Piston Slap: 60 Percent of the Time, It Works Every Time?

by Sajeev Mehta

Published: September 29th, 2017

piston slap 60 percent of the time it works every time

Erik writes:

This morning I pulled in to work and a friend stopped me to ask about his 2006 Ford Explorer. A week ago he performed an oil change on his 4.0-liter V6. When he was changing the filter, the old oil filter’s gasket stuck on, but he didn’t see it and double gasketed it. When he fired up the engine oil spewed everywhere. The oil level ran low before he discovered it and shut off the engine. He kitty-littered the driveway, re-installed the filter, and topped the oil back up. He started the engine and his lifters started ticking. As I stood there talking with him, I could hear multiple lifters ticking. Is there a safe and reliable way to get the lifters pumped back up without disassembling the top end?

I googled “Ford 4.0 lifters ticking” and apparently the engine family has issues with lifters ticking when they get old, but I can’t find anything pertaining to lifters ticking after running the oil level low. The recommendations I see are to run thicker oil, Marvel Mystery Oil, STP oil treatment, Lucas oil stabilizer, ATF, etc. Are any of these a reasonable solution for his problem?

I’ve also read to just drive the truck as normal and the ticking will go away. This is what I’m inclined to recommend. Do you have any better info?

Please let me insert a tip I learned as a technician: when you change your oil filter, always wipe off the filter sealing surface and you will never have this problem.

Sajeev answers:

Be it an OHV or OHC configuration, the Ford Cologne V6 was plagued with valvetrain issues, though the stereotypical first or second owner (the ones owning before deep six-figure mileage) never knew about it. Even if Ford Cologne V6 lifter tick is quite pungent.

It stings the nostrils…but in a good way!

They’ve done studies, you know. 60 percent of the time, it works every time.

#2.9 #4.04.0OHV #4.0OHC #4.0SOHC #Cologne #CologneV6 #CologneV6LifterTick #FordCologne #FordExplorer #Lifter #Oil #TimingChain #OilPressure

Sajeev Mehta

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3 of 53 comments

George B on Sep 29, 2017

I'd just drive it. The Cologne 4.0 V6, even with valve noise, is likely to outlast the 5R55E transmission. If it breaks, you can buy an entire replacement Explorer for low thousands or you can buy something else. If absolutely everything expensive in the Explorer broke all at once, it's still a lot of useful parts and a big mass of scrap metal if you can get it to a salvage yard.

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Pwrwrench on Sep 30, 2017

This is the second time in a week or so that the "double filter seal" has been mentioned on TTAC. I had Yogi Berra's "Deja Vu all over again" when I did a recent oil/filter change on the S O's Ford. I looked at the filter when I removed it. No rubber seal. It was still on the engine's filter mount. I think this is the second time in more than four decades and probably thousands of oil services that this has happened to me. I have seen it on vehicles others worked on. Once a customer brought his car in because he could not remove the filter. He did his own oil changes and the seal stuck to the filter mount. He just tightened the filter until it stopped leaking. Had to go buy a heavy duty filter wrench to remove that filter. And yes, I always oil the rubber seal/O-ring. Usually instructions on the box tell you to do that. Every workshop manual that I have ever read has that same instruction.

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- Mcs on Sep 30, 2017
  
  I wonder how often that happens at quick change shops like Jiffy Lube? Then again, they're well-trained highly skilled professionals that would never make that mistake
  
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