Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Very Loud lifter tick sound 98 Mystique LS 2.5L

1998 Mercury Mystique LS
2.5L V6 Duratec Engine
Automatic Transmission
Approximately 142,000 Miles

The problem first started roughly 6 months back but only at start up and lasted for 2 seconds max. Now that the warmer weather is upon us it has gradually turned into a constant loud clatter. This can be heard from in the house if the car is in the driveway (if your listening for it of course). It pretty much makes the car sound like a sick diesel. The noise seems to be isolated to the passenger rear side of the motor. This is my girlfriends car and I have never worked on a Ford manufactured vehicle a day in my life. I would associate this with a severe lifter tick but as I said I am used to Chevy's. Is there anything I might be missing that would shed some more light on this issue? If the timing of the vehicle was off would the spark knock become that loud? If it is the lifters is that quite a tedious job and could I use a good oil stabilizer to quite it down? Anything you guys can throw at me I sure would appreciate.

Rick

is it a constant sound or does it quiet down after a while? Because it sounds like you are hearing rod knock...

It is constant at idle and seems to quiet down when the rpms go up or when driving. It is really hard to say but it seams to be coming from the passenger side rear near the pulleys. Thanks for the quick response.

I had the same problem with my 98 svt contour i took the valve covers off and seen one of my lifters and rockers wasnt in place..Guess i over reved the motor..If your up to the challenge i would take the intake off and valve cover (were you hear the noise from the mmost) mine was the rear and it was a bit harder to get off than the front..Need any help let me know..

Welcome . When was the last time the oil and filter was changed? Try that first and add one can of engine restorer as a last ditch effort.

Fordman302 - Thanks for the info. I was really hoping it could be just an adjustment to get us through for a little while longer. Its not like many people got the money to go and drop it all on a new car. I do feel confident enough to tackle the job. I have been working on cars for quite some time now but as I said I own all Chevy's except for my CBR. If I did decide to tackle the job it would have to be a weekend thing because she is very dependant on her car. Plus I might as well adjust all the lifters while I am there. Do you still know the torque specs for them from when you did it? I quickly priced out the new gaskets for both the intake and valve cover gaskets and they run about $50.00 each set.

Tony2005 - Oil was done approximately 1,800 miles ago and I only run valvoline in any vehicle I get my hands on. I have not tried a engine restore yet but with the higher miles it is something to consider.

If you are opening up the engine, I suggest you contact todras (CEGer) and purchase a Ford CD Manual from him.

Send a PM to him.
http://www.contour.org/ubbthreads/showprofile.php?Cat=&User=1049&Number=1253138&Board=interests&what=showflat&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=31&fpart=1&vc=1

and some good info from Autozone.
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1b/c4/d2/0900823d801bc4d2.jsp

Theres no adjustment..Its simple a hydro lifter and rocker all sits in place, not like your chevy..Umm i reused my gaskets since my cars motor was so new only 8,000 on the motor at the time..And taking the upper intake off and valve covers is simple..No need to get a manual I got my car apart and back together in about hour and a half..Need anymore info let me know..

I apologize about the delay in responding. I finally had the time to pull the car apart. Unfortunetly everything was in its place. So just to be safe I loosened the journal caps and double checked all the rockers. Still no luck still very loud. I know this isnt a wristpin or rod as the sound does fade away at certain driving speeds. If you guys have any other suggestions I sure would appreciate it. Rick