mobwolf

Is there anyone in Sacramento,CA that has fixed this problem? I think my 2000 GT is starting to have this problem.

letsbangout

For what it's worth, I'm still trying to determine whether this is my issue, or something else, as I haven't yet been able to get the timing cover off. I'm still attempting to pull the main crank pulley bolt. I can't seem to find a belt wrench (also known as a strap wrench) big enough to fit around the pulley, and I've heard all kinds of bad things about people using hammers and destroying their main bearings. For that matter, I question whether an impact driver would be safe. Since I don't have anyone to help me hold the flywheel in place, and since I've already bent up a couple of grade-5 bolts that I had bolted to the pulley while using a prybar to hold the pulley in place and hitting it with about 36 inches of breaker bar and pipe, I'm considering another route. I copped some aluminum flat stock, 1/8" thickness by 1 inch width, and I'm going to try fabricating a custom bar to mount up to the face of the pulley via 2 new bolts (using the same bolt holes that you'd normally use on a 3-bolt wheel puller). The bar will either be inserted into a pipe and wedged against the ground, or I might drill a hole in one end of the bar and bolt it up to the block somewhere. We'll see how that goes.

If I do find a shredded tensioner arm, i'll report back.

WJL

After reading your post i would say STOP NOW, an impact wrench is capable of removing the bolt holding the dampner and shouldnt rotate the engine. it should not be that difficult to remove. After reading all ten pages of this post it appears there are a lot of different ticking/ratteling nosies that come from the 4.6L mod motors.

With that being said here is my opinion, a bad rod bearning knock is unmistakable very loud/hard hitting increases with RPMs loudest at start up and higher Revs and i wouldnt describe it as a ticking sound more like a bang and more noticable at the bottom end of the engine.

The only youtube video that would load for me on this post was difinitely a rod bearing. another way to determine if it is a rod bearing you can cancel the ignition or injector to each cyl one by one and if the noise goes away wohla its more than likely a rod bearing.

Ticking sounds can come from the timing chains due to low or no oil pressure it can also come from bad lash adjusters and exhaust/header leaks. However exhaust/header leaks are much easier to diagnose, if the ticking is from the valve train including the timing chain, guides or tensioners it typically wont go away it will come and go with RPM changes.

The first thing i would do is locate the oil pressure sending unit remove it and thread in an actual gauge that reads PSI this will let you know how much oil pressure you have and can eliminate that easily and quickley. 40 to 60 PSI i think.

If you have good oil pressure my next move would be to remove the valve covers (Only because it easier to take the valve cover off than the timing chain cover) and check the cam lobes for wear and check to see if the lash adjusters are holding oil, if they are not holding oil they are worn out and need to be replaced they kind of work just like lifters if all looks to be normal then i would start investigating the timing chain and associated parts.

BTW i read somewhere in this post about slack in a chain, if you take anything from what i have worte, if you have taken the time to take it apart you should replace everything you can. I am a new owner of a 98 GT and my wife is asking if i have something other than that car in my garage. I will check back to see if anyone replys

letsbangout

Will do. Indeed after pulling everything apart, I found both a broken chain guide on the passenger side (which probably accounts for the tapping sound, which I'd isolated down to the passenger side of the engine with a stethoscope), as well as a worn tensioner arm on the driver's side, which apparently caused a slew of nonferrous metal in the oil of the same brass'ish color as the tensioner arm. Regarding the adjusters/followers on the passenger side, I removed all of the followers with a screwdriver and they're all proper. The lash adjusters were not collapsed, and they hardly moved when I pressed down on them with my finger, so I'm guessing they're probably not a major source of the tapping. However, a couple of them seemed to depress about 1/16th of an inch, which I understand is the threshold for replacing them, so I may be revisiting the lash adjusters soon.

So I'll take your advice and replace 'everything I can' while I'm in there.. I'll have a new timing set on the way. Now we come to what steps I should take to clean the engine and ensure trouble-free operation going forward. A colleague who owns a 5.0 Stang says to replace the oil pump since it's probably trashed by the small metal bits. I also had in mind cleaning out the engine by pouring new oil from top to bottom, through each of the holes in the valve area individually. What else?

Thanks again.

WJL

I would start with a shop vac, tape off the bottom of the motor get a rag with some cleaner wipe and suck out as much as you can. Changing the oil pump with the oil pan in place is possible but difficult, I recommend buying a magnet on a stick if you drop the pick up tube bolts which you will and don't have one you will have to take the oil pan off to get them. I would then remove the oil drain plug and pour oil in to the pick up tube in the reverse direction use a thinner weight 5W-20, if you are lucky you will flush anything out of the pick up tube and out the drain plug. good luck

letsbangout

Thanks for the reply. I'm going to _try_ the Alldata method to get the oil pan out - you unbolt the motor mounts, the tranny mount, unbolt the two exhaust tubes at the exhaust manifold, and use one of those specialized tools straddled across the hood to hold the engine in place, lifted about 3 or 4 inches it looks like (although Alldata doesn't say how far to lift it). I have one from Harbor Freight - it's the kind that rests in the "hood lip" which is built into the fenders on each side. The problem with this particular car is the fenders were cut to accommodate big wheels by the last owner, so I'm sure the lips are considerably weaker. I won't even try straddling them, rather, i'll try some sawhorses of adequate height, and somehow "build up" the strength on that bar.

By removing the oil pan, I'll be certain that this engine has the best cleaning job I can possibly give it. The pickup tube will be clean as a whistle, the oil pump will be new, and hopefully she'll last another 90k. I'll toss up some pics when I get deep and dirty into it. Thanks again for the input!

letsbangout

Using a thread I started at Ford Forum, I'll be documenting my steps as I go. The thread, if it's of any benefit to anyone who has this problem, is:

http://www.fordforum.com/forum/ford-...a-30316/page2/

I just threw up the latest and greatest pictures today. And of course I'm still open to suggestions or best practices of any kind, either here or there. Thanks again!