engine and drivetrain TICKING NOISE FROM ENGINE

[Austin]

i hear a slight ticking noise coming from my engine when i accelerate until about 3000 rpms. its coming from my engine right by my distributor.. or could it be the distributor? the last thing i did was put a new alternator in and i dotn think that has anything to do with it. any ideas on what this may be would be very helpful.

thanks

Austin

[Guest Anonymous]

i hear a slight ticking noise coming from my engine when i accelerate until about 3000 rpms. its coming from my engine right by my distributor.

Austin

Your question could use a "slight" more detail. Putting a length of hose or even a long screwdriver to your ear might help you in determining the exact situs of "the" noise.

First, your engine is not silent nor is it designed to be. If you listen carefully enough, your heart and lungs make sounds too. So does your distributor. The distributor has many parts that are designed to rub and expand. Underneath the valve cover (right next to the distributor) there are a bunch of moving parts which include valves and rockers and a cam. They all rub expand and click as well. Sight unseen or sound unheard, the ticking you hear may be nothing more than acceptable valve gear noise. Removing the valve cover and examining the rockers for wear and the valves for proper adjustment is the means of determining this.

All of those parts mentioned are moving. Consider that underneath the distributor you have parts that direct the exhaust gases from the engine. Now consider that all of the parts mentioned (including the distributor) get hot, expand and vibrate or move. Consequently, any some or all of them can contribute, cause or even resonate from elsewhere, sound you may be hearing.

What happens after 3000 rpm? Is the ticking drowned out by other engine sounds? Can you compare the sound to another 2002 engine? How long has the sound been detectable? When was the last time you adjusted your valves, changed your oil?

P.S. Typing the subject matter in upper case letters suggests this is some sort of emergency or deserving of immediate attention. Just how SLIGHT is this noise anyway? Are people in Nevada complaining? lol

[Mars]

To add to Armondo's post:

There are a normal amount of noises your engine will make.

That said, 2 things come to mind.

Your valve lash - make sure your valves are not too loose. If you have excessive valve clatter you should adjust (or have them adjusted for you) to somewhere between .006-.008.

If the noise goes away after 3k rpms it could be a sticky valve. Look inside your valve cover through the oil filler cap? Is it really dark and sludgy (hopefully not)?

If the noise is really coming from the distributor area take off the cap and check the fuzzy piece on top of the distributor shaft. Make sure you put a drop or 2 of oil in it. Your shaft could be dry and needs lubing.

How does the car run? Once I worked on a friend's car who had a ticking sound like you described. When I checked the car it turned out to have an oversized rotor that was scratching into the cap making all sorts of sounds. I doubt that is your case.

Another thing to check for is whether your distributor is worn or has come loose. If it moved up some and affected your timing it would begin to knock/tap a bit.

Just things to think about but I would check the first 3 above as one of those is probably your culprit.

M.

[PeterVarga]

Ticking sound could be a valve improperly set as mentioned above....but it could be a high tension spark through a dirt path to ground. If it is near the distributor and after and alt upgrade, look at your spark wires and distributor cap. Every insulator must be properly seated and the ends of the plug wires screwed into their insulators. A pin hole in any of the spark wires can make that spark sound if run next to a metal ground.

Dir and oil traces on the bakelite distrubutor cap can cause a short path to ground inside or outside the cap. Clean with solvent.

(If there is a misfire that confirms that it may be a high tension short.)

[ray_]

It could also be an exhaust leak.

Cheers,

Ray

[Guest Anonymous]

armondo,

thanks for your response. i know my engine isnt designed to be silent, but if it wasnt making a sound out of the ordinary i wouldnt be posting it on the forum. after 3000 rpms it just gets drowned out by the revving of the engine. i havnt compared the noise to another 2002 but i know enough to know its not a normal ticking noise that just started about a day ago. i couldnt tell you the last time the valves have been adjusted. ive never even messed with the engine block itself. oil is fine. i dont think its my distributor. i searched the same problem im having and it seems to be the valves.

thanks again for the responses. im lacking in knowledge when it comes to the engine itself so this all helps.

thanks

Austin

[TobyB]

I'm with Ray-

it's an exhaust leak.

They sound very 'snappy' compared to most cars...

t

[c.d.iesel]

after all the above - remember -

" A Ticking valve is a Happy valve "

also see:

timing chain tensioner

oil pump chain

flinging clutch pressure place bits

flinging clutch friction disk bits

flinging flaying clutch lever/retaing hair spring/throw-up bearing

exhaust touching floor

exhaust touching gearbox

racoon parts wraped around driveshaft - skull slap?

Get out, Get under, have a helper duplicate the sound

from the drivers seat while you listen & watch

or

Post some footage on You Tube for all of us to enjoy,

and diagnose

[Guest Anonymous]

A tick can mean different things to different people.

As I alluded in my original post, it can be valves, distributor or even an exhaust leak. I doubt the sound is all that serious, although I would not be surprised to learn one of the rockers or the shaft upon which the rocker sits is worn which means an eventual teardown. On the other hand, the sound may be nothing more than a loose exhaust nut.

Do yourself a favor, get your self a mechanic's stethoscope or a piece of tubing (to the ear) and carefully discover the exact location of the noise. Otherwise have someone else familiar with these sounds take a listen.

[Guest Anonymous]

thanks a lot for the suggestions and help

[Mars]

Koke's got a good point. Exhaust looseness somewhere could cause a very chattery/clattery ticky tack.

One other gotch related to the exhaust are the exhaust manifold nuts. Make sure they are tight. If you have any loose ones your car will make very annoying clatter that sounds like valve lash...

you got yourself a pretty good list of things to check now. dive in and report back if the sound persists after verifying all the advice given here so far...