Nobody Knows What’s Making Ford’s Coyote Engines Tick

Engines are supposed to make noise. Many noises, in fact! There are good noises, like the rush of air into the intake, and the growl of the exhaust. And there are bad noises, like the pings of detonation or the dreaded clank of rod knock. But what if you had a noise that fell somewhere in between, and nobody could tell you what it was? That’s the question befuddling many Ford owners in recent years.

The Coyote V8 is the Ford muscle car engine right now. You’ll find it under the hood of the Blue Oval’s most important models. Coyote 5.0s power the Ford F-150 and the Ford Mustang, and it also turns up in more obscure models like the Lincoln Mark LT.

The Coyote is much lauded for its power, torque, and sonorous exhaust. But it’s also become well-known for an altogether more curious sound—the dreaded “typewriter tick.” If you’re wondering what it is, and what’s to be done, well… you’re not the only one.

The Tell-Tale Heart

So what is this mysterious sound? Search online, and you’ll find endless forum posts discussing the Coyote engine’s “typewriter tick” or “BBQ tick.” It’s characterized as an intermittent ticking sound that occurs at irregular intervals. The sound is often best heard through the front wheel well. The sound is likened to the metallic tick of a mechanical typewriter, or the firing of a barbecue igniter—hence the common nicknames for the problem.

The tick can occur on just about any Coyote 5.0. Ford has noted the problem across F-150 and Mustang models from 2011 to 2024, as well as on the Lincoln Mark LT built from 2011 to 2014. However, at the same time, it’s not reported on every example of the engine. Some owners report their engines never develop the tick, while others notice it pop up one day, often after an oil change.

A great example of the “typewriter tick”—note how it sounds like someone typing on an old typewriter.

The “typewriter tick” should not be confused for any regular ticking. A common source of such a sound is the direct injection system on later Coyote engines. The typewriter tick is known as a largely random tick that does not occur with any rhythm or regular interval.

These sounds have created great concern for many owners. After all, a metallic ticking or knocking sound from inside the engine normally spells doom. It can be a sign that there are major problems with the engine’s rotating assembly, or that something is moving or contacting where it shouldn’t be.

The interesting thing about the Coyote’s “typewriter tick” is that it’s apparently not a problem. Ford issued a Special Service Message on the matter quite some time ago, and regularly updates it to cover new models with the Coyote 5.0 engine. As per the document, filed with the NHTSA:

Some 2011-2024 Mustang and F-150 vehicles equipped with a 5.0L engine may exhibit a tick tap and/or typewriter ticking noise at idle after an engine oil change. It is often referred to as typewriter noise because of its similarity to the sound of a mechanical typewriter. The noise in question may be heard on some engines when engine temperatures reach 150°F (65°C) or higher and engine speed is at idle up to approximately 1700 RPM. It can typically be heard at the front wheel well and is often isolated to the transmission bell housing or oil pan area.

The typewriter noise tick rate can be faster or slower and is not detrimental to the engine function or durability and has no short or long term effects on the engine. This an operating characteristic of the 5.0L engine and no repairs should be attempted.

That document provides us with some interesting details on the matter. For a start, Ford makes it clear that the tick is “normal” and does not indicate a problem worthy of repair. It notes that the problem is most commonly noticed after an engine oil change. It also states that it’s potentially correlated with temperature and a certain RPM range, and where it’s most often heard. That’s a lot of interesting information.

Only, one thing is missing. What the heck is actually causing this sound?!

Speculate at Will

Ford hasn’t outlined a cause for the sound. The Autopian has contacted the automaker regarding the matter. However, given that Ford has never provided a specific explanation for the tick over the years, it’s unlikely they’ll do so now.

Despite the noise, the Coyote is regarded as a generally reliable engine. By and large, Ford’s statement that the noise “is not detrimental to the engine function or durability,” seems to ring true. While some of these engines have certainly failed, we haven’t heard horror stories of Mustangs and F-150s suffering engine failures en masse.

