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.

 

[woodnbronze24]

Does it idle high? Could be a odd vac leak. Could also be the pcv

 

[Spoolin18]

Need some help guys. I know this has been beat to death. But heres my story. I got this car about 2 months ago. Drove it home 190 miles. It did fine, no noises, except the da$# lifters. No smoke. Well I noticed 1 month ago the belt was getting a grove in it. So parked it till I could get my parts and change them. 2 weeks ago I started it and moved it. I noticed the clutch would catch early before I let let the clutch out. It did it in 1,2,3. I drove it back and it stopped. It was on a cold start move when it did it. I know it has B.G syncromesh in it. Anyways. I let it cool down and drove it again. Same thing, I repeated this process 3 times. It did it twice. I adjusted the clutch like Jack said. I haven't drove it far enough to tell if it stopped it. I know from driving it about 50ft, it don't do it.

I let it sit the 2 weeks after that, and I started it up today. I decided to let it Idle and warm up completley. I raised the hood and was observing things when I noticed a mid tone rubbing sound. I eared down on it and found it. It was at the back of the block where the tranny bolts up. It sounded like something low on oil. I continued to listen when a Ping or knock developed. The knock was consitent with the rythm of the engine. I'm not sure what it is. I don't know if its the tranny, or engine. It holds good oil pressure, better than any dsm I have ever seen. A local yodal mechanic said might be crankwalk. Although he knows nothing about dsms. Any way of checking what this might be without tearing down the engine? Any thoughts at all is appreciated. I will try and have a video up later.

Its only got 95,800 miles on it. Super clean. An older gentleman owned it before. I have noticed the timing system seems to have a bit of a woble to it. The belt slowly walks back and forth. I'm scared shitless. Has anyone heard of them A.E.M Dirrosi engines on ebay for like $1,500. They do come with a 3 year warranty. Better warranty than most.

The ping or knock comes and goes. Seems to get louder at times. The rubbing grinding sound seems consistently constant.

 

[Calan]

What's causing that irritating noise?

 

[ilco187]

could be just experiencing really bad lifter tick, and metal sound could be throw out bearing but i would need more info to judge as of right now im

 

[Calan]

If your T-belt is "wobbling", your oil pump sprocket may be rubbing against the timing cover.

There isn't much that would rub at the bell housing side, except for the flywheel and clutch...since you said the clutch was catching early, I'd start there. Check to see where the TOB fork sits in the bell housing at the slave cylinder, and make sure it has enough throw. It could be causing the clutch plate to hang up and not fully disengage.

Sounds in these things are notorious for poppin up in a completely different place from the source. Get a mechanic's stethoscope so you can be sure of exactly where the sound is coming from. I think I picked one up for like $10 at a parts store.

 

[sik4g63]

I know that you arent really wanting to tear it apart. I would check your pivot ball and shift fork for the metal sound that you have. While you are at it check the TB, clutch assembly and flywheel for any type of damage.

 

[Spoolin18]

Thanks guys, This has been driving me nuts.

 

[chaggard27]

I agree with the possible source of it being the tob. However normally it will make a lot more noise once the clutch pedal is depressed. Something similar happened to me and it ended up being something very out of the ordinary. The metal plate that is between the tranny and block was broke in half and the half was gone. This caused the tranny to sit ####-eyed and the pressure plate was rubbing on the inside of the bell housing. I just put a washer around the bolt in between the tranny and block where the metal plate was missing and that did the trick.

 

[Spoolin18]

Its a little noisy at the oil pan. Doesn't really sound like a rod knock down there. However, it does sound sort of like rod knock or a ping at where the tranny mounts to the engine.

 

[Calan]

However normally it will make a lot more noise once the clutch pedal is depressed.

The noisy TOB is usually caused by it rattling around on the bell housing with the clutch pedal out. When you press on the pedal, the fork presses the TOB against the pressure plate, which normally quiets it....unless it's installed wrong or really hosed.

 

[sik4g63]

Ok well I had a similar situation happen to me when my clutch went out on me. It was a combination of the TB and the springs on the clutch disc that went out on me. For some reason the springs in the clutch disk had "unsprung" or whatever. They weren't holding any tension. Hope this little bit more of info helps you out.

 

[Spoolin18]

I did some more testing today. The noise comes from the tranny/engine area. The rubbing sound is metal to metal. When the clutch is pressed in, the sound goes away. When it is let out the rubbing sound comes back. I tried this 5 times. Every time the sound would go away. I let it sit and run a little longer and noticed the peck came back. When the clutch was pressed, the peck seem to go away. We let the clutch out, the rubbing came back but no peck. Any thoughts? I was affraid it might be the rear thrust bearings on the rear crank neck, but IDK now that the sound goes away when the clutch is pressed in. Does engine trouble behave like this? thanks. I'll try and get video of it soon.

 

[Calan]

If it's coming from the bell housing of the tranny, I'd bet money it's your TOB... or there is a problem with the way the clutch and pressure plate are mating up.

 

[GSXWhite]

ok well i drove the car about 10 miles now and its still ticking??? idk what to do anymore

 

[snowborder714]

Have you even figured out where the ticking is coming from exactly?

You could try unplugging injectors one by one to see if it stops.

You could rebleed all of the lifters.

 

[GSXWhite]

Have you even figured out where the ticking is coming from exactly?

