My 99 F150 5.4L has a cold start tapping noise. I am not sure if its piston slap, the belt, or something completely else. I dropped my truck off at Ford last night so they could check it out cold in the morning. The service dept. said it made no irregular noise. Since it is warmer today in NC, I believe that it may have not produced the sound. One of the guy at the service dept. told me a lot of 5.4L engines are making a sound like I described to him. The way it sounded to me, he was trying to say that even if they hear it, they do not plan to do any thing about it. He said I have plenty of warranty left, and if something is wrong, something will break and then they can fix that. I still plan to make another appointment the next cold front that comes through. Any one have any tips on getting this sound diagnosed, or any one who wants to tell of a dealer that is willing to fix the problem.

Thanks
Nick

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'99 F-150 XLT SC 4x4 5.4L Auto 3.55LS Tow pkg skid plates , Superchip, Gibson cat-back, K&N filter

 

Sounds like you got the piston slap that I read alot about on this board.