help ticking noise on my 2001 ford mustang gt

Asked by migration_undertaker... Mar 31, 2013 at 03:48 PM about the 2001 Ford Mustang GT Premium Coupe RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

hello and i just had the spark plugs changed in my 2001 ford mustang gt, when i was driving it home i
noticed a taping noise.  It did not make this noise before and now since i changed the plugs it does.  I
was told  that my number 2 plug is loosing or does not have compresstion.  Why did it do this after i
changed the plugs and how can i fix it.

41 Answers

Does it run smooth? A spark plug wire arcing to ground makes an audible, relatively loud 'tick' if a wire is off of a plug. it would be in very rapid succession..and as for compression, let's hope to high heaven that the #2 plug is not cross threaded.

48,565

maybe the plug wasnt installed correctly/loose. It doesnt have wires the coil is directly over the plug.

1 people found this helpful.
175,825

"let's hope to high heaven that the #2 plug is not cross threaded" -- or stripped! You have it fixed by taking it back to whoever changed the plugs.

2 people found this helpful.

well another mancanic took the plug out and put in a different one as he said the plug was not new. but still making that noise and dont understand as it didnt before and its driving me crazy and the other place i will never go back to again

1 people found this helpful.

it runs ok but when it sits u can see the motor shake like it has a miss and all the wires are on right. Dont understand how changing the plugs could cause this. One thing though the plugs that were in it were short ends and the new plugs have long ends, could this cause a problem

48,565

The long ones are just a new style they had problems with the old ones blowing out

oh ok someone told me that might be the problem so didnt know. also was told maybe it has dust or ect on top of the motor so might want to have it blown out and this might cause the noise too. So many people telling me different things im confused as what to do and have taken it to two different Mechanic

one of the tools in my mechanic's box is a sparkplug rethreading tool, only had to use it once on a Geo Metro, but if you've been cross threaded, carefully use this rethreading tool (or equivalent) to assure a spark plug that will seat against the block and compress the little ring without blowin' out~

2 people found this helpful.

in pakistan they will use thread (like sewing thread) around the threads to assure a tight fit...there are other solutions, but this one may work if it's gone -zo, and there's hardly no meat left~

5,890

Did mechanic #2 check for loose spark plugs or wires? I've seen where the boot on the plug wire moved, so when you slide the boot on the plug , The wire end is still not hooked to the plug. Those plugs don't sound quite Rite either.

2 people found this helpful.

Hi mrmoony what do u mean by the plugs dont sound quite right? There were two loose spark plugs but those were tighen up. But even though they say #2 plug is loosing compression there has of yet to be a compression test done on it.

1 people found this helpful.

hey let me ask u guys a question what kind of plugs should i use on this 2001 ford mustang gt, as i have people telling me all different kinds

1 people found this helpful.
48,565

motorcraft is what ford recommends there not expensive better to put factory parts on if the cost isnt to high.

1 people found this helpful.
5,890

If you have a stripped hole you got to fix it. Regardless of what brand plug You use. Too hot a plug and or one with too much reach into cylinder will burn holes in pistons

1 people found this helpful.

ok ty, i think they put in one called NGK, the one i did not want in there. also found out that it is not stripped or cross threaded.

1 people found this helpful.
48,565

ngk is a good plug but i would put all the same brand in.

1 people found this helpful.

the important thing is that plugs are IN THERE, in the first place- we could argue about fancy materials and expenses and half-life of these plugs, but the main deal is that we have A SPARK~

2 people found this helpful.

NGK means No Good Kind. ********Not really, a lighten up Monday going on. Used to say that to the clerks just to annoy them. They are as good as any... but Motorcraft actually should be used in a Ford.

1 people found this helpful.

hey guys well put in ford sparkplugs and all wires checked and ect and that tick is still there. Guy said that #2 cylinder is not pumping up like it should and that the compresstion in #2 is bad or not getting compression. I don't understand this at all as it did not do anything like this before the plugs were changed so how did just by putting in new plugs cause all these problems. Is there something that could cause this problem. Tired of putting money into it and no one coming up with an answer but just trying different things and costing me more and more money. Now the guy said to top clean the engine as it might have carbon build up? I am really stuck on this problem and love my car but cant keep putting money into like this with no results.

