[Retroman1969]

Thank you guys very much for your input!
I may or may not have an issue, but I think I know why I’m noticing it more.
We had an unusually warm day yesterday in the 70s. All day the car didn’t make the rattle noise (or it was too faint to hear), even when taking off immediately from a cold start in the morning. No engine bay sounds. Just that miraculous exhaust note.
It was unusually warm for the first few weeks I owned the car, but in the past two or three weeks we went through a cold spell, in the 20s and 30s mostly. That’s when I started noticing the rattle.
I’ll let you know what the inspection turns up at the dealer.
I’m also going to see if using a heavier weight oil (maybe at least 5w30 instead of, what, the 0-20 they’re using now?) will have any effect on the warranty. 😉
I looked at other new pony cars, but they don’t come close for my taste. I’m not jumping ship yet. 😉

 

[Matt Maran]

I'll be very curious to hear what the dealer tells you regarding oil weight and warranty.

 

[Retroman1969]

I’ll definitely let you know. 😉
She’s going in first thing in the morning.

PS: This video just popped up on my YouTube page to remind me that these hi-tech high performance cars are just plain more susceptible to quirks and issues than a basic Civic or Carolla no matter the make or model.
https://youtu.be/_If_p9ApY40

 

[ZEN357]

I had a 2005 F-150 FX-4 that I dearly loved but ticked constantly from 48,000 mile on. It drove me nuts until the day I traded it. It had the three valve engine. The only reason I traded it was because the transmission was going out in it. I was really disappointed in the truck not lasting as long as I felt it should. It was never run hard and was always driven on the highway. It only had 120,000 mile on it when I had to trade it because of the Transmission. It would have been $8500 to replace the transmission. I got $6000 on trade it for it and bought a RAM. That only last 120,000 miles as well. Maybe it's me but I have never had any good luck with trucks lasting. I have put 270,000 miles on cars. I take care of all my vehicles.

 

[bullit4404]

I'll be very curious to hear what the dealer tells you regarding oil weight and warranty.

That's an interesting question Matt. I would think, if you live in southern Arizona, Texas, they might question your warranty if you didn't use 5w30 (nom. rating @18 F to 105 F.) After all, the GT 350 uses 5w50 full synthetic as factory fill. I would think, that as long as your oil meets the Ford spec., and you are operating in the temperature range for that grade?
If it's 120 F outside, 5w20 isn't going to give you max protection, since it's rated nominally @ 18 F to 85 F.

 

[Retroman1969]

That’s my thought. I’m in Oklahoma City, and we have warm to hot temperatures most of the year.
Maybe I’m too old school, but I’m slightly unsettled about the thought of 20 weight oil year round in our environment.

 

[Retroman1969]

Well it was a quick visit. They got to me right away.
The heavy tech that greeted me was “the Mustang guy”.
I don’t have any experience with these cars so I’m going on what he said......
My noise was indeed piston slap, but it was normal for the Coyote engine under those conditions. He has a 2018 GT with the same noise under the same conditions.
He also stated that a few old customers of theirs with earlier Coyote equipped Mustangs have complained about similar noises for years and have never had an issue.
Inspections revealed no cylinder wall damage and the oil is still full and clean.
He stated that it would likely have burned some oil or left marks by now if there was a problem.

He also said that changing to heavier oil will not affect the warranty, but it would be a good idea to check with a dealer or Ford directly to make sure the oil you want to use is approved by them.
He suggested I switch to 5w30 on my next service due to our climate.

Final verdict: drive, enjoy, it will most likely never be an issue, and is covered by warranty if it ever is.

 

[Tony Alonso]

My noise was indeed piston slap, but it was normal for the Coyote engine under those conditions. He has a 2018 GT with the same noise under the same conditions.
He also stated that a few old customers of theirs with earlier Coyote equipped Mustangs have complained about similar noises for years and have never had an issue.
Inspections revealed no cylinder wall damage and the oil is still full and clean.
He stated that it would likely have burned some oil or left marks by now if there was a problem.

Did the engine get opened up? Also, earlier Coyote engines, from my anecdotal experience, were more prone to a "tick" sound coming from injectors or cam phasers, as opposed to piston slap, which we've been describing here in this thread as a "tick". That being said, if he was able to observe cylinder wall condition, that would be most telling. Thanks for any additional comments.

 

[bullit4404]

If they did look inside, they would have pulled a couple of spark plugs, most likely damaged cylinders, and used a boroscope to have a look around. Hopefully he's good to go.

