Engine Noise / Ticking, Knocking, Tapping MERGED

[eric489]

All threads with vague titles regarding engine bay noises are now merged HERE.

If you honestly feel we can diagnose an internal engine problem from a poor description or low-quality video / audio sample, give it a shot.


I own a 1997 gst spyder and there is a ticking noise comming fron the engine. It comes and goes and it mostly sounds bad at idle. I have 97,000 miles on it and i change the oil regularly. I changed it about 2000 miles ago I need help to fix the problem.

 

[SC61dsm]

Sounds like lifters, if not like stated above an exhaust leak. You checked for leaks around the manifold.

 

[96ETT]

You should be far from metal on metal contact or else your motor is toast. You could have an excessively tightened timing belt that may be screeching. Just a possibility. The pulleys could also be bad and thus screeching like crazy when they are turning. Did you replace the pulleys and tensioner and all of that?

 

[GsXdSmKingGsX]

It sounds like your belt is too tight. I hope your not driving it

 

[Turbo Talon DL]

Here's the deal. I replaced the timing belt idler pulley alomst 24000 miles ago which was almost 4 summers ago now. I just replaced the tensioner pulley last winter when I almost lost my engine due to improper maintenance. I just replaced the head and installed a new Power Enterprise timing belt in my parent's 47* garage. When I started the car at home everything was fine. The belt loosened up just a touch when I shut everything down just because of the heat from the engine. Re-checked valve timing and everything is still perfect. I started the car, drove it for almost 300 miles with absolutely NO trouble or complaints from the car. I let it sit last Tuesday because there was snow on the ground. I start the car that evening to go run errands and thats when the squealing started. After the engine warmed up the noise went away. I start the car the next morning to try and get to school and the noise did NOT go away. The hydraulic tensioner is still about 4mm extended just like the book calls for. I didnt think you could put the belt on 'too tight' otherwise the belt tensioner would bottom out. I've done that before and quickly corrected it. I didnt think that the belt could be too tight with the tensioner arm still extended WELL within specs but it is worth investigating as per DSMTuners collective wisdom. I was also confused as to why I would hear a clicking sound when I turn the engine over by hand from the exhaust cam. The timing marks are still perfect at this moment.

It sounds like your belt is too tight. I hope your not driving it

Car has NOT been driven in 6 days unfortunately...

 

[rbwtrans]

The exhaust cam (or other) may be rubbing on your rear timing cover. By rear timing cover I mean the little metal flaps bolted to either side of the head

 

[Turbo Talon DL]

The exhaust cam (or other) may be rubbing on your rear timing cover. By rear timing cover I mean the little metal flaps bolted to either side of the head

Belt touches only the pulleys and cam gears. I quadruple-checked all that stuff before I turned the engine over by hand. My timing belt would have been shreaded if that were the case. I'm thinking it could just be the cold weather causing the belt to become less flexible. It was warmer when I put it all together and the next day it snows.

I may remove and reinstall the timing belt just to be for certain but I dont think that will be the issue. I'll post back with results if I can get this stuff figured out. It finally warmed up enough that my fingers dont go painfully numb in 10 minutes!

 

[qwtstrn1]

Well jsut like the title states after a night of sitting when i go out to start my 95 talon tsi to go to work in the morning i start it up and there is a comosion of clattering and clunking like marbles in a tin can coming from the engine bay on the drivers side and belt squeeling. I t doesnt sound like knocking or ticking from the motor it self but maybe the alternator or ps pump ne way i am new to the dsm scene a former honda guy and have built a few cars from the ground up but this one has me taken. Ne ideas.

 

[ninjaneonturtle]

From my experience, your harmonic balancer could have severed the rubber from the pulley, producing the belt squeal. It could possibly be the alternator, but your lights most likely would dim severely when your revs go up.

If you don't already have your balance shaft removed then worst case scenario would be that your balance shaft belt, AKA "Timing belt B" has broken and the marble noise is the pieces of it rattling inside. That personally happened to me. Well whoever removed the balance shaft on mine left pieces in there like an idiot and it was sounding like marbles. Hope any of this helps.

 

[qwtstrn1]

Well yes thank you it does help , although hopefully u are wrong about it being ne thing to do with my timing belt , cause that would just make my day
I have been doing some more research over the forum and just now decided to go out and look at the har bal on my car. It squeeled a little when i started it up but quickly went away. And wouldn't u know it is wobbling like everyone has described so i ordered a new one from auto zone for like $114.00. Now the guy asked me if i wanted new alt and ps belts to and for the sake of it i said yes but i have a few choices. What in ## oppinion is the best he has gator back and 1-2 others.

