Mustang tick?

[ice445]

I'm actually going to switch to M1 0/30, for an even better 'compromise' . BUT the question is when. I'm at only 300 miles now. Does anybody know what kind of oil is the factory fill for GTs? My Bullitt has some GT350 parts, but assume it has the same oil as GTs. Not sure if it's a special 'break in' oil, or just the run of the mill semi-synthetic Motorcraft, and which grade. Does anybody know for a fact what it is? Thx.

Like many here, I was also thinking of changing it at 1K miles, but not set on that yet. I usually do it between 1K and 3K. On my 3.5EB truck, did it at 3K.

Factory fill is Motorcraft Synthetic Blend 5W20

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[Soulja4187]

Sounds normal to me. These engines are noisy. The camshaft phasers and variable valve timing system has different profiles for different engine states, and some of them seem to create more resonance and interesting sounds than others. Until there's a new noise that you haven't heard before, don't let it bother you.

I think this engine is quieter than my 2013 V6 Accord with VCT. When you opened the hood it was crazy loud but the car never gave me any issues.

 

[m3incorp]

I was at some friend's house the other day and they may a recording of when I left their home. My buddy called me up and said "hey I heard a ticking noise coming from your car before you left". Today I started the car and let it sit idling and dang if I didn't hear the tick loud and clear. Definitely from the engine and sounds like me back in the day on the old manual typewriter. I won't let it bother me, as the car has 4500 miles and plenty of warranty. Next time I'm near a dealer, I'll have them document but pretty sure they are going to say it is normal.

Edit. Added video

 

[Dfeeds]

The good ol' bbq tick. I had it when I ran 5w30, switched to 5w20 and it went away but I also had the oul a tinge overfilled. Did my last swap with the same 5w20 and the oil is in the middle of the hash marks and the tick returned. I'm going to try to top up and see if the tick goes away again.

 

[m3incorp]

I won't let the tick bother me. I have to run the 5w50 oil.

The good ol' bbq tick. I had it when I ran 5w30, switched to 5w20 and it went away but I also had the oul a tinge overfilled. Did my last swap with the same 5w20 and the oil is in the middle of the hash marks and the tick returned. I'm going to try to top up and see if the tick goes away again.

 

[Dfeeds]

I won't let the tick bother me. I have to run the 5w50 oil.

It doesn't bother me but if half a quart of oil is the difference between tick and no tick, then I'll use the half quart.

 

[Elp_jc]

Interesting to hear that oil level might be a cure. I always top off oil to the max, so hope that's it. Ha ha. By the way, the max mark is the upper hole folks, not the top of the hash-marks, as an FYI. My car was at the top of the hash-marks when I picked it up with 66 miles on the clock. It's still pretty close with 500 miles, so happy that at least I didn't get an oil drinker . But we'll see how much it drinks in 1K miles.

 

[Cobra Jet]

If I had a dollar for every Mustang tick thread on this forum.

^^^ same here...

Not sure why the Mods don’t have this “sticky” also stickied in this forum, but it sure would cut down on all the tick threads...

Ford’s Official Response for the 5.0 “tick”:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...iter-tick”-is-a-normal-characteristic.116925/

 

[Rapid Red]

^^^ same here...

Not sure why the Mods don’t have this “sticky” also stickied in this forum, but it sure would cut down on all the tick threads...

Ford’s Official Response for the 5.0 “tick”:
https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/th...iter-tick”-is-a-normal-characteristic.116925/

What tick ...............LMAO a sticky for the ticky

 

[Rapid Red]

Interesting to hear that oil level might be a cure. I always top off oil to the max, so hope that's it. Ha ha. By the way, the max mark is the upper hole folks, not the top of the hash-marks, as an FYI. My car was at the top of the hash-marks when I picked it up with 66 miles on the clock. It's still pretty close with 500 miles, so happy that at least I didn't get an oil drinker . But we'll see how much it drinks in 1K miles.

