Ford KA ticking loudly

[NOVASTAR]

And I have no idea what it could be (haven't had it checked out yet as think it may be very expensive!). The ticking gets faster the faster I go - has anyone had the same problem and how much did it cost to get fixed?
Many thanks

[swiftnick]

The ticking gets faster the faster I go

Few more details would be good. Is it road speed related or engine speed related?

Thanks Nick

[askakd]

a stone stuck in one of the tyres??

[Sirbendy]

I'll say probably tappets. If I recall, the Original Ka 1.3 engine is actually the older Fiesta one (endura maybe, or a variant of the valencia), and this doesn't have hydraulic tappets, so needs adjusting every so often.

Both of mums fiestas used to sound like rattly heaps until the tappets were adjusted, at which point they'd be silent again.

Is it from the top of the engine, and about twice the speed of the speed it's running? And is it constant across the rev-range, or does it go away? Take it to a few garages and get an opinion - if it's tappets, it's easy and should be cheap. I used to do mums at home.

[vikingaero]

Generally tappets or manifold gasket leak. When the manifold gasket leaks it sounds like a tick-tick train.

[NOVASTAR]

Thank you all for taking the time to answer my question.
The noise is engine related and the year of the car is 54 if this helps?
Sirbendy - it does sound like its coming from the top of the engine and it is constant across the rev-range.
I'll hope that it's the tappets then!
Cheers

[goldspanners]

sirbendy sounds about right. it is common with older fiestas and the ka. the tappets will need adjusting.