LeadGuitar06GT

Hey all, thanks for reading.

I have an 06 GT that is still stock sadly. I went ahead and put in new spark plugs and coil packs to correct a misfire ( I bought the car second hand, who knows what was never changed) and it has run beautifully since 2014.

However; I'm now hearing a ticking noise from under the hood. Valves/lifters/oil all checks out. It's a taptaptaptaptap when idle.

I pop the hood, and touch the coil pack closest to me on the driver's side (8?)
I can feel the tap tap tap happening here. Would really like to fix this and get back to making the car awesome. Any ideas? I really don't want to take it to a mechanic and hammered with a hefty bill. How can I ascertain what exactly the problem is, and then correct it? Thanks everyone.

LeadGuitar06GT

Also, since I wasn't clear, the packs and coils were changed very early 2015. Thanks all.

imp

A ticking sound can be caused by a spark occurring where it should not, as in a short open section of plug wire somewhere. However, this is rather far-fetched regarding your problem.


Open the throttle very slightly as you listen to the ticking. If it seems to follow engine speed in step, it likely is caused by a sticking valve lifter. If you live with it awhile, it will likely go away. imp

Dino Dino Bambino

Could be something as simple as a loose no.8 spark plug so check it out.

Derf00

Or, It could be coincidental and completely unrelated to the spark plug change.

05/06 mustangs were plagued by Cam Phaser Ticking (in fact most 5.4 (f-150) and 4.6L engines of those years had it. The Cam Phaser is what changes the timing of the engine based on what the computer tells it.

Here's the TSB and another relevant thread that gives you more information on other things to look at.

https://www.stangnet.com/images/stor...s/06-19-08.pdf

https://www.f150forum.com/f4/final-r...-sound-141266/

Buck Sergeant

Lead Guitar 06 GT. This is such a common problem it is disgusting. All the suggestions here are on the money. My people tell me it is definitely in the valve train. Probably either cam gears or cam phaser. It is not coincidental Ford's new 5.4s have updated valve trains. You might get away with this problem for 100,000 miles, or it might go South tomorrow. Big investment to repair and then the repairs fail again. Most of the guys solve this problem by getting rid of it before going broke in repairs.
Hate giving you bad news Guitar, but it-is-what-it-is.

Dino Dino Bambino

There's the clue. Check the no.8 spark plug.

Derf00

If it is the cam phaser, I haven't hear of any catastrophic failures from it and there are several forum members that are way north of 100K on their 05/06 mustangs. In my opinion the TSB is more of a psychological thing as far as I've seen/heard.

Ford Escapes had the same issue in 05/06 with their 3.0L only they didn't have cam phasers, it was just a matter of reseating the cam into the cam bearings. I'm a member of Escape-city forum (7 years) and I have never seen a catastrophic failure from that either.

Check the obvious stuff first though like Dino suggested (No 8 Spark Plug) and go from there.