My Triton 4.6L V8 engine recently developed a tapping sound that increases in frequency with increased RPM (about 3-4 times per second at idle and in gear, i.e. such as stopped at an intersection).
I thought the tapping sound might be a tappet or lifter issue, but upon inspection under the hood, the sound seems to be originating more from the front of the the engine rather than from the side - cylinder heads. The tapping sound is fairly noticable from inside the cab (windows up). The oil was changed (5W-20 - Synthetic) 14 days ago and about 350 driving miles since. Actually noticed the tapping sound after the oil change, but it may have been occurring before that. No other issues with starting, performance or recent fuel mileage.
What what would you suggest be inspected, tested or replaced?
As an aside, my research into diagnosing this issue turned up significant reports of "spark plug blowout" on the Triton engine as far back as 1997 (a condition that seems to be routinely disregarded by Ford corporate???), with one account of a "tapping" sound just prior to the "blowout". I've seen no simiilar reports of spark plug blowout in this forum, but wonder if I may be overlooking a "loose" or loosening plug problem even though my triangulation of the tapping sound pointed me to the front of the engine?
I thought the tapping sound might be a tappet or lifter issue, but upon inspection under the hood, the sound seems to be originating more from the front of the the engine rather than from the side - cylinder heads. The tapping sound is fairly noticable from inside the cab (windows up). The oil was changed (5W-20 - Synthetic) 14 days ago and about 350 driving miles since. Actually noticed the tapping sound after the oil change, but it may have been occurring before that. No other issues with starting, performance or recent fuel mileage.
What what would you suggest be inspected, tested or replaced?
As an aside, my research into diagnosing this issue turned up significant reports of "spark plug blowout" on the Triton engine as far back as 1997 (a condition that seems to be routinely disregarded by Ford corporate???), with one account of a "tapping" sound just prior to the "blowout". I've seen no simiilar reports of spark plug blowout in this forum, but wonder if I may be overlooking a "loose" or loosening plug problem even though my triangulation of the tapping sound pointed me to the front of the engine?
Mar 12, 2010 at 1:03 PM