That pesky ticking noise...

[Jim Warman]

So... a customer came in with a noise that bothered him..... for about 60,000 kms, this noise has bothered him...

 

Another store simply said... "Oh, that's normal"...

 

Even my tinitis couldn't hide the noise he was talking about... All of my attention was focussed on both his "normal" tick - the one on the drivers side - and his "not so normal" tick. This was on the passenger side...

 

The truck ran smooth but I did the contribution test and the relative compression test (hey, they drive the billable hours up, right?) with no problems found. I was so concerned with the passenger side tick that I think I overlooked a louder than average intake noise.... for the first while...

 

I removed some parts (oil/vapour separator included) and isolated my errant tick to the front of bank one. Off with the valve cover and the intake rocker arm is damaged (the clip is missing off the shoe that rides on the crosshead...whoops, old Jimmy diesel term, there... valve bridge is what I guess is the PC term). Replace the rocker arm, fire it up and THE FUCKING TICK IS STILL THERE... except now I think "Hmmmm , that intake is a tad noisey...".

 

OK.. rerun relative compression... why? I dunno... Maybe I screwed up before... I'm a fussy old man.

 

Rerun contribution... see above....

 

What could be left? I settled on checking lobe lift on the cam... simply because there was nothing left to do before pulling the cab... The lobe in question had lost over 0.100" of lift.

 

Referring to a thread in the 6.0 forum.... I didn't perform a manual compression test because nothing indicated the need for it. The reason that a manual test wasn't required was because of the symptoms I was chasing (the noise). Had the symptoms been different, a manual compression test might have been called for.

 

We use our God given senses to perform appropriate test steps ( in spite of Fords limp dick circuit test procedures - an ohmmeter to test grounds?????) but we need to consider both the test and the results...

 

FWIW, I have seen an engine pass the crankcase pressure test handily with two or more non-contributing cylinders. Fix those cylinders so that they kinda work and... Holeeee Sheeeit!!!!

[DwayneGorniak]

Dammit Jim. You opened up that can of fuckin worms and the odor has spread over to my bay. But in my case it's a fuckin Squeakin Noise that's in my bay now. Anyone ever hear the infamous 6.0L camshaft squeak when you have a worn off lobe and a locked up lifter? That's what the fucking 6.4L in my bay is doing right now. FUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/public/style_emoticons/default/drinkingdude.gif http://www.forddoctorsdts.com/public/style_emoticons/default/drinkingdude.gif

 

 

Jim has mentioned a few times that selling Amway seems like a great calling. I'm thinking Gravel truck and a Bobcat. It would be nice to play with man size Tonka toys again.

[Keith Browning]

Referring to a thread in the 6.0 forum.... I didn't perform a manual compression test because nothing indicated the need for it. The reason that a manual test wasn't required was because of the symptoms I was chasing (the noise). Had the symptoms been different, a manual compression test might have been called for.

 

<shaking my head> Forget the symptom and any notion of logic. You are embarking on a base engine repair and I'll give you 50 to 1 odds that the warranty guillotine will cut this repair because you didn't perform a manual compression test... although the warranty Nazis have eased up as of late and I am now second guessing those odds. For me they seem to question what we DID do and not what we DIDN'T do.

[Jim Warman]

I was once told that only two things matter..

 

"Did you fix it?"

 

And

 

"What did you write down?"

[Aaron]

Joshbuys' sig on here, I think it was his:

 

"It was broken and I fixed it, what more do you need to know?"

[rlchv70]

Any previous repairs on the truck? Had a very mysterious tick on one 6.4. Finally decided to pull the head and found the intake and exhaust valves switched.

 

Other things that I've seen on 6.4s are gear damage and lifter damage. Ford and Nav were chasing a ticking noise that seemed to be associated with crankshafts and/or bearings. I never heard of a final root cause on that one, tho.

[hitechmech]

Had a few where the tip on the pushrod became loose (poor weld jobs) if left to long noise became louder till eventually it would dislodge and rocker arm came apart.

[Jim Warman]

IIRC, history showed the "usual" a rad replacement and some other minor stuff... but I did see things disturbed (to my jaundiced eye) that I didn't expect to see disturbed... one of those "can't really put your finger on it" things but you know things are "different".

 

Given the "oh, that's normal" song and dance routine that the guy got from a store he frequented....

 

The really down side of this whole sad story is that I had the truck apart for far too long. Scheduling and parts supply very nearly did the old man in and there was more than once that I cradled a few cap screws in the palm of my hand not remembering where they came from or if they shouldn't have been installed in a previous step.

 

Happily, the only screws left over were the ones expected to be left over.

 

Once I had it assembled and running, there came a brand new noise near the front of the engine... thankfully that was just an idler pulley which, strangely, felt fine to the hand.

[Aaron]

idler pulley which, strangely, felt fine to the hand.

 

 

What the fuck is with that, I have seen quite a few of those lately. The guy beside me just did one on an Escape. GROWLING like a mother (the dummy idler for the PS pump). Pulled it off, spun it on the bench. Quiet as a friggin mouse. So he put it back together, listened to all of 'em with the stethoscope, and that was the noisy prick.

[mchan68]

Once I had it assembled and running, there came a brand new noise near the front of the engine... thankfully that was just an idler pulley which, strangely, felt fine to the hand.

 

 

Are you sure it's not the primary drive belt tensioner we are talking about? I don't get too many 6.4Ls (Thank God), but on nearly all that have darkened my doorstep lately, ALL have become misaligned with more than a few that have skewered the belts (kinda like the 7.3Ls used to).

[Jim Warman]

The idler in question was changed and the truck is long gone... One of my endearing qualities (along with being an unmitigated dork) is skepticism...

 

Even when things are exactly as they appear, I find it hard to accept them at face value....

[eastendpowerstroke]

I got a 6.4L in my bay now with a NG tensioner and a shreaded belt.