engine clicking

**0311_Lifer** · 03-06-2005, 12:13 AM

i have a 2004 crown victoria sport with 8,900 miles on it. today i realised that thers this clicking noise coming from under the hood. someone once told me its the valve lifters or something. this car is too new to have any serious problem. im almost positive its running a 5w-20 oil right now. next oil change i plan on switching to the new mobil 1 ep either 5w-30 or 10w-30 which one would be ok for this car ? does any one think this would fix the problem ? any suggestions ? :huh

**GregCavi** · 03-06-2005, 12:23 AM

This might be the dumbest guess ever... i apologize in advance haha.. my buddy has a M3 that when the clutch is not in it clicks? Feel free to make fun of me if i way off.

Greg

**0311_Lifer** · 03-06-2005, 12:33 AM

thanks for trying to help but thats definately not it.

**travisdecpn** · 03-06-2005, 12:51 AM

If you have been running 5W-30, I`d stick with that and Mobil is a very good quality oil. The sticky lifters may have to do with the octane level of the fuel you are running as well.

**0311_Lifer** · 03-06-2005, 01:25 AM

the manual says to use 87 octane because the engine was designed for it. would it hurt if i went to a higher octane fuel ?

**travisdecpn** · 03-06-2005, 01:44 AM

I would run a higher octane than 87 personally. The quality of fuel is getting poorer and poorer and we are paying higher prices for it. I`d step up and see if you see a difference.

Edit: After doing a little more research it seems as though if your engine calls for 87 then you should run that because the higher octanes such as 89 and 92/93 are slower burning and you may actually loose some power because the fuel burns slower. I guess I fell into the majority in that thinking the higher octane you run, the better it is for your engine, I stand corrected.

**Hawaiianelement** · 03-06-2005, 01:57 AM

The clicking you`re hearing could be fuel injectors if its fuel injected of course..which is normal. I would take it in because there`s no way I know what you`re hearing . The fuel injectors make a very soft rythmic clicking.
As far as my thoughts on the oil, Ford Motorcraft and Honda both have come out with 5w-20`s for the new cars. From what I hear they use a very high quality base in this oil, close to synthetic.

Whatever oil you decide to use make sure you keep with a 5w-20 as all your engine components are engineered for this oil.

**audiboy** · 03-06-2005, 01:57 AM

if your car is under warrantee, i would just take it to the dealer and let them worry about it.

**zymolKK** · 03-06-2005, 03:39 AM

Originally Posted by 0311_Lifer

the manual says to use 87 octane because the engine was designed for it. would it hurt if i went to a higher octane fuel ?

I would be careful. Running 89 shouldnt be a problem, but 93 might. My dad ran 93 in his Tahoe that is made for 87 and had all sorts of problems with it. After several shop visits everything was back to normal and they advised to run 87 only. You would think it would be better to run a higher octane fuel, but who knows?

**Don** · 03-06-2005, 06:25 AM

The higher the octane = the level of resistance to detonation (pre-ignition/knocking). It is not an indicator of "stored power" within the fuel. I couldn`t find it, not enough time before work, but I think diesel fuel has an octane rating well over 250 (try burning that in your engine though).

Like travisdecpn discovered, higher octane fuel burns slower, so in a vehicle designed for 87, the higher rated fuels likely will not completely burn off, and may cause multiple issues, one being a loss of actual power from incomplete combustion along with increased amount AND rate of accumulation of combustion chamber, cylinder head and valve carbon deposits which also robs the engine of even more power and efficiency.

As for your ticking sound. Is it constant? Does it speed up with engine rpms? Odds are that it is, like mentioned, a fuel valve. My camaro had an electronic, fuel-metering, needle valve that sounded A LOT like valve/lifter tick. You can double check with the dealer to set your mind at ease. BTW, your car was designed to use 0W20, I wouldn`t suggest going thicker unless you live in a hotter climate (basically the southwest in the summer).

**0311_Lifer** · 03-06-2005, 10:26 AM

the ticking sound is constant it doesnt change as i rev the engine. as for the oil i live in south east and it does get pretty hot here too during the summer. do you think it would be ok to use some of that new mobil 1 5w30 extended performance oil with 5 month oil change intervals (normal for this car with dino oil) ?

**shotime** · 03-06-2005, 10:29 AM

I work at a Ford dealer. That`s normal. The sound is coming from the valvetrain. Almost all the 4.6`s I`ve seen do that.

**Don** · 03-06-2005, 05:57 PM

Originally Posted by 0311_Lifer

the ticking sound is constant it doesnt change as i rev the engine. as for the oil i live in south east and it does get pretty hot here too during the summer. do you think it would be ok to use some of that new mobil 1 5w30 extended performance oil with 5 month oil change intervals (normal for this car with dino oil) ?

5W30 should be fine. I would forget about any heavier than 10W30 though.