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.

 

[klutch-kick]

its tough to say but i had the same problem and still haven't figured out it. It could be just fans tryn to spin or maybe a loose vacum line and effecting something else

 

[Rikolas]

Yeah I would park it and get to work.

 

[bryanwheat]

its tough to say but i had the same problem and still haven't figured out it. It could be just fans tryn to spin or maybe a loose vacum line and effecting something else

Sorry, but loose vacuum lines don't cause the engine to knock.

 

[Kingarex]

I know, and I haven't been driving it. It started knocking 15 miles from home, and I just limped it back. I'll be in the K5 till its fixed.

I don't think it's rod knock, or a bad bearing because it flat out, doesn't do it at idle. Could i have dried out a lifter? I have HKS 272 cams, titanium springs and retainers on 22psi with OEM lifters that have 135k miles on them And then were starved of oil.

I'll pull the pan soon and test comp. But I'm fairly certain it's head noise.

Btw, it may not be realevant, but I run NGK BPR7es plugs. I melted the tip of one the other day and replaced it with a single NGK BR8es. I have the other 3 here but not put in. Could that have anything to do with it? Oh and what little oil that it did have, was 500 miles past the 3k mark.

(I know, I know... I should be flogged for my lack of maintenance. I just got busy and complacent.)

 

[bryanwheat]

Why did you put a totally different plug in one cylinder? Also if you melted a plug than you have an issue with that cylinder, likely a lean condition which can cause a bearing problem. An early spun bearing won't knock at idle, it will usually only knock with a little throttle.

 

[Kingarex]

I had a timing issue at the track. It wasnt much off, but it made my EGT temps a little high, and melted the tip. It wasn't much, it wasn't that bad and it still worked, but I changed it before work just to be safe, but didn't have time to do all 4

I've never heard of a bearing slowly going out. In my experience, they either go or they don't. A spun bearing "spins" itself to pieces.

 

[bryanwheat]

I had a timing issue at the track. It wasnt much off, but it made my EGT temps a little high, and melted the tip. It wasn't much, it wasn't that bad and it still worked, but I changed it before work just to be safe, but didn't have time to do all 4

I've never heard of a bearing slowly going out. In my experience, they either go or they don't. A spun bearing "spins" itself to pieces.

Most of the time a spun bearing will start with a slight knock and then get worse and worse until the bearing is gone and the rod comes apart and the engine grenades. The bearing gets seized to the crank and spins inside the rod bore. Being that there is no lubrication on that side of the bearing the metal will just wear away and eventually there is no bearing left.

 

[JusMX141]

Rod knock doesn't begin as a ridiculously audible noise at idle. It starts exactly as you're describing- slight noise if you let the RPMs "float" between 2500 and 3500.

You probably didn't spin a rod bearing- it's just badly-worn because you didn't check your oil. As a result, the turbo, the oil cooler, and anything else that receives oil from the engine are now full of metal.

I'll check my oil, but I can't drain it, because I'm too broke to refill it.

Well then replacing the crank and all of the bearings due to your prior inability to check the oil often enough is really going to suck.

Also I'll compression check it tomorrow (though it feels normal).

Don't waste your time- rod knock will not alter compression results.

 

[Kingarex]

I think there's a misunderstanding. I didn't ignore my car for months on end, I just didn't check it for a few days, a week tops. And in that time (for whatever reason) my oil got used up, from burning due to high EGTs I imagine. I'm running an English tune and it's really hot.

So aside from bearings. What else can it be?

 

[JusMX141]

Rod bearings.

This thread is pointless without a video or audio sample- and even then we can't tell you exactly what's wrong with your engine. For now it's getting merged.

 

[clipto]

Unfortunately without being there I too also recommend pulling the pan and inspecting your motor, that's the only way your ganna find out. I know it's your baby and theblast thing you wanna do is blow a motor, but if you wanna go fast there is a price to pay.

 

[DanielzTSI]

ok guys i have a video of a knocking sound i am getting, it doesnt knock during idle, just when i rev it, i was told by a good friend it could be balance shaft bearings, we pulled the each injector and revved it and the knock was still there so does that eliminate bad rod/main bearings? i hope its not rod/main bearings.. anyways here the video

2012-06-06112637.mp4 video by danzrfx - Photobucket

please any help would be awesome, ive had the car sitting for 3 months now cause im scared to drive it.

