I have a 2002 F150 with the 4.2L v6 with 15,000 miles on it. When the engine is warm I hear a rattling sound coming from the motor. The sound is louder when accelerating. I don't see any loose exhaust parts or shields. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, but about 2000 miles ago the dealer put in a new coil, replaced three of the spark plugs and a couple of spark plug wires. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Paul Bosselaers
Paul, Your engine may be pinging. (The fuel is igniting in the cylinder too far before top dead center). There can be a few causes but 1st try a higher octane gas and see if the pinging stops. If the pinging doesn't stop and you hear the pinging when the enging is warm you may want to try "cooler" spark plugs. The hotter oe plugs may be causing pre mature fuel detonation because they obviously tend to get too hot.
Overly aggressive timing can also cause pinging but on newer vehicles timing is computer controlled (due to fuel efficiency and emissions cosiderations) and can no longer be manually adjusted
One of my vehicles is a 2000 model and it had severe pinging (engine rattling) when the weather was hot. After the dealer and manufacturer tried all different solutions they actually discovered a problem in the engine management software.
Good Luck, Vince
When the engine is
spark plug wires.
I had the same problem with V6 4.2L on a F150 2000 XLT.
They replaced the engine since the crank shaft had too much play.
Get to Ford dealership for warranty repair.
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