1 people found this helpful.

did you rev this motor up unloaded, just free idling up to 4-5k rpm? that would put a dent in your whistle. and believe the damage was caused by abusing your motor and revvin it up from idle with a NO load condition--- your motor literally shook itself to death...MOTOR honey!

1 people found this helpful.

hello and no we did not rev this motor up as i dont do that kind of things on my car. dont know why it or they say #2 cylinder is not pumping up

1 people found this helpful.

well I would like to apologize for insinuating that you've treated your ride with anything other than the respect it deserves, but think....we've got two valves, and a set of rings....apparently you've done a compression check on #2 and noted the time it took to go back to zero, wet and dry...can't magna-flux still on the car, not leaking coolant...head's okay....did you get an eyeball on the cam to see that it opens the valves both intake and exhaust? a bad or cupped lifter may be the culprit~

1 people found this helpful.

it ok, but one thing i noticed today (seen it a couple days back but thought it was cold smoke) when i start my car there is white smoke, it dosent last long and dosent do it when i go down the road (had wife follow me and no signs of smoke) the car does not over heat or get hot and there is no water in the oil when i checked it. So what does that mean by chance

2 people found this helpful.

check the coolant level...quite certain this white gas IS coolant coming from the headgasket, or worse yet a cracked head or block, you'd quite know about this if it were the case....dunno, take it back to ford for a recall headgasket...should be researching recalls and TSB's on your car to begin with~

1 people found this helpful.

Hi and just went out to check the spark plugs at night to see if there was any sparks coming from them since it is dark out. Started it up and it ran for a min or two and the smoke came out of the tail pipe and we shined a flashlight onto the smoke and it is not white but a blueish color. All levels of oil and water are fine

1 people found this helpful.

http://www.obd-codes.com/tsb/2001/ford/mustang/ Damn, there's a lot of them....probably explains each and every one of your troubles...this~

1 people found this helpful.
6,725

if you replaced the plugs, make sure the mechanic didn't cross one of the wires, it happens a lot more times then people think hope this helps

1 people found this helpful.
630

To long of plugs can cause a lot of internal damage

1 people found this helpful.
10

I changed my spark plugs and got the same thing just wanted to see if u know any more info on that?

1 people found this helpful.
20

I was told the spark plugs that were put in were too long and so in return it chipped off parts of the plugs and went into the cylinder causing it to go bad, so i had to replace all the pistions and ect in there. In short i sold my car as it came out to be too much money for me to do this, sucks as i loved my car too. good luck

1 people found this helpful.
6,725

Margaret: I'm sorry that happen, that's the poorest excuses for taken you for a ride, I've heard in a long time.....a good mechanic would have known the length, as second nature???? And having to sell your car is a sad day for all of us out here in guru land.....hope this helps

1 people found this helpful.
6,725

Motorcraft or Auto lite is always the way to go for fords, and a quick cross reference should have cote that Rookie mistake....SAD!!!!

1 people found this helpful.
20

Thanks guys, and i learned a lesson the hard way, hope no one else has to learn it that way. Hats off to all of us Mustang lovers.

1 people found this helpful.

I got a 2000 ford mustang gt with the 4.6 is the number one coil on the drive side or the passenger side

Your Answer:

Mustang

Looking for a Used Mustang in your area?

CarGurus has 1,606 nationwide Mustang listings starting at $6,200.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Gene Arnett
    Reputation
    3,130
  • #2
    Bob Beaman
    Reputation
    2,680
  • #3
    rst429
    Reputation
    2,590
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Camaro
19 Great Deals out of 513 listings starting at $11,500
Used Chevrolet Corvette
21 Great Deals out of 605 listings starting at $10,989
Used Ford F-150
343 Great Deals out of 12,723 listings starting at $599
Used BMW 3 Series
63 Great Deals out of 1,233 listings starting at $3,995
Used Ford Mustang SVT Cobra
7 listings starting at $24,879
Used Chevrolet Silverado 1500
213 Great Deals out of 9,034 listings starting at $2,900
Used BMW M3
3 Great Deals out of 81 listings starting at $15,850
Used Jeep Wrangler
136 Great Deals out of 5,920 listings starting at $8,995
Used Honda Civic
186 Great Deals out of 4,226 listings starting at $2,499
Used Lexus IS
29 Great Deals out of 400 listings starting at $5,400

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.