Now this is my daily driver is it going to be safe to run this for the next couple days untill the pully comes in or not.??

Thanks for the input this site is turning out to be alot of help

 

[Turbo Talon DL]

Chek you're crank shaft pulley it might be at braking point mine broke and now my car doesn't work it broke about 1week ago and purchased some light weight pulleys from some guy in the clasifieds still don't revive them but I'm weiting for them

Now remember that the car was running for troubleshooting purposes with NO pulleys AND belt cover. Only belt on the car was the timing belt. Thats where the noise is coming from. Havent started the car in over a week now and its been really cold. Im in southern Illinoiz at school and we're covered with ice right now.

I started the car up today and the noise is gone. I think I could have been right about the whole temperature thing. Its 54* outside now so maybe it was just the 'cold' making my timing belt 'squeal'. Anybody else had experience with their Power Enterprise belts similar to this?

 

[Husler005 TSi]

Had the balance shaft belt/t-belt, water pump and harmonic balancer replaced four years back. At the time, the balance shaft belt was broken and was lodged in a crevasse near the t-belt in a ball! Along with that, the harmonic balancer's inner rubber seal was rotted and was not powering my accessories. Had the clutch replaced about 2 years ago with ACT 2100 and Mitsu. TOB. The b-shaft bearing could be suspect. I have had a lot of work done on this car and most suggestions have already been tended to. It does make the noise at or around 2000 but goes away after 3500 and higher, or so. Maybe I just can't hear it with my exhaust and all. It does go away from time to time (which is noticeable because you will hear it and then... gone!) It still baffles me; no performance loss as of yet though. I really appreciate the help and will continue to work on this one!

 

[turboenthusiast]

I have a 95 gst with a 14b turbo, brode uicp, 1g bov all recently added. It boosts fine in second gear but when I shift to third my boost gauge drops and I hear a loud clunk. The car drives and idles fine it just has the boost problem in 3rd. Fuel cut mabey? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[DSM1G90]

"Power Enterprise belt" - prob a warm weather belt for high peformance whereas stock Mitz belts are more flexible than those Kelvar based belts. Should have stuck with OEM Mitz belts. This could be your problem ..

 

[mindset]

Did you do a boost leak check?
And could you describe, "the clunk" a little more.
Thanks!

 

[turboenthusiast]

Its just a load clunk, I thought my intercooler pipe may have popped off when it happened but everything is good with no boost leaks, my brother borrowed the car and put gas in it if he put 87 octane in it could that be causing the problem?

 

[turboenthusiast]

Sorry i meant loud clunk not load clunk.

 

[dsm-freak]

i dont think 87 octane would make it clunk in third, if is was a fuel problem i would thik it would do it in 2nd where the motor is under more load. i had to put 87 in my car back when i was broke and never really did anything like that. ive got a little bit more work done to mine it looks like also. is it doing anything besides making a clunk? does it buck around, stall, if you let off does it drive normal afterwards?

 

[turboenthusiast]

It runs and drives normal afterwards.

 

[dsm-freak]

well if it was boost cut it would stall really hard and scare the shit out of you. what kind of boost pressure are you running?

 

[mindset]

Keep in mind, fuel cut is all about the amount of air, and NOT fuel.
I remember jhroner gave a good write up about it in a forum

 

[dsm-freak]

thats why i like to call it boost cut instead of fuel cut, but if he is running a 14b with no boost controller he shouldn,t be making enough boost to cause boost(fuel) cut. 14 pounds should be about what he is making and that woulnt cause cut.

 

[turboenthusiast]

Could it be a small boost leak that im not hearing or a bov problem the noise sounds like a pipe busting off but when I stop and check everything is still connected.

 

[Turbo Talon DL]

Gave the car the usual daily 'flogging' and everything seems 'acceptable'. Engine runs and belt no longer makes noise. How new is the Power Enterprise timing belt? I first read about them around late 2004/early 2005. I just wanna make sure this noise is only temperature related....

"Power Enterprise belt" - prob a warm weather belt for high peformance whereas stock Mitz belts are more flexible than those Kelvar based belts. Should have stuck with OEM Mitz belts. This could be your problem ..

You could be and are probably 100% correct about the warm weather belt for high performance. If it gives me trouble again then I will swap this out for a Mitsu belt.

 

[mindset]

Well, if it's not fuel cut, or a intercooler pipe, it sound like something in the tranny has gone wrong. Maybe that 3rd gear syncro is bad.

 

[Defiant]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...-time-pics-video.html?highlight=harmonic+time