Here is the deal,
I have a 2004 l with 4200 miles on it. I had the oil changed using pennzoil 5-20 full synthetic. before i had the oil changed i noticed the engine was making a funny noise. Coming from the passenger side. Its hard to describe. i dont hear it so much when its just idling but when im next to a wall say at a drive thru i can hear it. also when im driving and its in overdrive and i give a good amount of gas i can hear it. it sounds like air being pushed or something. but then if i give it enough gas to make it shift i dont hear it. its seems only to be when the engine is at low idle or low rpm acceleration. What do you guys think. some have told me its normal some say its not. i dont know if this helps but im in phoenix arizona and the best gas i can find it 91 octane. Please help as this is my daily driver and toy i dont wanna harm it.

 

Does it sound like ticking? Check your plugs just to be safe.

 

Sounds like piston slap. Its a knowned issue with some L's. Will be covered by your warrenty.

 

i have not checked the plugs yet. if it is covered by warranty what all do they have to do to fix it? do you guys know what size the socket is for the plugs?

 

and yes it does sound like a ticking. not like a constant tick tick tick but like every 2 seconds or so.

 

With that low of miles and running full synthetic oil.. *if* it is piston slap? It ought mostly go away after a full warm up.

I switched to 5w-30 mobil and it mostly went away (5,000 miles) and a week later I switched to 10w-30 mobil and have never heard it since.

Rich

 

so using the 10-30 would be ok since its so hot down here?

 

Does the frequency of the noise vary with speed?? If it is every 2 seconds like you say, it could be in the drivetrain, possibly the rear end.

If it is a rapid, soft tick, it could be a loose plug OR an exhaust leak. I had a very minor one even with my stock exhuast. I believe it leaks at the passenger side joint between the mid pipes and the exhaust manifold.

When I put on my high flow cat mids, I really noticed the tick until I finally got that joint adjusted just right.

And 10w30 should be fine where you are. I think the only real reason that Ford went to 5W20 is for gas mileage reasons.

 

so if i use the 10-30 that is not synthetic am i correct? or is there synthetic 10-30. Its more of a soft tick and and kinda sounds like an exaust leak. my old truck which was adodge made the same noise but it was the alternator. i wash my truck quite a bit could water have gotten in there and made it make noise?

 

If you take it in for service, whatever you do, don't tell the dealer you put synthetic in it. They'll try to void your warranty.

I'm HALF kidding.

Hope you get to the cause.

 

I hate to even think about letting a dealer work on your truck,
it's kinda that "I ALWAYS WANTED TO FIX ME A LIGHTNING" mechanic that scares me, I pray you can trust your dealer.
Many perfect L's go in for a simply task, and come out ALL FRUCKED UP. I pray you do not have this problem ???

As for the noise, find a Lightning Brother in your area that has had one a while and let him listen, drive, and hear it

BEFORE giving it to a Dealership to TRY and figure out

Hope it's something very simple and you figure it out Lighting Fast