My car started ticking on the way home yesterday. At first I thought it was an exhaust tick, but everytime I was arounf 2500rpms, the tick became pronounced. It also ticked when I tried to accelerate. Basically it would tick under a throttle load. When cruising on a flat surface, the tick goes away. In neutral I can rev to 2500 with no tick, but if I accelerate normally from a stoplight the tick gets quite loud around 2500 rpms. Any ideas?

 

Sounds purty simple. Sounds like common knock. I may be way off base here...but.... Maybe you got a bad round of gas? I really don't like to respond to a moderator with 8,000 posts and say its something simple, but I think it is Did you lower the octane that you normally use? Use a different gas station?

 

I am not overly mechanical. Your help is appreciated. I had 5 gallons of Sunoco 104 unleaded and the rest filled with 94 Octane so I doubt it is regular knock. Normally I can run just fine on 93 Octane but on track days I boost it up a bit just to be safe. I am guessing a lifter or something but since it doesn't tick when I am in neutral I'm wondering if I should be looking for something else.

Just because I am a Mod and have been around awhile doesn't mean I know anything.

 

i would start with the rocker arm settings maybe adjusting them will make it go away...I had the same problem where it would be loud around 2000-up and I adjusted my rocker arms and it went away. If it's still there after that check the exhaust at the flanges for a leak or at the head itself.

 

Did you go to the track the same day you noticed the "Tick" and how pronounced is the tick......What did you do different the day of the "Tick" if anything at all...??? The tick could be a header leak, collapsed lifter, or a rocker that has loosened up a bit, or a bent push rod......Sometimes your lifter/rocker/pushrod problem isn't going to be very pronounce until you put it under a stress load..i.e. driving. I'm having the same trouble but I believe mine is a collapsed lifter causing most of my problems......

 

Yea, I had been at the track all day. Went to the finals in Street ET. Basically the car ran 12.2's all ay breaking out with a 12.27 in the finals.

 

Did it do it immediately after a run or just out of the blue on the drive home? I'd second either a bent pushrod or collapsed lifter. Auto Stethoscope would be the easiest way to find which cylinder is the culprit. Then pop of the valve cover and see whats goin on under there

 

It could be an exhaust leak right at the head. Look for a blowout in the header gasket.

 

It did it on the way home. At first I thought it was a loose strap on the tranny blanket until I could reproduce the problem.

 

EGR maybe??? I was getting a tick under load until I replaced my EGR. True, my EGR had 80,000 + miles.

Does the tick sound like its coming from the egr area?

 

Mine does the exact same thing... it started right after I did the headers. I am pretty sure mine is coming from the EGR connection to the mac header, since I didn't use any type of gaskets or RTV, and the connection didn't seem to seal well. And it continued after I redid the valve train with new rockers and checked all the pushrods... I didn't change the lifters... but I don't suspect that to be the problem.

 

EGR blockoff plate.

 

I just had a tick that would only occur between 2500~3000 and only under normal acceleration ...could never hear it under WOT. I had a very small leak from the manifold. Might be worth changing the header gasket just to rule it out. Good luck..engine ticks drive me crazy..you never know what is wrong until you find it.

 

I had the exact same tick sound, showing up only under load. Not in neutral, never at idle.

The tick slowly grew to a pulsating hiss, then soon to a constant hissing/sucking sound.

Turns out I blew a head gasket, it was leaking compresion into the intake/lifter valley... no smoke or water/oil being mixed either, as far as I could tell.

Probably not likely in your case, but definitley a possibility.

 

A guy I work with has the same problem with his HD. He added STP oil treatment and it went away for about a week. His is most likely a lifter going out and it sounds like yours is the exact same problem. My car also had a ticking that wasn't the exhaust but ended up being a flattened out roller on the lifter. It trashed my cam(good excuse for a new one) and every time I'd adjust the rockers It would last about 2 days and start the ticking again. Not saying these are your problems just things that I've seen and dealt with. What wieght oil do you use?