Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting my engine ticks

i hear a wierd ticking sound when i first start my car. when it warms up it stops. is something wrong? i heard a focus do that once too. i have a 95 zetec.

usually when a car ticks when it starts up and then the sounds go away you have a hydralic (sp?) lifter that is either sticking or is on its way out the door.

If it goes away when you let it warm up and the sound doesnt bother you too much then it should be ok to let it go- but if you want to lifters are around $2.50 a piece and you should be able to change them all for less than $50.

the dealer will want prob in the neighborhood of around $200+ to do the job-

Trust Scot. He knows what it feels like to have a car that ticks.

Anyway, how noticeable is the sound? You may also be hearing the sound of the fuel injectors because they will tick slightly. If its the lifter, you are just hearing the slack between parts until the oil is able to pump up the lifter, removing the slack.

Now I want to go see if my car ticks.

its noticable. my boyfriend said it could be the lifter. i was just checking. it sounds like somethings slapping around in there

I had the same problem with a 95 zetec...turned out not to be a lifter, the timing belt was severely worn and about to snap. If your car has over 60k miles on it, I would get that looked into.

Timing belt Change is in the range of 300-400. It sounds to me like that's what the problem is. The test for it is too start the car and rev the engine. If the sound goes away after stepping on the gas then it's a belt, if it's louder and faster then it's the lifters.

how do i easily visually check the timing belt?

it must be the lifter then because it stays ticking

seriously....get it checked anyway!

Originally posted by Kremithefrog:

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how do i easily visually check the timing belt?

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The upper timing cover is on the passenger side of the engine. You need a 8mm Socket and wrench to unscrew the two bolts then pull it out around the PS line. Check for Cracks in the belt.