help: engine tick...dont think its the lifters

[ILLiCliPSE]

Ive been getting this wierd tick coming from my engine lately. it will be there one day and not be there another. im confused. i was thinking and i hear that it could be the egr valve ticking, or even the injectors, but you can definetly hear it even with the hood closed and even from behind the car. it doesnt seem to be coming from the engine itself...more like the intake manifold. i opened the oil cap with the car running and the noise didnt get any louder. even when i was trying to figure it out, it went away, then came back. what could this be? im hoping it isnt anything serious.

 

[silvawolfe]

have you ruled out a exhaust leak yet? It seems to me like that may be the most obvious culprit especially if it comes and goes.
Have you tried to pinpoint the location yet?
Try a 1/2" piece of hose held up to your ear, if it's a pressure (exhaust) leak you will find it that way. Your manifold is probobly cracked under the heat shield on one of the runners so every time that cylinder hits the ext stroke you hear a tic.

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

nah its not coming from the exhaust manifold, the tick is on the other side where the intake manifold is by the firewall.

I just went driving around and the noise hasnt come back....it runs, idles, and drives PERFECT. I even let it idle for a few minutes when I got home and it still hasnt come back. So when it comes back Ill try to pin point the location...but from what ive been looking at for the past few times it seems to be coming from the intake manifold.

 

[eboy0]

I have the same exact problem! I took out all 16 lifters and cleaned/oiled them up, and i still have the problem, it's coming from behind the intake like you say, and it's a come and go thing, I reach one stop light it starts to tick, I floor it, and get to another light and it's gone, it's just annoying. Lemme know if you figure anything out.

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

no prob man...will do

its so annoying tho isnt it?

someone help us!

 

[95talon_in_ma]

I got the same thing, I think. It's always there when you first start it up and then it's intermittent. Sounds a little different than a tick, sounds more like putting baseball cards in a bicycle tire. Used to be once and a while, now it's more often than not.
At first I thought it was the timing cover caught on something. But that wasn' it becuz it quiets down when I use Engine restore.

It's only a guess, but I'm betting it's a bearing in the Balance shaft. Motor has 145000 and never been opened.
If it lasts till Jan, then I am good. I have a second motor going to the machine shop to be done in time for tax returns....

Does that sound like what you are hearing?

 

[eboy0]

I'll grab my camera and record a clip of it.
It does sound like what you're describing it as. It's really annoying, but i know it's not coming from the lifters, more from behind the intake near firewall as stated above.
Almost about to buy a new set of 3g lifters before i realized it wasn't the cause.

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

ya take a vid that be awesome...

it almost sounds like an electrical spark kinda tick

 

[TURBOCASS]

Have you guys done a de-carbon?? I had the same problem I changed my lifters and did the de-carbon and the ticks went away. i have a 1g with 160,000 stock internals...

 

[eboy0]

Have you guys done a de-carbon?? I had the same problem I changed my lifters and did the de-carbon and the ticks went away. i have a 1g with 160,000 stock internals...

I ran through 2 cans of seafoam, didnt fix anything. Took off valve cover, popped out all lifters, soaked them in acetone for 2 days, cleaned them out with compressed air, lubed them with royal purple 10-30 full synthetic, at this point i'm almost certain it's not lifters.
I'll try to post a video up asap.
As ILLiCliPSE said, it almost sounds like an electronic ticking...

 

[andymoraitis]

You'd be surprised how loud injectors can tick. I can hear mine from outside the car with the hood closed. I called FIC about this and they said that it's perfectly normal and they often tick loudly when they're being tested. I wouldn't rule that out and as a simple test you can disconnect the injector clips one at a time with the motor running to see if it's just one of them. In my case all of them are loud and you may have the same issue.

You can also do a simple test to see if it's wires arcing. With the motor off, spray the plug wires down with a fine mist of water and start it up in the dark. If you see a light show, it's an arcing issue and you'll have an easy fix on your hands (new wires).

Keep us posted,

Andy

 

[eboy0]

Just got new accel 8.5mm wires so don't think it's that. Will try the injector test tomorrow and post back results.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

Subscribed.