Still, something has to be making that noise. So what is it? Ford forums are full of people speculating as to the cause.

Given the problem often seems to occur after an oil change, some have put the problem down to something vaguely oil or oil pressure related. Common callouts are the hydraulic lash adjusters in the valve train, or the hydraulic timing chain tensioners causing some degree of chain slap. Both are believable enough, but there isn’t a whole lot of conclusive evidence supporting this idea.

Similarly, many have espoused the use of heavier weight oils to quell the noise. However, there’s plenty of evidence of owners trying this with heavier 10W and even 15W oils, and failing to cure the tick.

Another common theory puts the problem down to piston slap, due to the piston-to-cylinder wall clearance being outside the proper range. This is often tied in to the Coyote’s use of plasma transfer wire arc technology for the cylinder liners, considered by some to be inferior to the use of traditional cylinder sleeves. However, this technology was only used on Coyote models from 2018, and the “typewriter tick” issue goes all the way back to 2011.

Perhaps the most compelling theory out there, though, concerns the bottom end of the engine. One owner shared a video on YouTube of their Coyote V8 partially disassembled. Inspection showed that the connecting rods exhibited a significant degree of side play. The owner claims that while the spec is from 0.323 mm to 0.5 mm, two of their connecting rods showed side play up to 0.9 mm.

This is a bit of a smoking gun for the typewriter tick issue. The sound generated by hand with the connecting rod play does seem to correlate with the characteristic “typewriter” sound. Plus, as it happens at the bottom of the engine, it would explain why the sound is easiest to hear from low down by the wheel wells rather than the engine bay. While excessive play of this type is not ideal, it’s also not necessarily a huge problem for engine longevity. Certainly not as much as connecting rod play in the up-and-down direction. While the example above is likely excessive, it’s believable that play just outside of Ford’s stated limits could cause this noise without excessive risk to the engine’s lifespan.

It’s not a perfect explanation, though. For one, this is likely a problem that Ford could control in production if so desired. Ford hasn’t publicly made any statements supporting this idea, either. Furthermore, there is additional evidence that further complicates the issue.

A Fix (Maybe)

The typewriter tick clearly annoys some owners to a great degree. Endless forum posts chronicle owners decrying the noise and their inability to quell it. As far as Ford and its dealership network are concerned, at least according to the special service message, there is no problem to fix. It’s just the normal sound of a properly-working Coyote engine. However, that doesn’t mean people haven’t tried to fix it.

Read enough posts, and you’ll find people spruiking a popular folk cure in the form of Liquimoly’s Cera Tec additive. It’s billed as reducing friction and wear by the manufacturer. Using it is simple—one simply shakes up the can and pours it into the engine’s oil filler. It then mixes with the oil and does its magic.

Many automotive enthusiasts dismiss additives out of hand, calling them mere snake oil. However, there are several Mustang owners out there that attest to Cera Tec working as a fix. Forum posters and YouTubers alike have credited the additive with solving the problem. In the latter case, you can even hear the results for yourself.

So what could the Cera Tec be doing to solve the problem? It’s hard to imagine a friction reduction agent solving any issues with bottom-end side play. If anything, it would make it easier for those connecting rods to dance side-to-side if that were the case. However, a lower friction oil could potentially have an impact on hydraulic lash adjusters in the valvetrain. It could make these parts move more freely, taking up necessary slack in the valvetrain that can create metallic ticking noises. Similarly, it could have an effect on the hydraulic timing chain tensioners, too.

The Autopian contacted Liquimoly for its input on this matter. Given it designed and manufactured the additive, its engineers perhaps have the best insight as to what the additive can and can’t do within an engine. I decided to ask Steffen Niemietz, Liquimoly’s Application Engineer, what the deal was.

We know that a lot of customers have very good experience using Cera Tec to reduce the “tick” in Coyote engines as well as in HEMI engines.

Like everyone else, we don’t know what exactly causes this ticking. However, the fact is that adding Cera Tec to the motor oil has a positive effect on reducing the ticking.

