engine sounds like. The noise was not present prior to 400 miles. However, I do acknowledge that it is colder now than when I got it in October.
 

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So Ive been there done that... i had a long 2k rattle post... it took Ford 3 months to fix. I got lucky and dealer heard the issue, but since your hopefully under warranty make sure no mods..go out blow it up and get new engine if they are going to be like that.
 
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So Ive been there done that... i had a long 2k rattle post... it took Ford 3 months to fix. I got lucky and dealer heard the issue, but since your hopefully under warranty make sure no mods..go out blow it up and get new engine if they are going to be like that.
Yeah, the dealer did hear the rapping and described it to me as piston slap. So they are aware and still called it "normal". I have asked them to revise the writeup to reflect what the tech stated and not be a generic write up. (They stated "noise is normal").
 

cerbomark

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I get the feeling yours is very loud???
 

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Yeah, the dealer did hear the rapping and described it to me as piston slap. So they are aware and still called it "normal". I have asked them to revise the writeup to reflect what the tech stated and not be a generic write up. (They stated "noise is normal").
blow it up... get new motor.. i would not have kept mine if they didn't replace the engine.
 

AZlb5.0

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PistĂłn slap in any application is not normal. Again Ford or the dealership is lying the groundwork to try and get out of any warranty work that require a new engine. I would get a second write from an independent mechanic or 2. That way you have your bases covered in case a catastrophic failure occurs.
 
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PistĂłn slap in any application is not normal. Again Ford or the dealership is lying the groundwork to try and get out of any warranty work that require a new engine. I would get a second written opinion from an independent mechanic or 2. That way you have your bases covered in case a catastrophic failure occurs.
Agreed! This is why I'm trying to get the write up corrected since that is what the tech stated. I plan to go to Ford (for what that is worth).
 
 




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