# Lifters knocking!!!!



## twitty (Jul 9, 2005)

Hi, I have a 2003 Fronty Crew Cab 4x4 3.3 V6. I have 63,000 miles on it and it sounds as if my lifters are banging, clicking, knocking, something like that. I use 89 Octane fuel and use Pennzoil....any suggestions on what it could be or what caused this?


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## johnnyhammers (Oct 13, 2005)

Warm, cold? on power? when you first start it in the morning? at Idle? only above or below an RPM range? Give us a little more to go on.


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## jcivic00 (Mar 6, 2005)

well first of all it's not lifters...you don't have any, becauseof the overhead cams. Second, if it's only when the engine is cold. check out your exhaust manifolds, they may have a crack in them, being a cast piece. If it's all the time then I woulld get a valve adjustment.


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## jerryp58 (Jan 6, 2005)

jcivic00 said:


> well first of all it's not lifters...you don't have any, becauseof the overhead cams.


Wow, do the V-6s not have lifters? I didn't have them on my Geo and 15-20k mile valve adjustments were a bit tiresome. My '04s 4-cyl has them thankfully.

Anyway, some good suggestions already. Is 89 octane what's called for by your owner's manual? Have you changed the oil recently? Correct oil weight? Do you have the problem with fresh oil?


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## abmobil (Nov 22, 2004)

The 3.3 is a hydraulic design and requires no adjustment.
When it gets cold out they are known to have some valve and noise its not a problem at all.
Just a characteristic of the vg engine.
LIke someone else said, exhaust manifold cracks are very common with the line of vg3.0s and 3.3s.
My dads 01 SC crew had to have two of them replaced at around 70k.
They probably cracked around 55k but luckily the extended warranty covered them.


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## Bror Jace (Apr 26, 2003)

If it's a knocking sound when the engine is (very) cold and it _slowly_ goes away after 3-5 minutes, it's probably 'piston slap.'

Once the piston skirts (which are shorter these days, to recuce reciprocating mass) have a little wear on them, they allow the piston to rock ('slap') back and forth in the cylinder and this makes a deep, kocking sound ... like an old motor with worn rod bearings.

Once the engine begins to warm up, the aluminum piston expands and fills the cylinder more tightly and the knocking noise diminishes or goes away completely.

Generally speaking, piston slap is fairly harmless ... if highly annoying.

Your octane won't affect affect this and conventional Pennzoil is good stuff and I wouldn't chnage that either. Piston slap is actually LOUDER with Mobil 1 ... probably because it's formulated thinner than most oils.


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## twitty (Jul 9, 2005)

Bror Jace said:


> If it's a knocking sound when the engine is (very) cold and it _slowly_ goes away after 3-5 minutes, it's probably 'piston slap.'
> 
> Once the piston skirts (which are shorter these days, to recuce reciprocating mass) have a little wear on them, they allow the piston to rock ('slap') back and forth in the cylinder and this makes a deep, kocking sound ... like an old motor with worn rod bearings.
> 
> ...




Thanks to all! I no longer own my fronty, i sent it down the road and purchased another Ford. You can't beat them!


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