Originally Posted by NeverEnough
Well, I just picked up my "new" used SRT-6 three days ago. I have searched the forums using every combination i can think of, and turned no mention of this.
First off the car runs GREAT! I love it. The only thing that seems odd is the amount of valve ticking it makes when idling. I hear it a little bit under initial acceleration as well. I realize these use "Mineral Oil" thin 0W-40, but it just seems to be nosier that I think it should be. It doesn't sound like an individual lifter, as it's consistent out of both valve covers. I've listened to it with my mechanics stethoscope, and i hear the oil sloshing around in there. Just wondering if these car are just clackity at idle. I guess it's possible that the supercharger is a little noisy as well, as I have no experience with them. All my previous performance cars have been turbocharged.
Thanks for any input. I need to take it to the dealer for a AC Fan Switch glitch anyway, just wanted to know if they should check that out as well.
I noticed this shortly after purchasing my SRT-6 in 10/04. I took the car
into the dealer's service center, and it was determined that there was no
cause for alarm. We checked another SRT-6 he had on the lot, and it also
ticked. As the ticking was symmetric on both vehicles this was called
"normal" for the car. At nearly 50,000 miles, it still ticks, but has grown
no louder over the years.
Though the dealer says this is lifter noise (and I have heard such from
other cars from other manufactures), I have tended to believe it is the
secondary detonation produced by the second spark plug in each
chamber. I can't prove this, but I suspect it could be done by someone
with mechanical know-how by removing the secondary spark plugs and
installing blank plugs to seal the holes. If the tick goes away, mystery
solved.
Don't worry too much about the ticking. As noted above, I've got nearly
50k miles on mine, and it hasn't seemed to cause any problems.
Coyote