Shadetreeboy

OK so I got the parts on Friday the 14th and raced home to install them. I stopped at Sears to get a 1 piece T-27 driver. What a piece of cake that job was. The seals came out in one piece so I re-used them. The dealer charged me 16 dollars a piece for them so they can have them back. As for the performance WOW.. The rattle on acceleration is completely gone. The ticking / knocking is still there sometimes but much, much lighter. More like the way a Ford SHOULD sound. I still have the startup rattle, but I can live with that. Thanks for all you're support. Now, I shall go tell the world!

Masi1926

^^excellent^^

primalurges

Good to hear someone has eliminated at least some of their noises with the VCT. The start up rattle are the chain tensioners.

Shadetreeboy

Yes..about those chain tensioners. Is this something I should be concerned about? From what I understand, they are not an easy fix. Can I expect to go another 100k with the startup rattle??

BIGDAWG78

is it safe to just unplug the VCT solenoid to see if the tick goes away? will it hurt my motor if its running to unplug? I have a slight tick at low RPMs, could this be the VCT solenoid?

Storm Chasing Ford

VCT is for Variable Camshaft Timing, so I would have to say it isn't safe. Our Camshaft phasers already have a lot of difficulty as it is and I wouldn't risk em but unplugging the VCTs and running the engine IMO.

lhill58

I wouldn't leave them unplugged for long just enough to test. You will notice the performance go down. Usually around the 800-1000 rpm you will hear a rattle until you go above or below that range after the engine has warmed up.

BIGDAWG78

Mine has the "tick" whether its warmed up or not.... could this be the VCT solenoid?

fatedstranger

As I understand it, the VCT system is disabled until the engine is up to operating temperature so you normally don't get VCT related ticking when the engine is cold.

Leaky exhaust manifold can also cause ticking. This is normally more noticeable when the engine is cold and gets quieter as the manifold gets hotter.

It could also be your timing chain. If you have been experiencing a rattle at start up which has been progressively getting worse your guides could be badley worn or broken and that would likey start to rattle all the time as well.

lhill58

I don't think so but you can unplug one and it will disable both to see what result you get. Faint tick could also just be injector noise. Manifold leaks are sometimes louder at startup and get quieter after warmup. These engine make so many odd noises its tough to diagnose to be honest with you.