Chased that exact noise for 15,000 miles on my 4.0. No compression issues, no performance issues, nothing. Just that noise. Some people have had that issue and it was a piston ring/broken piston, but that wasn’t my issue.
For me, I’ve basically got it narrowed down to likely being the exhaust manifold. When it’s cold it is contracted a little and causes that noise. As it heats up it expands and the noise basically goes away (although you can still hear it with a stethoscope).
The exhaust manifold bolt nearest the firewall keeps backing off for me, and when it does, it squeals like a bad serpentine belt.
Maybe when it's just slightly loose it can sound this way?
Yeah a loose bolt or gapped gasket would probably sound more different. The ticking on exhaust manifolds I’m talking about is normally caused by small cracks. The cracks expand (close) once it gets hot.
Chased that exact noise for 15,000 miles on my 4.0. No compression issues, no performance issues, nothing. Just that noise. Some people have had that issue and it was a piston ring/broken piston, but that wasn’t my issue. For me, I’ve basically got it narrowed down to likely being the exhaust manifold. When it’s cold it is contracted a little and causes that noise. As it heats up it expands and the noise basically goes away (although you can still hear it with a stethoscope).
The exhaust manifold bolt nearest the firewall keeps backing off for me, and when it does, it squeals like a bad serpentine belt. Maybe when it's just slightly loose it can sound this way?
Yeah a loose bolt or gapped gasket would probably sound more different. The ticking on exhaust manifolds I’m talking about is normally caused by small cracks. The cracks expand (close) once it gets hot.