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.

 

[Gysgt Guy]

sorry for the long delay more crap breaks everytime i turn it on it seems like! But i checked the turbo and there is no play at all. side to side or in and out.

 

[highrever]

hey guys. i have an update on the problem. I proceded to take the timing belt off and when i took the cover of the lower part of timing belt, i found that the roller tensioner with the little arm on it had some play in it, so i think thats what was making all the noise. It was hitting the little metal pin that comes out of the tensioner. So i put everything back in time just to see how it would run and it ran well. So then i did a compression test and #4 read 170-175 #3read 170-175 #2 read 160-170 #read 160-170
but im not that my test my test where accurate because i had some oil leaking into the cylinders because the vavle cover was loose, and i found that my tester has some striped threads so im going to buy a new tester and retest. what do you guys think of the first test good or bad compression

 

[eSCAPEist_]

Could be the PCV Valve, check the rear left corner of the valve cover, pince off the hose and see if it changes.

Yeah, I know this is an old thread but the moderators might get pissed if I post a new one about this "problem". I'm having this same tick coming from my 420a ONLY when I give it gas for a few thousand RPM's. This ticking noise does not happen when I'm idling or the car is just sitting like at a stop sign or something. Like I said before, it happens ONLY when I give it gas, similar to TracOwner's OP. @oddrob when you say pince off the valve hose, do you mean do this while the car is on and idling?

 

[bsbllfit7]

i have the same issue at cold start up but goes away after the car gets warmed up, my guess would be the lifters are getting filled with oil and it takes a bit for them to do that, could be wrong but idk why it would only start that way and then get better

 

[96 420a-t]

Soo as it sits my 420a has been boosted for almost 3k miles now. I have started noticing a very light almost inaudible rattle right at 3k rpms only under light load.

1. Am I right to fear the worst and look at the rod bearings going? Since parts are cheap I am going to order them and roll them in.

2. Also how bad is it to swap rings and not hone the cylinders? I know its bad but how bad? I need it to last till I get back on my feet and can afford a rebild.

I also found out my turbo has some minor in n out play in it. Could this cause the light knock/ tick I am experiencing?

 

[JusMX141]

Small bump to get this going again.

Bumpity bump

A Proven Member with 380 tech posts should know better. Seriously.

 

[96 420a-t]

Yes, but it was marked solve, I was incorrect so I unmarked it solved to get it going again. If you really want I can re type this post in a nother thread. Seriously.

 

[JusMX141]

If you really want I can re type this post in a nother thread. Seriously.

....and I can delete that one or merge it with this one. Seriously.

 

[96 420a-t]

so what would be options then? Just let this sit here and not get anyhelp?

 

[JusMX141]

Here ya go.

1. Am I right to fear the worst and look at the rod bearings going? Since parts are cheap I am going to order them and roll them in.

There's a good chance at least one of your bearings are worn enough to cause some noise- and an unloaded rattle at 3k is normally how this begins to come to a head.

...but since parts are cheap and you're going to roll some new bearings in anyway, this whole thread is pointless.

2. Also how bad is it to swap rings and not hone the cylinders? I know its bad but how bad? I need it to last till I get back on my feet and can afford a rebild.

It's not that bad- especially if you're a fan of oil smoke and 70-80psi of compression in each cylinder from the rings not seating properly.

I also found out my turbo has some minor in n out play in it. Could this cause the light knock/ tick I am experiencing?

Probably wouldn't cause an audible noise, but it does mean the compressor wheel is getting ready to meet the cover if it hasn't already. Sounds to me like you're in need of a turbo rebuild as well.

Also, the main cause of in/out play (thrust wear) in a turbo is when the tiny oil holes in the thrust plate are blocked by metal from a worn engine bearing, denying any oil from reaching the thrust system.


Good luck....and NOW you can mark the thread "solved".

 

[96 420a-t]

Thanks for the info. I was wondering if there was another possibility that I should be looking at.

 

[smorton]

Hey all I have a 2.4 4g64 spyder that is having some issues. I just rebuilt the entire engine after spinning a rod bearing and now I have more issues.

There is a noise coming from somewhere in the engine. It does not sound like a rod knock, rod pin knock, it pretty much sounds like it is not coming from the bottom of the engine at all. It is a super fast knock as well that ONLY happens at around 1800rpm, rod knock sorta sounds like a thud thud thud, this is a loud tapping noise tap tap tap like I said, not from the bottom of the engine.

The head was built as well, titanium springs, 5 angle grind, lifters, new cam shaft, etc etc but it doesnt sound like it is coming from the head either and everything looks perfect from up there.

