Engine Ticking Noise... please help!

Wait until the engine fails, then have a used engine installed.

 

I sold a blue 2006 that sounded just like this. It ran fine but the engine is probably worn and will need replacement soon

 

Alternatively you can sell the 12 year old car.

It would be very costly in labor to try and fix the problem, even then you'll still have a 200k miles motor that may or may not be fixed. Another used motor would be nearly as expensive ($1000+) but the problem definitely won't be there after you replace the engine

 

It may be piston wrist pin is failing. It’s not the timing chain. Answer me this ......how many times has the oil run so low a red triangle came on or you see that once in awhile going around corners.

With engine running get under front of car to listen to bottom of engine. Or take the oil fill cap off and see if it’s real loud coming out of that hole. Top noise or bottom noise.

But like jc said no matter what it’s a lot of $$$ to tear into an engine unless you do it yourself.
Dealer at $140 an hour is out of the question. Have no idea where rohnert park is.

 

O.K., I am old school, but couldn't it just need a valve adjustment, or possibly an exhaust manifold leak (that caused a ticking in my 1962 Falcon in about 1981..).

I would not just jump to new engine....

 

No codes are logged because the basic issue is mechanical. Since you observed the noise level went up abruptly, that does imply some damage has occurred to the valve train or whatever area is causing the noise.

Luscious Garage in SF is one place you might try if you want to get another opinion about what might be wrong.

As previously pointed out, it is possible that the valves need adjustment. That can be determined by removing the valve cover and measuring the clearances. However if that is the problem, it is not inexpensive to adjust the valves as the camshafts must be removed for access to the bucket spacers that need to be replaced. Plan on $600 or more for that work.

Considering the engine has 200K miles on it, you don't want to put a lot of money into a repair, as the repair is not going to restore the condition of the pistons, cylinders, valves, etc.

So, you could ignore the noise for now and see what happens, or you could try to get another informed opinion about what is wrong, or you could try to sell the car, or you could start to save the funds to have a used engine installed when the existing engine dies, etc. Good luck.

 

what did you find? mine is doing the same darn thing....
i even tried something....
i cycled thru all injectors.. on 3rd injector, ticking stopped...
the tick does not sound like injector related... ive heard the injector tick.. this is LOUDER than an injector.

 

He hasn’t logged on for a year. I’m guessing he sold the car.

 

I know this thread is old but this is the exact noise my car is making. 211,xxx. Noise was gentle and nearly unnoticeable at 208,xxx and was left unattended because apparently lots of noises are okay for this engine. The noise gets noticeably louder after a long trip. I know the best answer will be 'replace the engine' which I can do, but I'd love to find out the cause of this issue and fix it if possible. I might open a thread on the issue and my attempts to fix it.

 

Did you find the cause of the problem ?

 

I see this is an old post, but there should be a response in this thread. It's in the Gen 2 forum, so the engine is the 1NZ, and the reason there are more people replacing 1NZs than doing valve adjustments is (1) replacement engines can be had pretty cheaply, and (2) valve adjustment on the 1NZ is crazy impractical.

1NZ valves are adjusted at the factory by choosing each intake valve lifter to be one of the 35 available sizes for those, and each exhaust valve lifter to from among the different 35 sizes for those. At the factory, this is easy, because all 70 lifter choices are right there to be chosen on the production line.

To field-adjust a 1NZ, you have to (1) measure all the valve clearances to determine how far each clearance is off; (2) remove the camshafts and all of the lifters, keeping them in order; (3) measure each removed lifter to determine what size it is; (4) do the math with the clearance you measured to determine what size you need; (5) order the sizes you need; (6) wait around with your car apart until they all arrive, including the one that wasn't in the warehouse and comes on the boat from Japan; (7) reassemble the engine.

If you're in a hurry, you could order 560 lifters before you start, and try to return 544 for a refund after you're done. Not that I've heard of anyone successfully using that approach.

Sometimes people talk about "shims" when describing that sort of adjustment. There are no "shims" in the 1NZ. The entire lifter is what comes in 35 sizes, and the entire lifter is replaced. To have a full selection of those in stock would be a mid-four-figure investment.

Hence, a lot of people replace 1NZ engines when they wear out.