i've had a tap in my engine that sounded like it could have been the injectors first. then we thought it might have been a valve tap since that was a problem before. just in the past week i took my 94 SC to the dealer to have them take a look. they say it may be a drivetrain tap and that the noise (which sounds like a amplified version of an injector) is normal, yet it never did it before. if this is normal, can i do anything to make it stop and if it isn't normal, and the guys there are just fucking idiots, what do you think i'd need to do to fix it. the thing thats weird which is making me think its NOT the engine itself is that i haven't lost any horsepower. i can still blow the shit outa people off the line and pass with ease. could the noise possibly come from a mildly warped drive shaft. i'm just throwing ideas up because i want all the little problems to be gone. thanks, Dave

No, that's not normal. The driveshafts are two piece (brilliant engineering design there) and will shift along the joint at high rpms, likes to self destruct at 120.. A 93 Lincoln Mark VIII shaft is one piece, as are most aftermarket ones. However, if it was warped you would have a power loss as the power makes it's way back. I say take it to another shop and see what they say. Could be control arms, front end bushings... does it do it in any certain gear or any certain circumstances?

hey, i never thought the noise was normal. i'm not sure if it would be the driveshaft, that was just a thought. the noise is all the time. have to stress that. when i start the car when its cold and when i start the car when its warm. when it first started it sounded like a faint injector tap. when you give it more rpms the tap gets louder. which led me to beleive it was a valve tap. it has had valve taps before, but not on the same engine. when it happened before i brought it back to the ford dealer to get fixed and they "replaced" the engine. come to find out tehy don't replace the engine, they just refurbish it. which is probly why i keep having the problem. there is also a louder tap if i were to slam the throttle in 2nd gear. its a pattern so i would think it had to do with the engine, and not the driveshaft or rear. its a definite sound from under the front side of the car. thats about all i can tell you, without you being here to hear it yourself. if they, in fact, don't "change" engines then i will take it to another place to get diagnosed. thanks for the help though. dave

sorry i forgot to add...it does seem that i lost a little low end hp. but i'm definitely sure. thats it

So it does it without even being in gear or moving? If so I'd say definately take it somewhere else if the dealer said it was drive train. Is your SC a stick or an auto? If it's an auto and the noise is happening only while in gear have the transmission and torque converter flushed and refilled with Mercon V.. (not Dexron III/Mercon) if they want to give you some slack about putting Mercon V in, go somewhere else. Mercon V was not introduced when the 94's came out, but is reccomended by Ford in all 4R70W transmissions. There is a Techincal Service Bulletin about this. You might also want to check the spark plugs and wires. You can start the car in a dark area and see if you see any of the wires arcing. However that would likely give you a noticable power loss.

what octane are you running in your car if you are running 93 try throwing in some octane booster like 104+ to see if it goes away if you are running anything under 93 or 94 there is a problem to begin with, if you have a sc. it sounds like you may have a bad knock sensor or your timing may be off? if you drop in the 104+ octane booster and it goes away that might be a problem. do you have a performance chip? Where are you located? The guys from NJTACC will give it a listen if you are anywhere near NJ it might be worth the ride. drop me an e- mail black_thunder1995@... LAter DWayne

i'll try the octane boost when i get the car back. i haven't ran anything less than 93 since i got the car...last year (only cause i ddin't know). no i don't have a performance chip, and i'm not sure about the knock sensor or timing. i'll have to talk to the ford people about it. thanks, dave