Found a cracked flexplate on a 2012 F-150 after 3 days of chasing a rattle

Last week a customer came in with a 2012 F-150, 140k miles, complaining about a ticking noise that got louder when accelerating. I checked spark plugs, fuel injectors, even pulled the valve covers... nothing. On day 3 I finally dropped the transmission pan and saw the flexplate had a hairline crack near the starter ring. The fix was a $280 part and 6 hours of labor, but the customer paid it without blinking. Has anyone else had a flexplate crack on these 5.0s? I'm wondering if it's a common weak spot.

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coleman.seth26d ago

Used to think those tick noises were always something dumb like exhaust leaks or lifters, but this totally changed my mind on how sneaky flexplate cracks can be. Good catch dropping the pan on day three, most guys woulda given up and started throwing parts at it.