Ticking noise from engine.
09-12-2010, 06:18 PM
#1
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Ticking noise from engine. 98 6-speed with 89,xxx miles. There's a ticking noise when idling. Especially @ WOT. I'm using 91 octane and using the right oil weight. I was told that it may be a sticking valve. What can it be? I was thinking about an engine rebuild or replacement, but was told that might not even be needed. Thanks for the help.
09-13-2010, 01:45 AM
#5
Could be lots of things... a sound / video clip may help a lot.
id start by checking the belt, making sure its not coming apart. And also spraying a little WD-40 on all the tension pullies bearings, they can go bad. If it gets quiet you'll notice. Then check the spark plugs and wires. If that still looks good and you still hear it, see if a buddy can scan it for missfires. The wire may look good... but it maybe broken in side, that will tell you which one you need to focus on.
If you still dont find it, Id stop driving it. And your going to have to pull off the valve covers. It maybe a bent pushrod, or a valve, or a spring. Hell it could even be a rocker. Although i think you would notice. But it sounds like you have thought about rebuilding, so its probably a noticeable sound. If its one of these, consider yourself lucky as its a cheap easy fix.
BUT, If all of that checks out... it could likely be a spun bearing or a bent connecting rod and the motor would have to come out. Here I would pull off the heads and see if there is any contact with the piston and the head or if there was any unusual wear inside of the cylinders. This would also give you an even better look at the valves... check to see if they are contacting the piston. If you see any of that, id pull the motor.
Have you or a previous owner sprayed nitrous or had a power adder on it? Or had the oil run low.. or had your oil replaced at jiffy lube (or the like)?
id start by checking the belt, making sure its not coming apart. And also spraying a little WD-40 on all the tension pullies bearings, they can go bad. If it gets quiet you'll notice. Then check the spark plugs and wires. If that still looks good and you still hear it, see if a buddy can scan it for missfires. The wire may look good... but it maybe broken in side, that will tell you which one you need to focus on.
If you still dont find it, Id stop driving it. And your going to have to pull off the valve covers. It maybe a bent pushrod, or a valve, or a spring. Hell it could even be a rocker. Although i think you would notice. But it sounds like you have thought about rebuilding, so its probably a noticeable sound. If its one of these, consider yourself lucky as its a cheap easy fix.
BUT, If all of that checks out... it could likely be a spun bearing or a bent connecting rod and the motor would have to come out. Here I would pull off the heads and see if there is any contact with the piston and the head or if there was any unusual wear inside of the cylinders. This would also give you an even better look at the valves... check to see if they are contacting the piston. If you see any of that, id pull the motor.
Have you or a previous owner sprayed nitrous or had a power adder on it? Or had the oil run low.. or had your oil replaced at jiffy lube (or the like)?
Last edited by xxrillixx; 09-13-2010 at 01:52 AM.
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09-15-2010, 12:44 AM
#9
everyone assumes the worst when it could be the normal piston slap all LS engines have when they are cold until normal operating temp. mine does this also and i'm not worried about anything, my wires are new, my plugs are new, i've seen my rocker arms and they're perfect. my car runs beautifully but for the OP if your car seems down on power then you want to check under the valve covers . . . if you haven't lost any power it's probably just piston slap
09-15-2010, 09:01 PM
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Doesn't seem to have an exhaust leak. Where should I check for leaks.
It's quiter when it is warm up, but still ticks.
09-16-2010, 11:00 AM
#14
Can't really tell where it's coming from. But hear it more when next to a wall or other car.
Oil pressure seems right. The car does seem to be low on power. I've never over reved the car, but the person that I bought the car from did drag it several time.
Doesn't seem to have an exhaust leak. Where should I check for leaks.
It's quiter when it is warm up, but still ticks.
Oil pressure seems right. The car does seem to be low on power. I've never over reved the car, but the person that I bought the car from did drag it several time.
Doesn't seem to have an exhaust leak. Where should I check for leaks.
It's quiter when it is warm up, but still ticks.
Best thing to do is start the car cold and feel around where the noise appears to be coming from.
If you had a bad leak and too much air was getting to the o2's it could cause them to read lean, in turn causing your engine to run really rich. This could account for a loss in power. That might be a stretch. AFAIK, under WOT the computer does not read rely on the o2's, how does the car feel at WOT, normal?
09-16-2010, 01:13 PM
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it feels great most of the time but at low rpms and launching it seems under powered. WOT feels good tho...could the catless y-pipe cause this as i have yet to get the tune to delete the rear O2s