 

[Tony Alonso]

If they did look inside, they would have pulled a couple of spark plugs, most likely damaged cylinders, and used a boroscope to have a look around. Hopefully he's good to go.

Thank you, sir, for the comments. Makes sense!

 

[JackDW - 852]

Just curious here. Does the '19 Bullitt come with a REAL oil pressure gauges or does it use the "glorified" idiot lights like the earlier models. While the earlier had something called an oil pressure gauge, it really didn't show the oil pressure. It was either in the middle (normal) or zero. Not the actual pressure.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Just curious here. Does the '19 Bullitt come with a REAL oil pressure gauges or does it use the "glorified" idiot lights like the earlier models. While the earlier had something called an oil pressure gauge, it really didn't show the oil pressure. It was either in the middle (normal) or zero. Not the actual pressure.

Yes, there is a gauge that shows the pressure in the middle of the IP that varies as the pressure varies. There's also a vacuum gauge, which I think is really just a reapplication of the boost gauge that's in the turbo Mustangs.

 

[bullit4404]

Normally Di pistons would have a dished center to direct the flame pattern back into the combustion chamber in an orderly fashion. Because of the double injection system and high CR of 12:1, a special design was developed. The stock pistons are Hypereutectic Aluminum which are stronger than a cast piston.
I'm including a picture of JE's new forged piston with a special skirt coating that reduces skirt wear and false knock (piston slap) especially when the engine is cold. The stock pistons will rock a little more and possibly create some piston slap.
There are no doubt other factors, like bore tolerances or finish difference due to the life of boring and honing tools. These variables may cause slight differences in the piston to cylinder clearances.

 

[Tony Alonso]

Normally Di pistons would have a dished center to direct the flame pattern back into the combustion chamber in an orderly fashion. Because of the double injection system and high CR of 12:1, a special design was developed. The stock pistons are Hypereutectic Aluminum which are stronger than a cast piston.
I'm including a picture of JE's new forged piston with a special skirt coating that reduces skirt wear and false knock (piston slap) especially when the engine is cold. The stock pistons will rock a little more and possibly create some piston slap.
There are no doubt other factors, like bore tolerances or finish difference due to the life of boring and honing tools. These variables may cause slight differences in the piston to cylinder clearances.

I think this hits at the core of what I and some other folks might be hearing. The more I've listened to the sound, I characterize it as a "fast rattle" and not a "tick - tick - tick". In fact, it sounds similar to what I experienced in my 2000 Mustang GT back years ago. For me, I am less concerned about the noise but more concerned about any excessive scoring in the cylinders. Thanks for this information!

 

[VIC-TIM]

seems that nowadays, not matter the make....if you don't hear some ticking or clicking, something is probably wrong. not like the" 'ole days..." (i.e., if you didn't have solid lifters...)

 

[bullit4404]

A good reason for a 2 minute warm up to get the oil coating everything well. Ten quarts is a lot of oil.

Here's what direct injection only pistons look like. The Mustang piston retains the plateau on top but loses the pocket.

 

[ZEN357]

You can buy a scanner at Walmart for $20 that way it saves you the drive to Advance every time you need a scan done.

 

[JackDW - 852]

Bullitt4404 (aka "Pat"), those piston pictures bring memories of long ago. I assisted an engine builder for several years. He built many different engines including NASCAR, NHRA, etc. At times he would spend hours with the piston and a grinder, shaping those domes and pockets. That is what separates a True Engine Builder and a machine shop. I had a number of people asked how he got so much out of his engines. It boils down to his magic. He just seemed to know what changes worked and what didn't. Not something I can do. Oh yea, I can take a grinder to the piston but would screw it up more than help.

I spent many days with a valve grinder, with his guidance, just to create valves for one head. At the same time, he spent days working on the ports and combustion chambers. All this to create engines that some of the factory engines can out perform today. This really makes me appreciate what the factories are building. Wish I was younger and able to take advantage of these, or maybe not.

 

[bullit4404]

Jack
When we built the Trans Am engines, we would buy a GM Sportsman block and spend hours cleaning up the casting flash and rounding off all the sharp edges. We used to buy heads from NASCAR teams, ones that didn't quite make the cut. We had a set of Petty Racing heads that made great power. Ran them two years, sold them to a drag racer who ran them a while.
A nice set of forged pistons are like art work. All the angles and surface variations, interesting to the eye.

 

[Einar]

Anyone tried the oil additive Ceratech? I have heard it reduces noise.