Ticking sound.

Valves adjusting

 

Turn the car off....Lol

It's normal buddy...

 

^ I love that answer!

 

Mechanical ticking noise or more of a loud static type clicking noise?

 

Get the header bolts checked. Had exactly the same issue - ticked at cold start and then went away.

 

Hi,

I have a Scuderia that's developed a serious tick (sic) when cold. It disappears after about a minute, but interestingly, I went to fire the old girl up yesterday, didn't catch first time so I pressed the starter a second time and it started. Of course, not catching the first time meant the car was running on one bank, (Driver's side). Not realising the car was in limp mode, I left it to warm up, whilst I made myself a double espresso. I returned shortly after to find the tick hadn't faded as it always has. A bit freaked, I went to drive the car, found it was running on one bank, shut it off and started again. This time I started the car properly, and within a minute the tick faded to nothing.
So, I'm guessing the passenger cylinder bank remained cold, hence the ever present ticking. Once the car was restarted firing on all cylinders, heat quickly built up on the passenger side and ticking stopped. I reckon the passenger side header has therefore become loose, or has a small crack, which, with a little heat expansion seals up nicely.
How hard is it to check the header bolts and can I crawl under there without a jack once the diffuser is off?

 

Again, valves adjusting...it's perfectly normal. Don't over think it as we have a dry sump oil system hence chatter is perfectly normal upon startup.

 

I had that issue on my f430. It was a broken exhaust stud - like $875 to fix but the part was cheap. Now I have the same issue again - I will have them replace all the bolts this time as the labor was almost all in R&R the exhaust.

 

If only Everything was so simple

 

Be careful that you aren't getting a crack in your headers. That will also make a ticking noise on startup and go away once they heat up. The heat will cause a small crack to close, stopping the sound. Until the crack expands.

 

+1; I agree the headers can "tic" until warm if failing, lose nuts, broken studs, etc.

 

They can! My ticking was less than 20 seconds. After insisting to my garage I wasn't paranoid, sure enough, broken header stud was found.

 

Headers get hot fast.
Hydraulic tappets pump up within a few seconds.
30-60 seconds is not the valves adjusting.

 

The scud I just bought showed the same exact symptoms, turned out to just be a loose header bolt. Once tightened the noise is gone when the car is both cold & warm.

 

Another possibility. The intake manifolding is pretty complex. Each cylinder has 2 runners feeding it. One is open and the other has a valve There is a large valve between the 2 plenum chambers. All this is operated by a linkage system that is vacuum operated and can wear out causing the ticking sound.

 

Yes the factory headers have Pre CATs a few inches from the mounting studs. Pre CATs are 1200 def F heaters! And are designed to heat up very very fast to reduce cold start emissions. That's their job.

Not saying its your ticking, but is plausible.

Jack it up, remove bottom plastic to gain access to bottom of engine, and listen to it

 

I'm new at this FChat, was my post too long and nobody read it, or perhaps it was in the wrong thread?

Now that everyone has concluded that headers heat up quickly, bolts loosen accidentally etc etc. how easy is it to check the header bolts?

 

Taking the bottom plastic pan off the car is a multi-step process, but straight forward and 20min.

The factory header is large and difficult as it has a built in heat shield and CATs. You can easily access half the bolts. The next 0.25 are hard, and one per side is very hard with Ferrari recommending a special tool. I used a 1/4 drive with a 12mm special end (see my thread).

**The torque rating is very low (25Nm), and your studs have been heat cycled from room temp to 700-1K deg F a thousand times which is not very good for metal strength. They could easily break. This is bad if the header is being removed, but fixable because at some point the headers will be OFF. Drill tap, remove, replace. But f you are just "tightening them" and one breaks its a big deal, because not the header has to come off.

To torque 25Nm you will need a quality tool, and at least a 3/8 or 1/4. Dont try and use your 1/2 drive, its not accurate at low values. If you dont have a torque wrench, get one. The shady tree mechanic might recommend torquing to 1/4 turn before the stud wrings off, but its not a great idea.


Please read my DIY on header replacement. Its loaded with useless info.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/360-430/382912-f430-exhaust-manifold-header-install-diy-fabspeed.html

 

Great info, thank you. I'll have a go and report back. Whilst I'm in there, is it worth replacing the header bolts anyway? Surely this will lessen the chance of snapping the old brittle bolts.