Try reading the manual regarding the possible oil consumption for the first. 1k> 3k

 

[Dfeeds]

To anyone curious, if any, half a quart did end up curing my tick.

 

[m3incorp]

I don't mind the noise and it sounds like the 2k rattle is different than the fuel injector related sounds...but is this extra oil people are adding putting in your engines, bringing it to the overfilled area? From my many years, I've always been told that too much oil is way worst to an engine than a slightly lower level would be.

 

[Elp_jc]

Try reading the manual regarding the possible oil consumption for the first. 1k> 3k

No need to 'try'. I did. Now I don't have to wonder if it'd go away at 1K, 3K, 5K, or even 10K miles. Many never stop.

I've always been told that too much oil is way worst to an engine than a slightly lower level would be.

If you top it off to the dot, you wouldn't be overfilling anything . But yes, you don't want to overfill it... although just a little bit, wouldn't hurt anything. Having said that, after the possibility of eliminating the tick (or knock, rather), it wouldn't hurt to top it off to the max. Besides, if your engine is consuming oil, you don't have to worry about getting low on oil during a trip. I always top off my vehicles to the max, but to each his own.

 

[Elp_jc]

My first oil change, at 1k miles, is going to be 5W50 straight away. My first engine, I let Ford change it (it was free) and they put in the typical 5W20. The noises were immediate.

Why don't you try 0/40 first? That's what Porsches and many other performance engines call for. And also starts lubricating quicker when cold than 5/50. Unless it's a track car, 5/50 is too thick at operating temperature for street use, and might not lubricate the cam phasers properly. At least the exhaust ones (Borg Warner) use oil pressure to function. I'm going to start with 0/30 at 1K miles, and see what happens. And keep going up if needed, but I wouldn't like having to go above 0/40, since I drive a little aggressive, but don't really plan to hammer the engine hard except in a few occasions. Plus besides getting into the 100Fs here in hot TX for months, it also gets in the 40Fs (and even 30s) for months too, so even 0/40 might be a bit much. Anyway, no tick yet, which is great, but only 800 miles now. Maybe with better lubrication my engine won't get it, but want to at least try . Plus less wear at start-up is ALWAYS good , so never a drawback when using 0 vs 5. That's also why I'm going to do it at 1K. Getting all the assembly and break-in crap out of there is just a bonus.

5W50 makes sense for track oriented use, but not for daily use. It will take much longer to get to the valvetrain than a thinner oil, especially at colder temperatures.

Just as an FYI, 5W-50 and 5W-20 should take the same time to get to the valvetrain. Why? Because both are 5W, which is the viscosity when cold. For quicker lubrication at any temperature (even 100F) than a 5W, you need a 0W, which is exactly why I'm switching to M1 0/30 at 1K miles. Getting the assembly and break-in crap is secondary. Hopefully that will prevent both the tick and cam phaser issues down the road.

Factory fill is Motorcraft Synthetic Blend 5W20

Yeah, I know that's what Ford says. But I REALLY doubt it . They know of the ticking problem. They must use a 'break-in' oil, or add something to it (like that Ceratec stuff I don't want to use. Ha ha), so engines don't thick before customers buy the cars. Makes no sense using a full synthetic 5/20 brings the tick immediately in some cases; Don't you think? But thank you for your help anyway .

I won't let it bother me, as the car has 4500 miles and plenty of warranty. Next time I'm near a dealer, I'll have them document but pretty sure they are going to say it is normal.

Just heard it, and even as anal as I am, that super mild tick wouldn't worry me either. Hopefully it won't get any worse . It's the mildest I've heard for sure.

