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.

 

[Spanky_DSM]

Check engine light is for? and could be a pulley problem.

i have no check engine light on. tho its decieving how it should be on since the car does have issues. Alternator was replaced! Guy was a ripp off. Could it be that pulley?

 

[Junkyardspecial]

yeah a pulley could be not tightened down fully. or too tight.

 

[Spanky_DSM]

yeah a pulley could be not tightened down fully. or too tight.

so a bad alternator pulley could cause that vibrating noise? i can feel it tickle my gas pedal. and it was replaced about almost 2months ago. it does squeal at the beggining of every start up and people tell me its loose. so ill go ahead and check that out, thanks

 

[92AWDHX40]

Sounds like lifters.

 

[xXEclipse]

Here is a video, it only happens when im on the throttle and only past 2k RPM, doesn't really happen when the car is cold. People have said lifters, im just trying to get some more opinions before I goto work on them.


Rattling - YouTube

 

[delta448]

Sounds more like rod knock to me.

 

[Nasty Dream]

Maybe if you held your camera to the other side of the engine away from all of the pulleys and closer to the source.

 

[dsmspickdad]

Sounds like rod knock. Drop the pan and check her out.

 

[xXEclipse]

Oh and to add, it sounds like its coming right from the distributor

 

[delta448]

Try again, there is no distributor on your 4G63.

 

[ama11]

that sounds like my honda when i spun a bearing

 

[xXEclipse]

Try again, there is no distributor on your 4G63.

Uhh? This..

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[delta448]

Not sure if you're pointing to the Manifold Differential Pressure sensor, the coil pack or the intake manifold there...

DSMs use the input from the Mass Airflow Sensor, Cam Angle Sensor and the Crankshaft Position Sensor to look up the coded ignition timing advance from a table stored in the ECU. The ECU then sends a signal to spark the coil. You can program any advance value you want by manipulating the table in the ECU. There's no mechanical distributor with weights and springs. Maybe you're meaning something else when you say distributor?

 

[Nasty Dream]

I was going to help earlier, but I'm not sure what sound you are focusing on. Are you talking about the clicking noise when you press the throttle?

Noise coming from here?

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Make sure your throttle cable bolts (in blue) are not loose, but don't tighten crazy tight.

Note, yours will look slightly different. My intermediate link (in green) has the cover removed as well as the cruise cable missing. My throttle cable bolt has a fatter ground wire.


The clicking could also be from your throttle body.

I wouldn't describe it as a rattle at all, so that's why I didn't bother to mention it.

Sounded to me like your throttle body sometimes clicks when you give it gas, but I wasn't sure if that was normal. I don't know if I've ever been standing in front of a running DSM with someone pressing the gas pedal.

EDIT: I hear what you are talking about now! It's the rattling sound at 17 and 18 seconds in the video?

BTW The thing that you are pointing to is the intake manifold.

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BTW you're missing a vacuum hose on your throttle body (TB). It's supposed to be the hose with the red line on it. In fact it looks to me like the entire nipple is missing. WTF Maybe the 99 had a slightly different TB to the 95

 

[Spanky_DSM]

whooo tuners.

is Tuners leaving me stranded?

 

[xXEclipse]

I was going to help earlier, but I'm not sure what sound you are focusing on. Are you talking about the clicking noise when you press the throttle?

Noise coming from here?

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

Make sure your throttle cable bolts (in blue) are not loose, but don't tighten crazy tight.

Note, yours will look slightly different. My intermediate link (in green) has the cover removed as well as the cruise cable missing. My throttle cable bolt has a fatter ground wire.


The clicking could also be from your throttle body.

I wouldn't describe it as a rattle at all, so that's why I didn't bother to mention it.

Sounded to me like your throttle body sometimes clicks when you give it gas, but I wasn't sure if that was normal. I don't know if I've ever been standing in front of a running DSM with someone pressing the gas pedal.

EDIT: I hear what you are talking about now! It's the rattling sound at 17 and 18 seconds in the video?

BTW The thing that you are pointing to is the intake manifold.

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BTW you're missing a vacuum hose on your throttle body (TB). It's supposed to be the hose with the red line on it. In fact it looks to me like the entire nipple is missing. WTF Maybe the 99 had a slightly different TB to the 95

I dont think your hearing the right noise, its a ticking/rattling that gets faster with higher RPM, I am sorry the video isnt the best, its hard to hear when not driving..

EDIT: Also Ill try to get a new vid up when I can I wanna get a good idea of what it probably is before I take off the VC or Drop my oil pan =/

 

[Boostinsideways]

Something isn't right about that engine. Most likely spun bearing / rod knock. It sounds pretty bad even at idle.

 

[Nasty Dream]

So did you investigate why you have a missing vacuum nipple and hose?

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I put a little red line where you seem to be missing a nipple and hose. You can compare it to mine:

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It's quite possible the 99 was different than the 95, but I would take a look at that to be sure something isn't missing there.

 

[Alex7747]

get a piece of wood, or screwdriver and hold it up against the engine and the other end up to your ear. if its rod knock you'll hear it trust me...but from the sound of it, good luck with the rebuild.

 

[RedTsi_PR]

maybe is a stuck lifter

 

[cavyracer666]

definitely in the motor. I suppose you've already checked the oil level/condition. If it was low it might make that noise. My motor is making similiar noise but I know I blew up a spark plug and it bounced around and messed something up. I'm just going to try and find another motor for a decent price. Good luck with it.

 

[xXEclipse]

if it is rod knock, someone told me its easy to fix? First they said drop the pan and check for play...
why are you saying Good luck with the rebuild 0.o

 

[Alex7747]

if it is rod knock, someone told me its easy to fix? First they said drop the pan and check for play...
why are you saying Good luck with the rebuild 0.o

rod knock isn't something you just fix(with out taking it apart and rebuilding)..if that motor is knocking you are going to HAVE to rebuild it. no way around it...good luck with whatever it is.

 

[delta448]

if it is rod knock, someone told me its easy to fix?

Easy to find. Not so easy to fix. If you do find a bad rod bearing, you should disassemble the bottom end and carefully inspect the crank journals and the rod big ends in the least. Check for out-of-round, scoring, heat discoloring, etc.

If everything checks out within factory spec and you don't see any signs of damage, hot-tank and flush the block's oil passages. Replace the oil pump (with an OEM unit). Consider plugging the 2G oil squirters and having the block tapped for 1G or Evo squirters. Also, make sure you properly size the bearings you rebuild with or you'll be repeating that whole situation.

From what I've seen, it seems like when a bottom end gets rod knock, it's hard to keep it from happening again. I think it's funny when I see posts on craigslist where someone's selling a "fully built DSM, it just needs rod knock fixed and then it'll be a 600whp monster". A fully built engine with rod knock is kinda like a porn star with an STD. And if you tell any pro tuner or engine builder you "fixed the rod knock" on the engine you're using, there's a decent chance they'll refuse to work on it.

Let's just hope you don't find that to be the problem, although it's my suspicion.

 

[re-rx7]

Resolved! It was the lifter swaped them all out and car runs great! Better than before, no \w its time to tackle the oil cooler leak. Bleh! Did a compression check. Cold it was 155 all across!!