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Who has "the tick"?

Who has "the tick"?

39K views 113 replies 55 participants last post by  TwinTurbo6.4 
#1 ·
I was curious as to how many people have the tick in their engines. I had mine at ford, and got that TSB stating that it is a normal condition, present on all diesel engines, blah blah blah... I was just curious so I thought I would take a poll.
 
#77 ·
I see a lot of Tow Vehicles in here at Bushtracker.... Fords, GMCs, Silverados, Dodges, Toyotas, Nissans, all kinds. There is an injector noise you hear once in a while on a lot of vehicles. For some reason, it does come and go. It sounds like a tappet loose on the rocker arm of an old gasser..

This injector noise is just engine chatter, and in mnay of my vehicles it comes and goes with the fuel quality and oil quality. I have personally owned two KR F-350s, an IDI 7.3, another PSD 7.3, a 2500 HD and 3500 HD Silverados as Bushtracker tow vehicles over the past ten years and it may be what you are worried about...... Injector noise.... Maybe that is the tick in most of your vehicles, not an engine knock like some are talking about, but a tick like a valve clearance tappet... :nod:
 
#78 ·
My truck had it's first oil change at TWELVE miles, and it's ticked ever since then, i can only assume it started ticking then, or it's done it since mile one. Got 27k miles on it now

As for the water in the HFCM thing making the noise posted above? That's a crock of ****.
 
#79 ·
Is this "tick" you guys talking about only at idle? My 2008 SD 6.4 "pings" when I'm on the throttle or even going down the road. My previous one never done that.. My dmax had a similar sound when I put a tuner on it and was cold. My Ford is completely stock.
 
#82 ·
I just posted a new thread asking about this. I shoulda searched first i guess


Ok, Im gettin ready to buy a truck. They told me they thought it was a wrist pin or bent rod. it DOES NOT tick until the truck is warmed up .then, it ticks. gets louder when you rev it up in neutral. now they say they think its the injector. truck has 14k miles on it and they just changed the oil. they are willing to knock off 2 grand on the truck because of the ticking. should I be worried and not buy, or take them the cash asap?. I could possibly get a video of it runnnig if that would help.
 
#84 ·
* 6.4L DIESEL ENGINE TICKING / TAPPING NOISE



ISSUE:

Some 2008 F-Super Duty 250-550 vehicles equipped with a 6.4L diesel engines may exhibit a random engine ticking / tapping noise that is most noticeable when engine coolant temperature is 185 degrees F (85 degrees C) or higher and from base idle to approximately 1500 RPM. Some customers may complain that this noise becomes more evident after 3000-5000 miles have accumulated on the vehicle or after an engine oil change.
ACTION:

Follow the Service Information.
SERVICE INFORMATION

The ticking / tapping noise is most noticeable at the rear of the driver's side front wheel well. 6.4L Powerstroke Diesel engines exhibit this normal audible condition (some engines will exhibit greater audible noise due to engine build variations). 6.4L Powerstroke Diesel engines are manufactured to tight tolerances in order to meet strict durability and reliability standards.

This noise is caused by the relationship between engine block, crankshaft journals, bearing inserts and oil viscosity / film. This relationship allows a pulsation that resonates through the cylinder block and is heard as a metallic ticking noise. This condition is present on all diesel engines.

Technological improvements and overall noise reduction in today's diesel engines make this issue seem new when in fact it was masked by other noises on previous engines. Other engine manufacturers report similar conditions in their diesel engines. Vehicle testing and engine tear down analysis have confirmed this condition will not effect reliability or long term durability of this engine.

Dealers should not attempt to perform vehicle to vehicle noise comparisons. This may lead to incorrect conclusions and ineffective repairs.


NOTE: DO NOT ATTEMPT REPAIRS FOR THIS NORMAL NOISE CONDITION. REPLACING THE ENGINE OR INTERNAL COMPONENTS WILL NOT REDUCE OR ELIMINATE THE TICKING / TAPPING NOISE. PLEASE PROVIDE THIS BULLETIN TO CUSTOMERS THAT INQUIRE ABOUT THIS CONDITION.

[/QUOTE]

Seems right to me... Unless you have some other noise you are talking about...
 
#85 ·
got the 1200-1500rpm tick 09-f350 5800 miles. now that the weather is nice and i drive with the windows down and can hear it.:doh:
 
#86 ·
Ill be posting a sound clip or video of mine ticking. Im not convinced that its nothin minor yet. Ill let you guys be the judge of that. It would be helpful too if some of you could post up some sound bites of yours ticking. Thanks!
 
#88 ·
Yes!! and I love it! I get around 40 mpg and its just easy to jump in a go across town if i need to.

 
#90 ·
My 08 started the ticking noise right after a oil change last Saturday. If I hadn't seen this thread a couple months ago I would have freaked out. Drove it 140 miles on Easter and the tick is gone. 14,000 miles on mine. Tick was at idle and low RPM for me. I say BS that we notice it becasue the 6.4 is quiet. My previous diesel was a 7.3 and I would have heard this tick over the normal 7.3 noise. I guarantee my 7.3 didn't have this tick.
 
#91 ·
It must be a normal characteristic of these motors. So many of us hear it, that if it was indeed a problem you would think it would be widely known by now IMO.
 