Hey gang, as a final comment, found the article linked below on the Coyote pistons. Not sure if Ford uses those JE pistons (couldn't find ANY info after searching google for an hour) or not. It might be just an ad for aftermarket modifications. Does anybody know exactly which pistons Ford use? I ask because I've seen mentioned several times that the tick might be piston slap. In order to be hot piston slap, cold piston slap has to be much more pronounced, and I don't think it is. And if Ford uses those pistons, I'd immediately discard that theory based on the deep skirt with that special coating, which was especially made to compensate any tolerance issue. Plus the tolerances are quite tight, to be hot piston slap IMO. The tick is either bearing issues (detrimental over time), or rod knock (supposedly not), but they sound pretty much the same until the former starts getting worse, like the video of the eventual engine failure. That's why I hope my car never makes it; don't want to wonder which one it is. Ha ha. Anyway, here's the article: https://www.jepistons.com/blog/introducing-jes-2018-ford-coyote-5.0l-pistons

 

[ice445]

Why don't you try 0/40 first? That's what Porsches and many other performance engines call for. And also starts lubricating quicker when cold than 5/50. Unless it's a track car, 5/50 is too thick at operating temperature for street use, and might not lubricate the cam phasers properly. At least the exhaust ones (Borg Warner) use oil pressure to function. I'm going to start with 0/30 at 1K miles, and see what happens. And keep going up if needed, but I wouldn't like having to go above 0/40, since I drive a little aggressive, but don't really plan to hammer the engine hard except in a few occasions. Plus besides getting into the 100Fs here in hot TX for months, it also gets in the 40Fs (and even 30s) for months too, so even 0/40 might be a bit much. Anyway, no tick yet, which is great, but only 800 miles now. Maybe with better lubrication my engine won't get it, but want to at least try . Plus less wear at start-up is ALWAYS good , so never a drawback when using 0 vs 5. That's also why I'm going to do it at 1K. Getting all the assembly and break-in crap out of there is just a bonus.


Just as an FYI, 5W-50 and 5W-20 should take the same time to get to the valvetrain. Why? Because both are 5W, which is the viscosity when cold. For quicker lubrication at any temperature (even 100F) than a 5W, you need a 0W, which is exactly why I'm switching to M1 0/30 at 1K miles. Getting the assembly and break-in crap is secondary. Hopefully that will prevent both the tick and cam phaser issues down the road.


Yeah, I know that's what Ford says. But I REALLY doubt it . They know of the ticking problem. They must use a 'break-in' oil, or add something to it (like that Ceratec stuff I don't want to use. Ha ha), so engines don't thick before customers buy the cars. Makes no sense using a full synthetic 5/20 brings the tick immediately in some cases; Don't you think? But thank you for your help anyway .


Just heard it, and even as anal as I am, that super mild tick wouldn't worry me either. Hopefully it won't get any worse . It's the mildest I've heard for sure.

Hey gang, as a final comment, found the article linked below on the Coyote pistons. Not sure if Ford uses those JE pistons (couldn't find ANY info after searching google for an hour) or not. It might be just an ad for aftermarket modifications. Does anybody know exactly which pistons Ford use? I ask because I've seen mentioned several times that the tick might be piston slap. In order to be hot piston slap, cold piston slap has to be much more pronounced, and I don't think it is. And if Ford uses those pistons, I'd immediately discard that theory based on the deep skirt with that special coating, which was especially made to compensate any tolerance issue. Plus the tolerances are quite tight, to be hot piston slap IMO. The tick is either bearing issues (detrimental over time), or rod knock (supposedly not), but they sound pretty much the same until the former starts getting worse, like the video of the eventual engine failure. That's why I hope my car never makes it; don't want to wonder which one it is. Ha ha. Anyway, here's the article: https://www.jepistons.com/blog/introducing-jes-2018-ford-coyote-5.0l-pistons

That's a common misconception. The "5W" is a winter rating and that's it. That's what the W stands for. It's really only relevant when comparing an oil's performance at 0 degrees of F or below. The second number relates to the viscosity at 100C/212F. Viscosity can only be a range, not absolutes at both ends of the temperature spectrum, so an oil that has more viscosity when hot will also have more when cold, there's no way around it. For that same reason, a better winter rating usually means some loss of viscosity at the top end, even though it's usually slight. So a 5W50 is gonna be much thicker at startup than a 5W20.

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