2018 3.5 Ecoboost cold start rattle
01-16-2019, 07:59 PM
#21
Senior Member
We also need to keep in mind that Boosted18's issue is an actual cold start rattle, which is a completely different problem than the off-throttle rattle. I don't believe most of us with the off-throttle rattle have a cold start rattle. A cold start rattle is almost always tensioner related.
01-16-2019, 08:21 PM
#22
I would take anything that a dealership service advisor says with a grain of salt. They tend to fill in the blanks with their own answers all the time. There are a few good ones out there, but many are clueless. I enjoy listening to the crazy things they are telling people any time I visit the dealership. I'm not saying it's not the tensioners, but I would be surprised if a Ford representitive actually said this to a dealership employee.
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Stu Cazzo (01-16-2019)
01-16-2019, 09:39 PM
#23
The service advisors aren't really technical specialists.
They are there to keep us owners calm and in line with their processes. Kinda like therapists!
They feed us bull**** and stroke us a little to make us feel special while they speak to the Tech person who tells them "bah, that noise and rattle sound is normal"...look...all the trucks make the same noise...so it must be a "characteristic of the engine"...
FML!!!
Sorry if I set some of you off with this...
They are there to keep us owners calm and in line with their processes. Kinda like therapists!
They feed us bull**** and stroke us a little to make us feel special while they speak to the Tech person who tells them "bah, that noise and rattle sound is normal"...look...all the trucks make the same noise...so it must be a "characteristic of the engine"...
FML!!!
Sorry if I set some of you off with this...
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Quickdraw (02-09-2021)
01-17-2019, 09:50 AM
#24
We shall see when I get the truck back probably next week. I will make sure to get part numbers of everything that was replaced and see if I can get the advisor to give me more information about the redesigned tensioners he told me about. I didn't mention anything about the experiences of others with the newly replaced tensioners failing when he told me they were waiting for the new redesigned tensioners which is what makes me think it could be the truth.
01-17-2019, 09:51 AM
#25
We shall see when I get the truck back probably next week. I will make sure to get part numbers of everything that was replaced and see if I can get the advisor to give me more information about the redesigned tensioners he told me about. I didn't mention anything about the experiences of others with the newly replaced tensioners failing when he told me they were waiting for the new redesigned tensioners which is what makes me think it could be the truth.
01-21-2019, 04:20 AM
#26
Senior Member
Don't we have a Ford rep that helps forum members with warranty related issues etc? Would he/she be willing to dig into this a little and post their findings? I have a 2016 Platinum 3.5 (52,XXX miles) that has had the cold engine startup rattle for quite some time. As difficult as it has been to get repairs done at my local Ford dealer, I have been hesitant to take it in. I had a few minor warranty issues including the leaking twin panel sunroof. They kept it for 5 weeks the first time and 2 weeks the second time. A couple of the items never were addressed. I was a Service Director for another brand for several years. These long visits with little results would have never been allowed to happened there. At least they were providing me with a loaner, however, it was nothing like the Platinum that I had bought.
01-21-2019, 04:26 AM
#27
Senior Member
Don't we have a Ford rep that helps forum members with warranty related issues etc? Would he/she be willing to dig into this a little and post their findings? I have a 2016 Platinum 3.5 (52,XXX miles) that has had the cold engine startup rattle for quite some time. As difficult as it has been to get repairs done at my local Ford dealer, I have been hesitant to take it in. I had a few minor warranty issues including the leaking twin panel sunroof. They kept it for 5 weeks the first time and 2 weeks the second time. A couple of the items never were addressed. I was a Service Director for another brand for several years. These long visits with little results would have never been allowed to happened there. At least they were providing me with a loaner, however, it was nothing like the Platinum that I had bought.
01-21-2019, 07:05 AM
#28
Don't we have a Ford rep that helps forum members with warranty related issues etc? Would he/she be willing to dig into this a little and post their findings? I have a 2016 Platinum 3.5 (52,XXX miles) that has had the cold engine startup rattle for quite some time. As difficult as it has been to get repairs done at my local Ford dealer, I have been hesitant to take it in. I had a few minor warranty issues including the leaking twin panel sunroof. They kept it for 5 weeks the first time and 2 weeks the second time. A couple of the items never were addressed. I was a Service Director for another brand for several years. These long visits with little results would have never been allowed to happened there. At least they were providing me with a loaner, however, it was nothing like the Platinum that I had bought.
01-21-2019, 09:25 AM
#30
Deceleration Rattle all the time now
I couldn't open that file (load it on Youtube, OP), but just wanted to say some cold start noises are absolutely normal. And contrary to normal (vs mechanical) common sense, most are not detrimental to the engine. A good similar example is motorcycles with a wet clutch. Have you heard the nasty noise they make when engaging 1st while stopped? Sounds horrible, right? But ZERO harm to the engine or transmission. Maybe that will help some folks realize that. If they get worse, or are made all the time, it's a different story. But also remember a cold engine has most of the oil in the pan, and cold oil is thicker than hot (flows less), so it takes a few seconds for it to start lubricating engine parts. So how can you expect a cam phaser and cam chain tensioner that work with oil pressure to start working immediately upon start-up? Well, they can't. And just like the motorcycle example above, if things are normal after a few seconds, or after oil gets hot in other cases, I wouldn't worry about it. Now, I'm not implying all engines have to make cold start noises, because more sophisticated ones don't. But if they make them, it doesn't necessarily mean it's bad for the engine. At least in my case, I never expected European sophistication and fit and finish out of a Ford, so maybe that's why so far I'm happy with my truck. But yes, it could be WAAAAY better 
. A final comment. I switched to the new Mobil1 0/30 (thinner than 5/30 when cold, but same when hot), which is approved by Ford, and it made a dramatic difference: zero cold start noises, at least so far. That means it's lubricating quicker, which is always good, since most of the engine wear occurs at start up, and less is always better. Hope this helps. Best wishes for the new year gang.
. A final comment. I switched to the new Mobil1 0/30 (thinner than 5/30 when cold, but same when hot), which is approved by Ford, and it made a dramatic difference: zero cold start noises, at least so far. That means it's lubricating quicker, which is always good, since most of the engine wear occurs at start up, and less is always better. Hope this helps. Best wishes for the new year gang.As as far as expecting European sophistication, neither my 98 Chevy, my dads 2001 chevy, or my 2009 Lariat has the deceleration rattle. Neither does our old crappy GM beater van that we hauled the kids everywhere for 13 years and only done oil changes, as well as many other vehicles I’ve owned: VCT, if they had it, and the engines all worked correctly without rattling, would not have ever cared to know because they all don’t have this problem. My 91 ranger had ticking hydraulic lifters though, again oil problems. It appears Ford may not be able to design oil flow/pressure correctly for some reason.
neighbors Titan, my buddies ram, other buddies 2017 coyote, 2018 coyote, and I could go on and on, DO NOT HAVE THE RATTLE.
So given not one my other vehicles never had VCT rattles, pile of other trucks both F150 and not do not have the rattle, and the rattle had progressed so that it no longer goes away when the engine heats up, and my current F150 didn’t rattle when it was new, then yes I expect the vct to not rattle in any phase of operation, and I want it to go back like that. It’s to the point I’ll drive the old van instead because I hate hearing the dang rattle. The rattle bucket F150 sits in the driveway now.
Last edited by ninjamac; 01-21-2019 at 09:52 AM.