#92 ·
Don't know if this has been said already, but I would guess the ticking noise is just simple injector operation. Basically they're just 8 glorified solenoids in these engines. Don't know about the 6.4 tho... did they start using piezo type injectors for those?
 
#93 ·


 
#94 ·
That tick is DEFINITELY NOT normal, and definitely not good. I hate to say that, but that is not at all the "normal" far quieter tick most of us hear. Sorry to say, but that sounds like a bottom end engine knock to me :sad:
 
#96 ·
Yea, ditto what they said... You have another more serious problem there than just the Oil Gallery Ping that they call "The Tick"....

You could have a serious clunk, like a bent rod or something. First though I would have it put on an IDS system at a Ford Dealer, and see the run and power from each injector and cylinder, incase it is just a dead hole from a bad injector or something...

But it does sound grim...
 
#97 ·
To chime in on the subject.

I got the tick after my first oil change like many on here back in early 08. Changed it 1000 Miles the first time, at 5k and every 5k after that.

I get the tick after every oil Change. Mine doesn't do it when it's cold, only after it's warmed up. What I have noticed is after I have about a 1000 or so miles on the oil change it goes away, and doesn't come back until the next oil change. I take several trips from Iowa to back home (Nashville,TN) every year, if I have the tick when I leave it's not there when I get to TN, heck it's gone by the time I get to St. Louis and doesn't come back until the next oil change.

I have tried hammering on the truck after an oil change, and it did take the tick away, but only temporarly, it comes back, but like I said once I get about 1000 miles or so on the change it stops... I do find it interesting that it continues to stop at that point after every change.

I have right at 30k on the truck now and no problems, runs like a champ with spartan tuning... I kinda of think this is just a normal sound, but with it stopping after some miles makes me wonder...I have come to accept it. Not saying I like it, I am thankful it still goes away. If its not going away for you guys between changes I feel for you, it would drive me nuts.

If I can remember do it, I am going to do some video of my truck before my next oil change, which is coming up this or next weekend. Video it idling cold, and then when it's warm, and driving. It's not doing it right now

Then after I change the oil and start the truck, and when it starts to warm up, there's the tick - see if it's the same thing the rest of you guys are hearing.
 
#106 ·
I get the tick after every oil Change. Mine doesn't do it when it's cold, only after it's warmed up. What I have noticed is after I have about a 1000 or so miles on the oil change it goes away, and doesn't come back until the next oil change. Then after I change the oil and start the truck, and when it starts to warm up, there's the tick - see if it's the same thing the rest of you guys are hearing.
That is exactly what mine did and continues to do every oil change. It's not a steady ticking, like Black Beauty has. It's more of a random tick, like a ball in a spray paint can that gets more frequent as the RPM's increase.
 
#98 ·
Black Beauty, one thing you could check yourself, is the amount of blowby your engine makes.

Now, I have noticed that my 6.4 makes quite a bit of blowby normally, although the amount it makes would make you think it isn't normal. I have also checked my friends '09 6.4, and his makes almost as much as mine. So if you take the oil cap off, and see smoke just blasting out of the fill hole, that could give you some indication of a compression issue. Lay the oil cap loosely in the fill port, and see if there is enough to blow the cap off of the fill port. This may give you some idea anyways :dunno:
 
#100 ·
So if it does blow the cap off what would that mean? Some days its a much louder tick/knock then others. The truck has plenty of power, although, its always done this since ive had it so I dont know how much power a normal 6.4 has. It doesnt blow blue smoke, run bad or nothin. Ive drove it for about 500 miles since I bought it. the dealer I bought it from had takin this motor out of another superduty and he said it ran just fine. They used it to pull a trailer. then that motor was stuck in my truck now. Its startin to be a head ache, not knowin what the deal is......

That is definately not normal, It sounds like it might be an injector, but video is hard to determine. definately sounds like there is something with a cylinder out. by the looks of your previous post. I would look to your local dealer to find out what oasis has on your VIN as far as warranty. Why was the title reconstructed anyway?
Not sure. All i know is that the truck was a theft recovery. the motor is out of one truck. the cab is from another, the chassy is from another and the bed is from yet another truck....I just wanted a 6.4 bad and this was the only way I could afford one. Ill post pics of it once I finish it.
 
#99 ·
That is definately not normal, It sounds like it might be an injector, but video is hard to determine. definately sounds like there is something with a cylinder out. by the looks of your previous post. I would look to your local dealer to find out what oasis has on your VIN as far as warranty. Why was the title reconstructed anyway?
 
#103 ·
Took it to Ford today and let the 6.4 tech listen to it. he reved it up. listend, reved. listend more. then he reved it up real high and shut the key off. Then he plugged his computer in to it and shut off each cylinder one at a time. he ruled out injectors and finally said that he really thinks its a rocker arm????? does that sound right?
 
#104 ·
Bump guys.......
 
#108 ·
Ford TSB 08-19-5 explains the ticking noise. I have done a lot of research on this topic in the last few weeks while my truck has been in the shop. My tapping noise turned out to be bad lifters. I would be sure you have the dealer document your concern about this "normal audible condition". My truck was 08 F250, job #1, less than 22,000 miles.
 
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