 

[GeoTalon91]

Sounds like a rod knock, but there is only one way to find out for sure....Pull the pan check the bearings......Also check the dipstick if there are tiny metal flakes start thinking about rebuilding or a new engine...

The more you run the engine the louder the rod knocking will get, until there is no doubt on your mind that the bearing is gone...

I've been through a few engines myself and that noise is never a good one to hear, denial is the first thing that always comes to mind.......... but once you accept the fact that the engine may be done the faster you can move on to getting a new one on there and getting your car back on the road....

Sure hope everything works out for you. If you do get an engine from another vehicle just swap out the bearings on that engine for extra insurance...

Good Luck

 

[nate95tsi]

Hello DSMtuners,
As you can see I am new here. I recently bought a 1995 Eagle Talon Tsi with 83000 original miles off the very first owner. I love the car and it is in great shape. No leaks or smoke. However yesterday I noticed a strange ticking noise, but not like other ticks I've heard. It only does it for about the first ten minutes of driving. It idles at around 800rpm, which doesn't budge when I push in the clutch and is very smooth. Boost holds steady at 12-13psi under acceleration. Vac. is at about 15 at idle. Any suggestions as to what it might be? It doesn't sound like a lifter but I suppose it could be. The previous owner when I called said he doesn't remember it doing the sound when he had his catless downpipe on.
Thanks guys, and I am proud to be in the dsm community!
(sorry if I wrote a lot for a newbie) I tried looking into it on google, dsmtuners before, dsm talk, youtube. I just can't seem to figure it out.

 

[BurrowZ]

Lifter tick, almost definitely.

Post a video up if you can.

 

[trboeclpse98]

The best thing to do is to take a video of the car when it's making the noise so that we can hear it and be able to help you better in identifying the noise.

 

[nate95tsi]

Lifter tick, almost definitely.

Post a video up if you can.

I'll try, my phone quality stinks pretty bad. It really doesn't seem it, and I don't mean to disagree, but when I replace my valve cover gasket I will check the lifters. The car did sit for a while in a garage so is it possible that it's injector tick?
Thanks for your reply though!

The best thing to do is to take a video of the car when it's making the noise so that we can hear it and be able to help you better in identifying the noise.

I will try for tomorrow. I am new to this forum so I will have to check the thread and see how to post it.
Thanks guys for the support

 

[trboeclpse98]

What size injectors are you running? Stock injectors usually don't make much noise but most larger aftermarket injectors do make some noise, usually not very loud. If the car had been sitting for some time it is very possible that a lifter making the noise.

 

[zachakagoat]

I agree more than likely it is the typical lifter tick that goes away once the engine heats up and the oil gets flowing.

When was the oil changed last? If its been sitting for awhile and the oil is older it could have sludged some and need to heat up to break down a little and get the lifters covered nicely.

As for injector click, if it goes away after a while then it isn't the injectors as that would be a constant tick and relative to engine speeds.

 

[nate95tsi]

I agree more than likely it is the typical lifter tick that goes away once the engine heats up and the oil gets flowing.

When was the oil changed last? If its been sitting for awhile and the oil is older it could have sludged some and need to heat up to break down a little and get the lifters covered nicely.

As for injector click, if it goes away after a while then it isn't the injectors as that would be a constant tick and relative to engine speeds.

The oil was changed fairly recently but that is what I was thinking. How can I fix it if it is some sludge build up on the lifters? Also when I called the guy he couldn't remember it doing it with the cat-less downpipe on. How could that change anything?
Thanks everyone for the help, I will take a video at some point today.

 

[bcjjones]

I thought for sure it was the timing belt tensioner pulley going bad. I just replaced it and all the timing belt components. Now its actually louder then before! For whatever reason its only at lower rpms, pretty much anything after 2k and it quiets down. Please if someone knows help me out!

tensioner pulley - YouTube

 

[DSMnoobsause]

How old is the tennsioner? What is the spacing from the tennsioner and the bracket that the tennsioner puts pressure on? Could be that vibrating against it.

 

[trboeclpse98]

It sounds like the timing belt is rubbing on the timing cover somewhere.

 

[bcjjones]

The gap is correct to spec. The tensioner isn't that old. Doesnt seem to be leaking at all. I thought about both of yalls suggestions before, but wouldn't it get louder as the rpms got higher? Im gunna pull the timing cover back off and see what happens. Thanks for the input.

Any other suggestions?

 

[chadillac2820]

A failed tensioner would be a more definitive knocking sound. But its difficult to tell from the audio.