make, model, mileage and year would help a lot.

Some vehicle have hydraulic tappets, making 'ticking' unlikely but if they are the manually adjusted type, they can go out of adjustment and cause 'ticking'.

It could also be pre-ignition, or 'pinking' which could be a fuel or ignition timing issue. The increase under load tends to support that - tappets usually sound the same whatever the load..

Or it could be piston slap, little end or even big ends wearing out. Hearing it would be a big help!

Hi all engines make a noise facts of life with engines age however does make a lot of difference a worn tappets are the most likely cause. also cold engines will always make more noise. this we learned about by talking to our parents especially our fathers who generally where our best source of knowledge.

something you kids don't do these days we used to learn most of what we knew and know from our parents and others with knowledge.

so the wear is the most likely cause the modern engine has a life of about 100k miles for a petrol engine and 250k miles for a diesel engine. the life is meant to be now 8 years beyond which a car lives on borrowed time. when it is going to cost money to keep on the road only when the expenses mount up do we consider it to be a waste and it becomes a money pit. do most consider a newer car.

Hi,

If your vehicle is a Ford, I recommend taking it to a Ford Dealer to be properly diagnosed. Our certified technicians will be glad to take a look at your vehicle, and find out what’s making it tick.

In the meantime, locate a dealer near you and set up an appointment with the link below:

http://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentSer...

Have a wonderful day!

Tricia

Sounds like a cracked flywheel. .seen it many times

thats known as camshaft valve shims due to oil pressure. once oil pressure has resumed the tapping sound clears.