It appears the gang at Liquimoly have about as much idea as we do about what’s causing the tick. Helpfully, Steffen also told us a little more about Cera Tec itself:

Cera Tec is a combination of chemical surface protection and solid lubricant. While the solid lubricant (ceramic particles) takes effect immediately after being added to the engine oil and, among other things, contributes to reducing noise, the chemical agent requires several hours of operation to build up a chemical protective layer, which ultimately leads to further protection against excessive wear. Cera Tec is therefore a very powerful combination of an extremely pressure and heat-stable solid lubricant and long-lasting protection for the surfaces in the engine.

That’s good info. In particular, many YouTube videos seem to show the additive acting quite quickly to reduce the tick—certainly within an hour or so based on what we’ve seen above. Forum posters concur. That suggests it’s the solid ceramic lubricant particles that are having an effect. Furthermore, the chemical protective coating created by Cera Tec is supposed to last for several oil changes. However, anecdotal forum posts have owners saying that the tick returns after an oil change—until they add more Cera Tec. That’s more cursory evidence suggesting it’s the solid lubricant particles making the difference. However, it’s worth noting this is all fairly raw speculation—we’re not scientifically certain about any of this.

Interestingly, some owners have speculated that Ford used a similar fix itself at one point. Rumors circulate around a supposedly-discontinued “Motorcraft XL17” additive that some suggest was included in Coyote engine oil from the factory. It’s similarly suggested to be a friction-lowering oil additive. The idea being that changing the oil removes the critical additive, thus creating the tick after the first oil change. Interesting, no? Incidentally, Summit Racing still lists the additive on sale for $40.99, but I have thus far found no evidence of Mustang or F-150 owners using this to solve their tick problems in the field.

So What Is The Truth?

We still don’t have a full answer as to what causes the Coyote 5.0 typewriter tick. There are a lot of theories out there, as well as plenty of tales from affected owners. Parsing out what the typewriter tick is, and isn’t, is hard enough—let alone figuring out the root cause. The fact that Ford hasn’t issued a clear statement on why this happens only muddies the water further.

What about other engines? For Coyote variants like the 5.2-liter Voodoo, it’s hard to say. These engines have a far smaller customer base, and there’s not a whole lot of information out there. However, similar problems have been cited for Ford’s 6.7-liter PowerStroke diesel engines in an official TSB. In those cases, Ford also states that no repairs are necessary, and that the sound is normal.

Interestingly, Ford puts the problem down to “build tolerance stack-up” in the PowerStroke case. This suggests that some rattling could be down to tolerancing, as in the connecting rod example seen in the Coyote engine video above. However, why Ford would state this openly for the PowerStroke and not the Coyote is not obvious. Amusingly, though, Ford notes that the typewriter noise has long been present in these engines, and that it only became apparent once other parts of the engine were quietened down.

From my personal experience, it definitely sounds like some kind of play in the engine’s metallic components. My thoughts initially drifted to lifter tick, given how prevalent that has been in certain cars that I’ve owned, like the NA Mazda Miata. Theories around oil pressure and the hydraulic lash adjusters seem viable, and would present a minimal risk of damage to the engine over time. However, I wouldn’t rule out the bottom-end play theory either.

At the end of the day, it’s not a problem that you really need to worry about. If the tick really bothers you, you can always try the Ceratec fix. If that doesn’t sort it, either learn to live with it or sell your car. Ultimately, Ford says it’s normal. The fleet of 5.0 F-150s and Mustangs out there is still running strong, too, indicating that the tick isn’t some big bad harbinger of doom.

Still, it’s easy to sympathize with the owners. Nobody wants to buy a lovely new V8, only to hear it making funny noises. It seems this is one of the innocuous ones, but the sheer mystery around it will keep many of us pondering for some time.

Image credits: Ford, Apex Auto Products via YouTube screenshot, Summit Racing, Liquimoly