tap when starting

V

vernonz_426

Registered
when i havent started my 93 in a few hours there is a light tapping sound for just a few sec. it has been doing this for a long time now the guy i got the car from told me it was my cam gear tensioner. i got my AC charged yesterday and the mechanic told me he thought it was rods..... i am wondering if anyone else gets this sound and if you think it is something major
thanks,
Zack Vernon
 
RE: tap when starting

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
...the mechanic told me he thought it was rods...
[/div]

Rods???????????? ::wtf::

Mine taps also but only after an oil change for a second or two which I think is normal. Silly question maybe but have you checked your oil level?
 
RE: tap when starting

Sounds like the chain tensioner to me. The oil leaks out of it after a while. There was a TSB for it which involved replacing it with a ratcheting tensioner. A very expensive job.

Both my cars do it. I've heard that it's not really something to worry about though. My cars have 150k and 182k miles on them.
 
RE: tap when starting

it's most likely the cam tensioner.

bad news is it's a very involved repair job

good news is you don't have to repair it. it will make noise like that forever, but won't cause any other damage. Just don't start the car with your foot all the way to the floor, and let it stop before you drive away.

other possibility is that the oil is draining out of the lifters and it takes a second for them to pump up when you start the car. the likely cause of that would be a cheap oil filter. if you have a good oil filter (mobil 1, a few others) then that's probably not your problem. But it's most likely the cam tensioner.
 
RE: tap when starting

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
1. Oil can not drain out of the lifters since there are no lifters in the dual overhead cam engine.
[/div]

there are lifters

maybe they don't "lift" per say, but there are hydraulic followers in the valvetrain that can leak down and cause a rattle on startup. Usually happens right after an oil change, when the oil filter has to fill up before oil pressure will come up.
 
RE: tap when starting

[div class="dcquote"][strong]Quote[/strong]
there are lifters

maybe they don't "lift" per say, but there are hydraulic followers in the valvetrain that can leak down and cause a rattle on startup. Usually happens right after an oil change, when the oil filter has to fill up before oil pressure will come up.
[/div]Yep - Ford calls them "hydraulic lash adjusters" on the DOHC, and they even have leakdown test procedures in the tech manual.

John
[link:www.goldengatemark8.com|Golden Gate Mark VIII Website]
http://mark8.org/users/johnaec/Mark_VIII_s.jpg
'97 Mark VIII LSC
'96 T-Bird 4.6L
 
RE: tap when starting

Interesting, lifters that do not lift, yet they are still called lifters! I guess terminology and correct names are no longer important.
 
RE: tap when starting

Mobil 1 5W30 with a Motorcraft 820S filter, rarely if ever do I hear the tensioner rattle. Worked for me.

mark
 
RE: tap when starting

Sounds like Rods......you need to stop taking your car to the Speedy Lube where they hire 15 year old kids in high school and call them "mechanics". F'n stupid. Thats as bad as when people come into my work with a check engine light on and tell me not to worry about it, its just a bad o2 sensor.
 
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