Hi all, 2009 1.25 Zetec. When cold (freezing or below), I've got a ticking noise for a few mins until warmed up.

It becomes even louder when pulling away from a standstill.

I've had a listen to ancillaries with a stethoscope but can't identify that it is coming from any of them. Any ideas?

Video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/558lyuuql5yjfct/WhatsApp Video 2016-12-29 at 08.52.42.mp4?dl=0

strange noise. no idea what it is but in the quest to rule things out- 

i would remove the alternator drive belt. start car, has noise disappeared? 

with engine NOT running spin the pulleys by hand, do any feel rough, have play on them, make strange noises.

my wife's focus made strange noises. i could not work out what it was (but I never tried what i suggested above) and then 100 miles from home the alternator drive belt came off because the tensioner pulley had melted - i think from siezed bearing. this mk1 focus has water pump driven by same belt so could not drive without overheating and it was getting dark so battery would have gone flat.  power steering not working either although that was the least of the problems. had to resort to RAC to bring me home- lucky we were members.

Thanks for the reply! I believe these are elastic belts - is it OK to remove and refit them? How do I go about removing it?

Is the water pump run by the aux belt on this car, or is that just a Focus thing?

Mine makes the exact same noise, only when it's a really cold day and goes away as engine warms. Anyone know what it is?

Thanks

Rob

I have known, especially with Ford engines, that the incorrect grade / specification of oil can cause some issues (like this). Whilst these engines do not have hydraulic tappets, check first the type of oil used and is it in line with the manufacturers specification?

Thanks for response. It's always been serivced by Ford so the oil should be the correct specification, and if it was tappet related the rattle would be in keeping with engine speed, and it's not.

I was hoping the OP would let us know what they found! I've checked the alternator pulley (with belt on) and it seems rock solid, and adding load (lights, fan, heater etc) doesn't seem to make any difference either way. The noise appears to be emanating from inside the head so off the my local Ford garage to see what they tell me. I'll post back idc.

Hi, Rob,

Have you solved the issue?

My 2010 duratec makes the exact same noise (directly quoted namwos' video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/558lyuuql5yjfct/WhatsApp Video 2016-12-29 at 08.52.42.mp4?dl=0), but only when it's a really cold day and goes away as engine warms. Please anyone know about the issue. Many thanks.

Sorry for delay in updating; car has been with garage three days this week, back today but the noise, despite the cold temperatures, hasn't happened again. I drove it down there on a cold day and I didn't hear it either; this is my son's car and he does sometimes hang on to the ignition key too long after the engine fires up, so it may be the starter motor recovering after a bit of harsh treatment. On reflection it's never happened in my usage!

Fingers crossed...

 

Many thanks for your update on the issue. It is really helpful ---