Hi all,
New member. Thanks for letting me in.
My Ford Freestar engine starts rattling when I start it. It lasts for about 10 mins of driving and then the rattling disappears and the engine sounds normal. I used half a quart of Lucas heavy oil stabilizer. The rattling went away. But came back after a couple of days. But again, after driving for 10 mins, the rattling goes away.

Would appreciate any info/ advice/ sugestion. The van has been serviced regularly.

Thank you

 

Which engine? Mileage? What weight oil is in the crankcase? How's the ACTUAL oil pressure? One thing, I would not be putting a thickening agent into the engine.

 

HI there,
Thank you for the reply. It is a 4.2 L V6 engine and the oil used is 5W20 as recommended. Not sure of the oil pressure. This morning on start up , there was no rattling. I had the rattling during startup for the last week.

 

If it rattles at idle, I would use a stethoscope to isolate the source and location of the rattle. The noise could also be non engine related. Catalytic converter, its shield, maybe something with the exhaust system. Might even be worth it to briefly remove the belt and start to see if the noise goes away. If you determine it actually from the engine, you either run it that way or tear it down to repair/ rebuild.If it only rattles briefly after a cold start and goes away, I would try another oil filter.

 

Thank you for the reply. Will take to my mech and get it checked. No rattling the last couple of days.

 

If it stopped, I doubt the rattle would originate from inside the engine. Internal engine noise generally does not go away. My bet is a loose or rusted out shield on your catalytic converter.