Coyote first start! Runs like a dream... except for a darn ticking noise...

[Slider]

Well, got the Coyote started, and it runs beautifully (Only in the garage, not around the block yet as it is 32 degrees today, less with wind). Everything looks great, and the engine runs beautifully... except for a fairly loud "ticking Sound". This really concerned me (obviously), but upon checking the internet I found that this seems to be a very common issue with the Coyote, and Ford calls it normal. But, as with almost everything on the internet, opinions seem to vary as to whether this is something to be concerned with, or not. Some say it goes away once warmed up, some say not. Others say this is a Timing Belt Tensioner issue, others say not. Some say a retune fixes this, others say not.

I've posted a short video of the first start (you'll probably enjoy my kids screams as the motor starts and revs!) on YouTube (link included). The ticking is most evident during the last half of the video. I would appreciate any shared knowledge any of the other Coyote guys might have on this issue (the ticking sound that you will hear in the video)

http://youtu.be/mo4XpAq9Yx0

[ClemsonS197]

Congrats! Sounds great.

Mine doesn't tick right now. I was afraid of the tick too, but it seems like it's more of a nuisance than anything wrong. I didn't find a single engine failure due to the tick, and many people reported it going away after a few thousand miles.

[Hockey Town]

Congratulations! What a great milestone in your build.

We have two Coyote powered cars in go kart stage. One is a ticker and one is not. We have not noticed any difference in how the engines perform. We are hopeful that the ticking goes away as we break in the motors.

[Slider]

Not sure why your comment struck me as so funny... I almost pictured a Doctor standing over a patient saying ..."We've got a ticker here!" :p

Glad that this doesn't seem to be out of the ordinary, but a bit frustrating as I'd much prefer NOT to be a "Ticker".

I've started a trouble ticket with Ford Racing... so will update as I learn more.

Thanks for the feedback though! Glad that it probably isn't something I should lose sleep over.

[Hockey Town]

We would be grateful to you for sharing any information you learn from Ford. We would prefer not to have any "Tickers" either. Hopefully it turns out to be a non-issue.

[Slider]

Definitely will share what we learn from Ford. I sent them video yesterday and expect to get some feedback today. They've suggested removing the serpentine belt temporarily so we can run it and figure out if it is a pulley or belt issue. I'm not really looking forward to the trouble shooting process, but I guess I'll see how this progresses.

Just curious, on your "ticker"... Does the sound subside after it warms up?

[Hockey Town]

It seems to stop after the engine gets hot. We have only run the cars in the neighborhood a few times. We are waiting to get our bodies back from paint so we can go for a longer drive. It will be good to do a true shakedown ride. Hopefully we are just a few weeks away from getting our bodies back.

[akpingel]

Congrats! Car sounds great even with the tick. Honestly it reminds me of my VW which ticks exactly the same way until its warm. I am very close to a first start and will share with everyone whether or not I have a ticker too haha.

[Jester]

Hey Slider - nice progress. I believe the Coyote will be worth it in the end.

Thx for posting the vid of the start.

I did not have any ticking on first start. I did eventually have an issue due bad gas which sounded similar for about 30 seconds before the engine stalled. I replaced the fuel with recommended octane and no further issues. I also installed the ford speed sensor to allow the engine to determine when the car is moving to improve performance and no issues to report.

Good luck and keep us posted

[Jay Mann]

My Coyote ticked on intial startup, but it went away once we reached temp. We have only driven around the neighbourhood, but it has not returned. I have modified the drive belt and use a custom tensioner. I have not installed the Speed sensor or changed the tune yet. The initial drives are on the video on our build site www.33coyote.com. You can hear the belt slipping and smoking because we had antifreeze on it and the tension was not set correctly.

[ipsale]

I had a tick too. I chased mine down to the idler pully. The pully has a small indexing notch which when I instaled it i missed. Once the pully was tightened down it became slightly out of alignment. Once I got under the car and saw the situation and corrected it my ticking went away. Im not sure if that helps anyone but if nothing else its another thing to check.

[riptide motorsport]

Congrats....sounds great............ The kid is hillarious! And Taylors recital was very nice too!

[Slider]

Quick update - Turns out the "Ticking Sound" was a bad Belt Tensioner and Pully straight from Ford Racing on the Crate engine. (I pulled the belts and ran it and it sounds PERFECT!). Now... trying to get FORD RACING to replace the part seems to be the challenge....

Updated April 9, 2013: SEE POST BELOW THIS (Dated 4-9-2013) FOR A FURTHER AND MORE ACCURATE UPDATE:

[Slider]

Okay, further update and this is an IMPORTANT ONE. It wasn't just a bad tensioner. Turns out the routing of the belt off of the powersteering pump had been set up incorrectly from the vendor I used. After literally 5 months, Ford Racing determined that the routing of the belt coming off the PS Pump was incorrect and would cause the tensioner to be pulled in a direction that would make it tick. Because of this, The vendor that I ordered the Coyote from, and who had installed the power steering pump and bracket, fabricated a new bracket and provided a new belt and additional pulley which routed the belt in a different path, which had been approved by Ford Racing. The ticking sound went away immediately.


Quick update - Turns out the "Ticking Sound" was a bad Belt Tensioner and Pully straight from Ford Racing on the Crate engine. (I pulled the belts and ran it and it sounds PERFECT!). Now... trying to get FORD RACING to replace the part seems to be the challenge....

[Sdtoothdoc1]

Please tell us which P/S unit you are running?