I, too, get this. I just ignore it.
I'll try to do an injector test this weekend and I'll post up my results as well (stock injectors btw)

 

[TSIFWD19]

Can you hear it ticking inside the car. I think i might have the same problem. My dad said it might be the solenoid ticking. It sounds like it on my car. but your problem could be something else entirely.

 

[T is for TURBO]

Same shit here. However I never had it until I did my six bolt swap (block and head). Don't think its the injecters b/c I'm using the whole 2g 7 bolt fuel system... Ill check non-the-less. I thought lifter tick as well, but it is so intermittent. It will be there when I start the car cold. Ill drive for a couple of miles, and get the car good and warm, and it will still tick... Then out of no where, the ticking will just stop and won't start ticking again until the car has had enough time to completly cool down...

-Shawn

 

[eclipsemustang]

i have this same problem it used to tick about everyother stop light, but i changed my oil and i thought it went away but about two weeks later it started up but now i havent heard it for a few days its so random and confusing

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

WOW looks like we got a lot of people that have the same problem. The problem is intermitant

Example: The last time my car ticked like this was last night in the driveway before I went out...then I made this thread because Ive been procrastinating over making a thread about this. I left then it ticked probably till I got out of my driveway/ down the first road of my development, then it stopped, all the way to my destination. and hasnt come back still..and I just got home from school. Im sure Ill hear it again. BUT WE MUST FIGURE THIS OUT!

ebay0 did you get that vid yet? My sound hasnt come back yet so I cant get a vid myself or I would...plus Im leaving for NY in a few minutes.

 

[eboy0]

WOW looks like we got a lot of people that have the same problem. The problem is intermitant

Example: The last time my car ticked like this was last night in the driveway before I went out...then I made this thread because Ive been procrastinating over making a thread about this. I left then it ticked probably till I got out of my driveway/ down the first road of my development, then it stopped, all the way to my destination. and hasnt come back still..and I just got home from school. Im sure Ill hear it again. BUT WE MUST FIGURE THIS OUT!

ebay0 did you get that vid yet? My sound hasnt come back yet so I cant get a vid myself or I would...plus Im leaving for NY in a few minutes.

I'll try to get it up today-tomorrow since i do go to school.

Can you hear it ticking inside the car. I think i might have the same problem. My dad said it might be the solenoid ticking. It sounds like it on my car. but your problem could be something else entirely.

Yes, for me I hear it most inside the car than outside the car.

 

[Phil97GST]

well this may be kind of subject but my car makes this squeaky noise and some of my buddies told me its my lifters. is it??

 

[eboy0]

well this may be kind of subject but my car makes this squeaky noise and some of my buddies told me its my lifters. is it??

Squeaking normally means one of your belts or pulleys are bad.

 

[Blue95GST]

aside from the squeaking, back onto the original thread, i have the exact same ticking, i'v narrowed it down to either a relay or solenoid somewhere just behind or around the IM, i have off school for the next week so i'll look into it alot more, we def need to figure this out because it is so annoying!

 

[407gst]

im having the same sound(baseball card in bicycle tire) from my car. any thing after 2k rpms it gets really loud and never goes away. any ideas why this is......left my car at pepboys to do a diagnostic, do you guys think this diagnostic will be able to tell me whats happening.

 

[sbcxtreme]

haha, i had a problem like this. kept hearing something tick and i thought it was the lifters. well....the a/c fan blade had melted a little bit, and when it would come on it would smack the shroud all the way around. thats why it would do it sometimes, and not others. you guys are probally not have the same problem, but good luck.

 

[thefakie25]

I have the same problem except my noise goes away after like 5 minutes of driving. I got a diagnostic test nothing wrong except mechanic told me i have a definate exhaust leak now if that was the noise problem wouldnt it make it all the time?

 

[ILLiCliPSE]

holy sh*t haha we all have this problem. ive done a search and ive read that it could be the egr valve or the injectors. i still have no idea how or why this happens . anyone else have any suggestions?