This leads me to believe that it is something from the middle of the engine. Like the balance shafts. Please help me out on this guys, from here on the counter balance shaft is the one connected to the oil pump housing and the balance shaft is the one spun by the timing belt. So. The previous owner did not have a belt on the balance shaft, meaning only 1 was spinning. Was this at all detrimental to the engine? Now that the engine is out as well, the balance shaft does not spin by hand; is this normal?

the counterbalance shaft was 180 degrees out of time when the engine was put back in, after I pulled the engine, reversed the cb shaft and put it all back together it STILL knocks. Leading me to double think the issue was in the balance shafts in the first place.

Does ANYONE know what this noise could be coming from? Also, there is no shavings in the oil.

I will elaborate on anything you need in order for someone to come up with a solution to this problem, please just ask.




As a side note, I am now having a massive oil leak from the front seal somewhere by the oil pump housing; so when I pulled the engine and put the cb shaft back on the right way, I also changed all of the gaskets/seals on the housing. It is still leaking! Like, I'm talking a quart every 5 minutes and I cannot see where its coming from =(. Ideas on this?


Thank you everyone and hopefully we can come to a general concencus about what this is and allowing another Eclipse back onto the road!

 

[and1chewy]

did you have the block sent out to have it checked for any cracks or anything while you had it out to rebuild it? a lil money spent at the machine shop can save you a lot in the long run. just a generalization but i have heard of bad fuel injectors making very rapid tapping noises. never had that problem on my dsm.

 

[smorton]

Yes and, block went to machine shop along with head, got hottanked, honed, bored to 20 over, and cryotreated. No way theres a crack in that bad boy right now

 

[and1chewy]

Good to hear some people dont spend the lil extra money to send stuff out. Again i have heard of fuel injectors making the ticking noises before just never personally had the problem on my dsm. Most recently i had seen it on a mid 90's mercedes. Not the easiest thing to check on a dsm with the injectors being under the intake and all. Good luck.

 

[smorton]

Well you would figure that if it was injectors; it would be a constant sound. Not this 1800rpm shit... Also, the sounds appears to be coming from behind the engine rather than on the top near the manifold. Could this be bs bearings?

 

[96 420a-t]

Well here's an update and a pick, I got the old bearings out. Carnage, its nice. Cyl. 2 & 3 both spun a bearing. Crank is stillpolished and mics out good. I got lucky on this one. Cyl 1 & 4 looked pretty tore up as well.

You must be logged in to view this image or video.

"

 

[davetheman81]

Ok so I noticed today when driving with my window down I hear a noise (very little but still audible) that sounds like a small loose piece of sheet metal vibrating, and only at acceleration in 1st and second gear. So when I got home I opened the hood, and realized the sound was coming from the valve cover! Its not a tick or a knock, or anything like that, just a little noise like a small rattling piece of sheet metal. Could it be my 1g lifters doing there job? I did just have some exhaust work done recently and also my started is bad and tends to grind while starting, any ideas? I tried to take a video of it, but its so faint most of the time you can not hear it.

 

[DSM1G90]

...Maybe the oil baffles inside of the rocker cover are getting loose....

 

[davetheman81]

is that bad? and would a bad rod or bearing make that noise? or am i just freaking out over whats probably a loose peice of sheet metal, i listened to it more it sound like its coming from under the car in the drivers wheel well

 

[DSM1G90]

..could be the heat baffle above the CAT could have loosen up, or the heat shield over the front section of the EXH pipe just before the CAT loves to work loose as well..

 

[wises4057]

i just noticed something like this the other day too, but only when i came to a stop and only heard it once or twice int he last few weeks....when i come to a stop at a stop sign, just before the car idles completely down(it stays about 200-300rpms above idle for a sec with my manual transmission), i hear almost like a light rattling tick....but thats the only time i hear it...dont hear it at idle, and dont hear it cruising(but doubt i would when cruising)...is it possibly a lifter loose or something??

 

[ChiTownHussla]

YouTube - ‪Strange dsm noise near engine‬‏

This is my video. Any ideas?

 

[crusada]

My guess is a loose pulley or maybe something with the flywheel. Im guessing more on a pulley though. Or even a cover could be rattling id guess in those areas first as i said start with a loose pulley and then id move on to all the covers

 

[phizzalot]

Hmm if that noise is the loudest on the passenger side, I would lean towards throw out bearing.. Does the noise go away if you press in the clutch pedal?

I don't have any other guess's from the video you posted, Maybe rev the engine a little, It could help determine where the noise is coming from.

Good Luck..