Ford Puma (1997 - 2001) - 02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal

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Fri 21 Aug 2009 15:00
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - polecat10
Hi,
My zetec puma has made a fast ticking/clicking noise since I bought it 18 months ago- it seems more noticable some days than others, although never really loud.
The noise is linked to revs (ie. gets faster when you rev it)
It isn't too loud but I did think it was a diesel coming into the street the other day when my wife was driving it.
I've driven a mondeo that made a similar sound.

Car has 80k on the clock and is running perfectly in every way with no mods.

Any ideas what could be the cause- is this normal or common fault on pumas? Ford didn't seem to notice it when they changed the cambelt last year.

Thanks in advance,
Mike.
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Fri 21 Aug 2009 15:22
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - Rich320d
Sounds like the usual noise from the hydraulic tappets that adjust the valves.

Has it been regularly serviced, and is it using the Ford approved 5w/30 grade of oil?

What mileage has it done.

Hydraulic tappets can get noisy with age, if its excessive then they can be changed, or maybe the engine needs the oil changing more frequently and a few longer high speed journeys, town driving can cause this.
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Fri 21 Aug 2009 21:20
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - polecat10
Cheers for the reply,
it's done 80 thousand miles, 5w 30 oil- level checked every month or so, serviced yearly. It does most of it's miles at motorway speeds.
can the tappets cause damage and what sort of price is it to change them?
thanks again,
Mike.
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Fri 21 Aug 2009 21:25
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - polecat10
p.s. my local garage said he would do an engine flush (extra £40) in the next service due soon and this could get rid of some noises- sounds like rot to me but could it free the tappets??
Cheers,
Mike
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Sat 22 Aug 2009 00:16
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - Rich320d
So its regularly serviced and running on the right oil. Engine flush might help, 40 quid sounds a bit much though, a can is only a few quid at Halfords.

A good mechanic will be able to track the noise down, if yours cant, then get another opinion.
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Sat 22 Aug 2009 17:08
02 1.7 Ticking/clicking engine noise- is it normal - polecat10
cheers rich320d,
I'll try an engine flush as I've decided to do the service myself- can't justify paying £160(service inc. plugs and engine flush) for the garage to do it.
Mike.
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