valve ticking

[Stang03]

I have a black 03 cobra convertible that I bought in August 04. I think the car is great but I have a couple concerns. I've noticed that when I start the car in the mornings I hear a ticking sound coming from the heads. Is this common with the 03 cobras or should I take it in before the warrenty is up? Also, I've noticed that when the engine isn't completely warm and I shift into 2nd, my transmission grinds or clunks in gear. I have the clutch fully disengaged...I don't know why it's doing that. If anyone has one of these problems or knows anything about them, I would appreciate your comments.

[VegasPackerFan]

I have a black 03 cobra convertible that I bought in August 04. I think the car is great but I have a couple concerns. I've noticed that when I start the car in the mornings I hear a ticking sound coming from the heads. Is this common with the 03 cobras or should I take it in before the warrenty is up? Also, I've noticed that when the engine isn't completely warm and I shift into 2nd, my transmission grinds or clunks in gear. I have the clutch fully disengaged...I don't know why it's doing that. If anyone has one of these problems or knows anything about them, I would appreciate your comments.I was watching HP TV and saw the show where they did some mods to a 03 COBRA. On the show they talked about the head issue Ford had with engines drivers head built before 11-1-02. And how a hypertech tuner will not work unless you have a code saying you got the head replaced???? Mine was built on 9-10-02.

My question is. Should I bring it in to get the head replaced and demand it get replaced before the warrenty goes out. I have not had any problems nor do I hear the "TICK" they talked about. But they told me at Ford that there were no re-calls onmy car when I had them check.

Besides the last time I brought my car in for the stalling problem they had it for 2 days. And I got to drive around in a piece of S**T 1992 S-10 with 48,000 miles on it.

Any suggestions/ Or anybody have this done before???

Oh ya I think I am going with the SLP X-pipe with cats and the new Loud mouth cat-back.

Thanks in Advance

Vegas

http://cars.mackweb.com/sounds/tick.mp3 (http://cars.mackweb.com/sounds/tick.mp3)

This is a recording of the tick taken from another post on the subject.

[ausie]

Check for a blue dot on the dirvers head (not really sure how hard it is to find it), if it does not have one, take it in to the dealer. There may even be a hidden TSB from SVT. VagasPackerFan is correct that there is an issue with the early release of the 03 cobras which have issues with coolant flow and valve overheat that the 99/01's suffer from. If the noise is only present when cold, it may be piston slap (has a very faint desel sound to it right after start up when cold). I was aware of this prior to buying the 04 and it is common to have it with forged pistons (as I was told by many in here). I always let the motor warm up before driving it so that the pistons have a chance to expand in the cylinder. The other source of ticking may be the fuel injectors since they are very noisy.

As far as x-pipes are concerned, I would probably do some comparitive shopping since there are several out there. Bassani seems to have my interest in their x pipe, however, if you get a package deal from SLP will be just as good. It seems that both Bassani and SLP offer the ability to remove the cats if desired. It appears that either would work just fine with the stock or SLP cat back. I guess it is a toss-up and which one offers the higher flow rates. It appears that both use the same connecting hardware (clamps) which was the best I have ever used. The bassani uses a welded two piece section which looks more like a x/h pipe combo as compared to the spliced pipe with SLP. Which one is better? not really sure.

[ausie]

oops, forgot this, When was the last time you adjusted the clutch pedal? I had to ajust mine shortly after driving it off the lot. I could not shift into any gear until I pulled up on the clutch pedal several times which cured the shifting issue. Ford reccommends to do this every 5000 miles. It will take up any slack in the clutch cable so that you get separation of the clutch, flywheel and pressure plate. It appears that the cable may stretch a bit over time.

[blk04cobra1]

both issues you are describing are normal...the tick has not been resolved by Ford despite some people claiming it has...the clunk ive been told is just the "mustang" gears, you'll get used to it...as far as the X-pipe, Ausie said it very well, personal preference...I would probably use the same manufacturer as the catback's you get just for fitment quality...im partial to Bassani, but some can't see paying that much...good luck

[Paratrooper82d]

I did some research on blue oval news website about the "Tick" a few weeks ago and printed it out. I cannot find the link to it but here is what it said from the print out. It was dated July 29th, 2003. It was a consumer advisory.

According to Ford Motor Company Memo, 2003 Ford Mustang Cobras may have defective cylinder heads. The memo noted that the Cobra's may exhibit an unusual engine noise (Tick) that is present at all temperature ranges during engine idle.The memo also states that the noise may be due to bad cylinder head valve guides in the left hand cylinder head. The noise may be heard at the rear of the left hand cylinder head, thought the left side exhaust or at the left front wheel of the vehicle.

If your 2003 Cobra Mustang exhibits this condition, Ford may replace the cylinder head and cam assembly. The replacement cylinder head part number is: 3R2Z-6049-GA. Owners are advised to have their vehicles inspected before the warranty period expires.

This is considered a "silent recall" where upon Ford may NOT notify owners of this condition.

Should Ford Motor Company dispute this report - either someone from Blue Oval News or Flat rate tech will be more than happy to engage in a three way telephone conference.