You could try unplugging injectors one by one to see if it stops.

You could rebleed all of the lifters.

i have the stethoscope and it sounds like its coming from the top.

and i have another problem. i cant drive it cause its running lean
i have bigger injectors installed and idk what to set the safc too

 

[SixBolt_16G]

Car:
1999 Eclipse GST, 5 speed, 6bolt swap, big 16g at stock boost.

I had the timing belt replaced about a month ago, as well as the valve cover, and harmonic Balancer. Drove the car for 2 weeks and everything was fine when i parked it for the night.. Woke up the next morning and started it up, the idle was a tad off. but was still running and driveable. Vacuum was at about 15, which it is usually at 22 or 23. Went to get on the highway and the boost gauge wouldnt go past 0. Made it out to where i store the car during the week, and parked it for til the next weekend. Went to start it the next weekend and it sounds like a chainsaw.

Found a huge gash in the upper intercooler pipe (greddy front mount), which is a mystery considering that whatever hit it definately came from the outside and the pipe sits right behind the injen intake filter which wasnt damaged at all.


Symptoms...

-Extremely loud clicking noise coming from timing belt area
-boost gauge dances erratically between 10psi and about 3 psi.
-Car struggles to stay on but doesnt die., engine idle speeds up and slows down.


Parts recently replaced...
-Timing belt, Balance shaft belt, accessory belts.
-Harmonic balancer and cam seal cause i had a major oil leak
-Alternator
-Valve cover
-Master and slave cylinder
-a belt was put on the pulley for the A/C. Dont know why the shop who put the engine in didnt have a belt on there, but the A/C hasnt been turned on since i had car back.

Things ive already done.

-Boost leak test, found intercooler pipe leak, but not as thorough as i wouldve liked. So will do another one.
-the check engine light has NEVER come on since the problem started.
-Checked turbo for shaft play. No Shaft Play, but no boost either.
-Checked wastegate, seems okay
-check to see if car smokes on start up. It doesntand doesnt reek of fuel.

I dont know much about timing belts, but is it possible that it jumped time. One of two teeth perhaps?

Not my daily driver but it is summer ya know, so any help is appreciated.

 

[trevor81490]

Okay, I have a 1990 and it is making the same noise as you described, and it is also from the timing belt area. I talked to a friend of mine (a DSM owner himself) and he told me that the noise was coming from the timing belt tensioner. He said I need to replace it ASAP, as far as the bad idling. are you venting your BOV? If so, change it back to stock, the air is metered and it screws everything up. I hope this helps...

 

[juanpac0]

Sounds like your timing is off, and check your cam angle sensor too, it should be roughly centered. The CAS is on the left side of the valve cover, it's the circular lookin thing with a bolt on either side of it.

 

[SixBolt_16G]

I will check it when i go back this weekend.. i think the biggest question to help me narrow things down is... IF the timing has slipped a tooth, would that contribute to ALL the problems? The erratic boost gauge, the loopy idle, and the clicking noise, or should i be looking for multiple problems?

When the timing belt was changed, the idler and tensioner pulleys were changed too. The car has 144000 miles with 80,000 on the engine.

 

[juanpac0]

Yes timing would contribute to all of that. Except if your timing is off your vaccum would be low, the ticking could be a valve hitting a piston very lightly, or lifter tick, and the idle is definitely a symptom of timing, but make sure your BOV is also recirculated.

 

[GSXWhite]

ok so i drove 300 miles and the dam things are still ticking!!!!! idk what to do

 

[nitrokid]

if you are runing lean then their is a chance that the tick may have someting to do with it not saying that it does but it might so check the injector's real good. and does the ticking speed up with rpms.
and does ithe ticking get louder with rpms.

 

[95 'clipse RS]

i dont know what the tick could be other than the injectors, rods, hydralic lash adjusters, or possible wrist pin damage. but i do hope its injectors or "lifters" and you're paranoid. however i do hope you broke this engine in enough to seat the piston rings.

and the way i plan on breaking it in is not going over 3000 rpm for 1000 miles

oh and thanks for the help guys

There is a certain way to seat rings, and the time to do it is at least the first 30 min after its warmed up for the first time. then go out with it and do 6-12 WOT (wide open throttle) runs in third gear from 35-55mph then deccelerate back down to 35mph using engine braking. (compression braking). applying pressure upon the rings during initial break-in will force the rings into the cylinder walls seating them. it is ok to do this uunder moderate boost as well. if you break it in too easy expect the piston rings to leak and allow oil to get by them and to start smoking.

either way i hope you find your problem, and it isnt severe, and i hope your rings are seated ok.

 

[GSXWhite]

if you are runing lean then their is a chance that the tick may have someting to do with it not saying that it does but it might so check the injector's real good. and does the ticking speed up with rpms.
and does ithe ticking get louder with rpms.

yes the ticking gets louder with the rpms and i am not at 1000 miles yet so i cant rev it up high.

and i there is no smole coming out so i think the rings set good im at 400 miles so idk what could be wrong i mean it pulls nicely untill 4000 since thats the highest i go too.

i went to a shop that works on my car in IL and they said its lifter tick to just keep driving it and i am but its not going away im clueless

oh and im not running lean im runnuing good i had my car tuned to just drive it normally i have aem wideband too so the fuel ratio is good