Ranger Mods

My Wildtrak (PX2) has always had a tappet-like noise, it's quite noticeable when on power (accelerating) and less so when off power but can be heard at idle speeds but not when the car is in neutral with the bonnet up.

Has anyone else experienced this phenomena, should it a concern or is it simply a character of the Volvo/Mazda/Ford 3.2 litre 5 cylinder diesel engine ? I took it back to the dealer last week and they "played" with the ECU program but no joy, its still there.

When I first took delivery of the car I thought it was the serpentine belt catching something (a timing cover bolt head is dangerously close to the inner edge of the belt - its no more than 2mm off contact !!!) but this wasn't the case.

Any comments will be well received. After having owned a Land Rover Discovery for the past 20 years I'm quite used to odd and strange noises, the old girl has done well over 640,000 kilometres - not all without incidents - so if its normal I'll live with it and do what I did with the Disco - turn the radio up !
Knowledge is a wonderful thing but ignorance is bliss

There was an update to the PCM for noise but that was back in 2016. Is it all the time or only when cold?

Did your car drive any different after they played with the "pcm"? If not then I don't believe they did anything. All a dealer can do is flash a later calibration file if it exists, this would then over write your HPF tune and be back to a factory tune.

This is just a fyi. Dealers say and do not necessarily do.

Yeppers, you got it in one, they deleted the HPF tune program and returned the engine so standard, I have to go back and have it retuned, luckily for me HPF have a local agent in Blacktown and they have sent my tune file to them for a date next Wednesday morning otherwise it would be a slow trip down to Melbourne - (not happy Jan) but hey, for me its a learning curve and I wont let them near the ECU again, driving home the 150 k's from Bathurst to the Blue Mountains in limp mode wasn't fun.
As for the tapping sound, yes, it's far louder when the engine is cold and hardly noticeable when its up to temperature.

Without hearing it, it is hard to know. Cold was generally diesel knock, probably too much timing advance when cold. This was fixed pre 2017 models though. Most times it would never be picked up on a remap as it's run after run when the engine is hot.

Stewart,
Thanks for that, my old Disco rattles like crazy when its cold, a result of 640,000 kilometres and the original teflon outer skin on the pistons long since having worn away, once they are hot though the gap closes up and she runs sweet, the rings don't appear to have worn much though as the compression on all four is almost as new, so much for old Pommie engineering, incidentally its still on its original bearings and crank oil seals.

One thing I have noticed though and that's the oil, in my Disco I can change the oil and within 200 k's it's as black as the veritable ace of spades, in the Ranger, 8000 k's and its still golden brown, hardly a change, - a plus for modern metal compositions and alloys!

I'll have the technicians check the timing on Wednesday when the Wildtrak gets re-mapped on the dyno at Blacktown, if its too advanced they can hopefully adjust it then.

Its only a guess lain but it really does sound like fuel timing.

Using the Unichip I have one added benefit and that is to plug in the bypass plug. Ford can flash all they want and if my tune does not agree then I can just bypass it until I have a re tune. Its a handy thing if you are in the middle of nowhere and need to revert back to the factory tune in case you need to diagnose an issue or in your case possible fuel timing issue.

Anyway, hope you get it sorted.

Stewart,
Due to Ford at Bathurst deleting my HPF tune I had to get the Wildtrak re-dyno'ed at Blacktown on Wednesday. they checked the fuel (obviously) and its fine, they obtained the exact same results at HPF in Dandenong as HPF emailed my particular "tune" settings to them so they merely reproduced them, 500 Nm of torque at 850 rpm and 147 kw at 132 kph.
I now have a Kangaroo's testicle pouch fixed just above the OBD plug with the attached inscription "THESE TESTICLES BELONGED TO THE LAST MECHANIC WHO TOUCHED THIS CONNECTION "

Good to hear you got the tune reinstated, hay that's a lot of torque for the rpm mate.

hoges wrote: ↑Fri May 18, 2018 1:43 pm Good to hear you got the tune reinstated, hay that's a lot of torque for the rpm mate.

Its what I wanted, bottom end torque, fuel economy and drivability, sheer power doesnt interest me, reliability however does. In this state of tune it just toodles over sand dunes which for me and the places we like to go to, is perfect. I seldom see it go over 2250 rpm.

Have you had the turbo upgraded

hoges wrote: ↑Sun May 20, 2018 11:24 am Have you had the turbo upgraded

Yes, the HPF in South Dandenong fitted one of their upgraded PX1 turbo's - it has billet machined scroll wheels around 15% larger and full 360 degree trust bearings for greater reliability.

thanks, I believe AXT turbos in Melbourne make them and are called the X11 turbo.

Here is the TSB for your specific vehicle.

TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN
2016-2018 Vehicles Equipped with a 3.2L Duratorq-TDCi Engine and Automatic Transmission - Excessive Combustion Knocking Noise on Cold Start 17-2244
11 December 2017

Model:

Ford
2016-2018 Everest
Engine: 3.2L Duratorq-TDCi (148kW/200PS) - Puma
Transmission/Transaxle: (6-Speed Automatic Transmission - 6R80)
2016-2018 Ranger
Engine: 3.2L Duratorq-TDCi (148kW/200PS) - Puma
Transmission/Transaxle: (6-Speed Automatic Transmission - 6R80)

Issue: Certain 2016-2018 Ranger and Everest vehicles equipped with a 3.2L Duratorq-TDCi engine and automatic transmission may exhibit an excessive combustion knocking/tapping noise which remains until the engine reaches normal operating temperature. The cold combustion knocking/tapping noise will only be present when accelerating and engine is cold on a cold morning (10°C or below).

Action: Should a vehicle present with the above concern, technicians are advised to follow the Service Procedure below.

Labor Times

Description Operation No. Time
Reprogram the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 172244A 0.2 Hrs
Repair/Claim Coding

Causal Part: 12A650
Condition Code: 04

PDR Table
PDR Code Description Time
TSB172244 Reprogram the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) 0.2 Hrs
Service Procedure

1. Connect the Ford Integrated Diagnostic System (IDS) to the Vehicle. Check for Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and/or glow plug failures. Are DTCs stored in the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) memory and/or glow plug failures present?

Yes - This TSB does not apply, refer to the Powertrain Control/Emission Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual for normal diagnostics/repair.
No - Proceed to Step 2.
2. Reprogram the PCM to the latest service calibration using IDS release 107.06 or higher. Make sure you are connected to the internet when entering module programming to obtain the latest updates. Calibration files may also be obtained from the Professional Technicians Society website – Select Rotunda - Diagnostic Tool Support - IDS Support - Module Reprogramming.

NOTE: This Calibration is designed to help improve cold combustion knock and not to eliminate the combustion noise completely.

3. After reprogramming is complete, evaluate the vehicle to ensure correct operation.

Thank you for that, it was again quite evident yesterday morning - 4 degrees C. I'll have a word with HPF and see if they can arrange for Autotune in Blacktown to rectify it, I wont return the Wildtrak to Ford, they will end up erasing the dyno tune !

If they just rewrote the old tune then they basically wrote the old modified Ford calibration file that was causing you issues, hence noise again.

The PCM needs the latest tune from Ford which is what you had a few days ago, then they need to modify the tune on that new PCM calibration. Basically a full refund tune.

Good luck.