RobertScott

I have had my 2011 5 liter for 10 days now, love the car, but there seems to be a little valvetrain noise at idle, a bit of a tick....anyone else experience this?

cidsamuth

Ha! Yea, it's injectors, lifters, variable cam timing, yada yada. It may settle down after you break in the car.

There are extensive posts about general engine bay noise at idle in the 4.6s . . . including from yours truly. The 5.0s do it a little too. Depending on how picky and observant the poster is, you might get some that say their 5.0 is quiet, but I bet they all sound about the same. And I'd bet the noise you are referring to is not only "common," its how they all sound.

RobertScott

I was kinda thinking that, much apprecited.

Gene K

Im guessing most likely its the injectors your hearing, Pop off the cover and see if it gets louder.

siggyfreud

I think having the covers off will inherently make things louder as they do tend to dampen valve train noise already.

SweetSandMan

Ha Ha you should hear my direct inject motor at idle....you have no idea how many people used to post on the Cobalt forums asking if something was broken on their car. The solstices and Skys that came with my motor had a sound deadening type of thing that cured a lot of it but the Cobalts with this motor were not so fortunate...

Gene K

The cam covers have seperate plastic sound absorption covers. The cover I was talking about removing covers the injectors and fuel rails.

cidsamuth

RobertScott,

I went back and listened to mine more closely. I do hear what I think you are hearing -- but it is the same sounds I have heard from every Mustang I have driven (2006 GT, two 2010 GTs, and now the 2011).

If you lift the hood, you can hear injectors, but you probably won't hear them with the hood down. Instead, with the hood down, you can hear some ticking through the wheel wells and/or out from underneath the car. This is obviously worse when pulling into the garage since it resonates off the walls. It's not a "tck tck tck" sound as much as a "sht sht sht" sound.

It's probably the lash adjusters, cam phasers, or the like. As said, every 4.6 I drove sounded like that if you listened for it (i.e. pulled it next to a wall or stuck your head near the wheel well), and I know many of the 5.4 GT500 guys complained about it. Apparently, the 5.0s have it too.