Hello All, having some trouble with my Focus 2006 1.6 petrol, any help or advice appreciated! 
 

long story short, new valve cover gasket, dizzy leads, Plugs, all ok, since then the engine has been ticking unlike previously, I did my best to not mess  with any lifters or get any debris internally while the cover was off, has anyone had this before where right after a valve cover change it ticks? Super annoying… considering taking the cam position sensors out either side re oiling them as they had to be removed, but besides that I am stuck, found something online saying intake manifold swirl flaps? Or lifters? Any advice would be greatly appreciated 

 

cheers all

The Mk2 1.6 Petrol engine doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

These engines also don't have swirl flaps. I believe that only the 1.8 and 2.0 petrols do. These are a completely different engine originally designed by Mazda.

9 hours ago, AntonovAN12 said:

The Mk2 1.6 Petrol engine doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

These engines also don't have swirl flaps. I believe that is only the 1.8 and 2.0 petrols do. These are a completely different engine originally designed by Mazda.

Ah ok, did wonder, if not those is there anything else you think could be causing it?

Does the tick get quieter as the engine warms up ?

Does the tick disappear when you go from drive to over run? Check when cold and at low speed.

If the answer is yes to both questions then your problem is most likely piston slap in the engine.

You can run for a long time with piston slap present so long as it's not too bad. When the oil consumption goes up and there is a smokey exhaust it's time to worry. 

One of my Mk 2  1.6 petrols is at 180,000 miles with piston slap and still going strong.

Here's an extract from the above hyperlink

How do I know if my engine has a piston slap?

Pistons that are slapping will produce a metallic knocking sound whose frequency matches the engine’s speed. At first, this may appear similar to the noise made by noisy valve tappets or failing hydraulic lifers. The difference, however, is that the piston slap will be louder when the engine is under load, and will go away as soon as you back off the throttle.

ScaniaPBman

 

15 hours ago, AntonovAN12 said:

The Mk2 1.6 Petrol engine doesn't have hydraulic lifters.

These engines also don't have swirl flaps. I believe that is only the 1.8 and 2.0 petrols do. These are a completely different engine originally designed by Mazda.

 

1 hour ago, ScaniaPBman said:

Does the tick get quieter as the engine warms up ?

Does the tick disappear when you go from drive to over run? Check when cold and at low speed.

If the answer is yes to both questions then your problem is most likely piston slap in the engine.

You can run for a long time with piston slap present so long as it's not too bad. When the oil consumption goes up and there is a smokey exhaust it's time to worry. 

One of my Mk 2  1.6 petrols is at 180,000 miles with piston slap and still going strong.

Here's an extract from the above hyperlink

How do I know if my engine has a piston slap?

Pistons that are slapping will produce a metallic knocking sound whose frequency matches the engine’s speed. At first, this may appear similar to the noise made by noisy valve tappets or failing hydraulic lifers. The difference, however, is that the piston slap will be louder when the engine is under load, and will go away as soon as you back off the throttle.

ScaniaPBman

 

 

1 hour ago, ScaniaPBman said:

Does the tick get quieter as the engine warms up ?

Does the tick disappear when you go from drive to over run? Check when cold and at low speed.

If the answer is yes to both questions then your problem is most likely piston slap in the engine.

You can run for a long time with piston slap present so long as it's not too bad. When the oil consumption goes up and there is a smokey exhaust it's time to worry. 

One of my Mk 2  1.6 petrols is at 180,000 miles with piston slap and still going strong.

Here's an extract from the above hyperlink

How do I know if my engine has a piston slap?

Pistons that are slapping will produce a metallic knocking sound whose frequency matches the engine’s speed. At first, this may appear similar to the noise made by noisy valve tappets or failing hydraulic lifers. The difference, however, is that the piston slap will be louder when the engine is under load, and will go away as soon as you back off the throttle.

ScaniaPBman

 

It definitely does not get louder as it warms up, it’s a constant noise DB, the tapping gets faster as I rev the engine, making me think its cams or something alike, you mention piston slap but that would be weird as it just happens as soon as I take the head off and do valve gasket. Not too sure