[alz focus]

Just purchased a 2000 SE SPI w/ATX about three weeks ago. 150k miles.
Not sure why I bought it, but I did.
When I bought it, it had bad motor mounts and all the exhaust heat shields were falling off, hanging. The car was pretty loud and it must have disguised the ticking. After getting it home and replacing some much need mounts, refastening the heat shields, it quieted right up.
Thats when I could hear the knocking/ticking.
There seems to be some work that has been done to the topend. I see a new valve cover gasket and there is a plate that mounts underneath the intake that was missing some bolts. Also new gasket on EGR tube off of the ex manifold.
Did a comp test, 1-4: 175,172,170,180psi.
Sounds like the head was redone.
My issue is the knocking. Can't seem to tell if it is in the top end or bottom end? The car runs great, just a little rattle.
Sometimes it seems as if it goes away. Yesterday I ran SeaFoam through the top end and today it seemed quieter at times.
Sorry such a long post, just wanted to include some background.
Any ideas? Bottom end bearings?

 

[Mike_Mac]

check the valve clearances. your going to need to probe around with a long screw driver to see where the tick comes from.

since it looks like the heads been redone you can avoid the dropping a valve seat issue.

my 00 zetec makes a tick, i took apart/checked thetop/bottom end and everything was good. but if i put a screw driver on the last 2 runners on the exhaust manifold i can hear it tick. never figured out what it was. been doing it for about 30k now. my brother is driving it right now ause he needs it for work and i only drive it in the winter and he is longing 500 a week on it no issues so far just ticks.


so i would probe around to see where it gets louder, could be CAT failing, assesory, ect. just find where its coming from.

 

[alz focus]

Sound still there running with no belt. Must be internal.
I did get one of those mechanic stethescopes. Seemed to be more forward in the engine. Somewhere between head and bottom end.
What about changing oil weight? Go thicker, 10W40. Thinner, 5W20?

This car was serverely neglected in it's past. Not sure how it wasn't overheating. Heater core and radiator had alot of rust in them when I flushed it. When I opened the rad drain, nothing came out. Had to blow compressed air in through the drain to open it up. How could the head have been done when the cooling system was this much of a mess?

 

[mikebontoft]

you changed the oil on it yet? what kind of filter is on it?

 

[alz focus]

Yes. Oil changed, Motorcraft filter and Valvoline 10W40. Seemed to help but am open to ideas.

 

[1hotfocus]

our cars call for a 5w 20.. anything else isnt what the manufacture calls for.

 

[alz focus]

Under my hood it says 5w30 on the original Ford sticker. I thought I would try something a little thicker to maybe quiet it down. I will run it for a couple weeks and change again to 5w30.
BTW, my 02 Zetec says to run 5w20.

 

[1hotfocus]

a few years later ford made an announcement that 5w 20 is better for the single and dual. the older spi models came with a cap that said sae 5w20. i hear a little knocking with my 00
" spi se and its only got 24k miles... barely driven car, and ticks. my uncle a mechanic, when asked him about it, his answer was its a ford.. i take good care of the car, maybe too good of car, replaced plugs, wires, put a cone filter instead of replacing the square air filter, changed all fluids except power steering, replaced fuel filter (car idled tremendously better and black gunk came out of one side) added some intake valve cleaner, and some other matinance that i cant remember at the moment at done 4k miles ago at 20k, however the ticking noise is still there.. i also checked compression all was fine.. to be honest it sounded better when i went with a synthetic oil, however still hear it time to time.

 

[alz focus]

The car is for my 16yr old daughter and I just don't want a "ticking" timebomb.
I put a substantial amount of miles on my own cars and will be driving this one for a month or so before she gets her license. I'm guessing it's just going to be a little noisier than my Zetec. Still runs pretty good.

If anyone else has anything to add, I'm open to ideas.

 

[alz focus]

After doing a little searching, I found this: http://www.focusfanatics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=236308
There is a video: http://tinypic.com/player.php?v=110gc34&s=4
This is the same thing mine sounds like. I read all 7 pages and just as the OP is about to solve the problem, he sells the car.
Has anyone fixed this knocking?
Has anyone replaced their lifters and the sound is gone, not gone?

 

[Als RS8]

i was worried about this in my car too but yeah as long as you dont rev it up going up hill and change out the lowering springs on the cylinders yes my engine needs a new cylinder head over haul!

 

[alz focus]

So hear are some videos of what I have.
http://s1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/aziolkowski70/?action=view&current=CIMG0044.mp4
http://s1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/aziolkowski70/?action=view&current=CIMG10000.mp4
Let me know what you think.
I don't think it's valve seat. I've put about 3k miles on it since I bought it and it runs fine, just noisy.

 

[Als RS8]

mine does the same thing , are you used to performance engines because spi is kind of noisy,even a new engine but yeah i would really like to see how this turns out !!!

 

[alz focus]

I have had other SOHC engines, even a 91 Accord with 276k miles, it didn't sound anything like this.
I also have a Zetec motor Focus.
I really can't believe that this noise is normal, maybe common. but not normal.
In the morning, cold startups are pretty bad. Once driving for a while, it's not too bad.

 

[Als RS8]

i like my spi engine when driveing i see some people with a camero that speed past me and try to challenge me but i just keep in mind o mines just an spi so spi keeps me from doing sumthing stupid"like challenging an 87 camero

but to get back to the problem with your engine do you own a repair manuel because an old repair manuel which you can buy at the local automotive shop will probilly have the solution if you want to do it yourself,"ive fixed several problems on my focus with a trusty repair manuel!!i would not advise you to take it to a automotive dealer,if you want to save money but if moneys not the problem take it to a trusted auto motive repair shop and they will deffinately find the problem,and charge you a butt load of cash!!!!
[popcorn]

 

[alz focus]

I asked a guy at a local shop, known him for 20 yrs or so, said it sounded like wrist pins were bad.
That being said, the only thing to do is drive it til something breaks. No sense in rebuilding the motor now.

 

[Als RS8]

wrist pins wow sounds like something internal.just take it easy up hill and pray that you dont break down 50 miles away from home!!

yeah my car is slow but i really keep it clean and shiny,i guess i can say an spi focus is a ggod car to make pretty!!!

 

[bradautotech3035]

just tore mine down no pic's or before video's but it had a cracked piston wrist pin still running and good compression i would try pulling plug wires while car is running so you can isolate witch cylinder but still will have to pull head to remove piston. had mine down in 2.5 hrs not a record just not that hard to do ebay piston's (nippon) 90.00 all 4 rings included gasket kit was resonable also just have to buy head bolts as they are torque to yield when i pulled pan off had the culprit piston skirt but they can crack and not come all way apart

 

[TeamZetec]

check the valve clearances. your going to need to probe around with a long screw driver to see where the tick comes from.

so i would probe around to see where it gets louder, could be CAT failing, assesory, ect. just find where its coming from.

Do you think that my 3 Ford Probes would help this guy figure out this problem? lmfao [woot]

 

[mikebontoft]

Do you think that my 3 Ford Probes would help this guy figure out this problem? lmfao [woot]

there's someone I haven't seen for awhile.....

I'm pretty sure all they would do is convert him to the beautiful sounding KL engine [chairfall] (Pushed my friend to get one so I could hear it)


But why are we bumping this?