Ok, I know, this has been hashed out many times already. I've personally posted about it several times, but I just can't stand it! I took my car out today on a nice drive. The engine runs great and very smoothly. Actually, it is a little rattly feeling in low RPMs, but above 2500, it is as smooth as an electric motor. Well, after it is warm and I park it in the garage, I open the door and low and behold, the loud tick is there. It's on the driver's side and is most noticeable under the car. It sounds like a metallic tick, but could be an exhause leak I suppose. It is annoying and is a little embarrassing when around other car people who are familiar with engine sounds. I've heard time and time again that "Oh, I have that too," or "Yeah, that's normal," and even "Mine doesn't make any noise." So it seems as if quite a few of us have this, and others don't. To me it sounds like a bad lifter or a banged up valve. I've taken it to the dealer only to have been told that, yep, you guessed it, "They all do that, it's normal."

Just had to rant! I'm aware of the sewing machine sound of these engines, but I don't think this pronounced tick, tick, tick, tick, should be there! It gets louder as the engine warms, probably due to the oil thinning out.

 

Greetings: How do I do that? I am not aware of that sound and have 13k miles, srt-6.

What conditions promote the noise? Since I dont hear it either mine is quiet or I have gone deaf. I would be interested in researching the sound to see if I do it, and maybe fix it.

You can get some garden hose or similar piping, placing it to your ear and use it to listen to the motor to localize the source. {HONEST no duct tape needed} You would be suprised how this can work for leaks and such, Enjoy Woody

 

I'm going to borrow my buddies stethoscope and find out once and for all where this is coming from! Well, I might try the garden hose instead! Man, you should have been part of the "A-Team"!

 

my crossfire did the same (usually when it was cold)... so does my '06 330i bmw on occasion... they all seem to say it's normal... but it's sooo annoying & still doesn't seem right imo.

 

OK, this sounds illogical. If it is normal, then all of them should make this ticking sound. I don't have this issue at all. So it's either all or none that should do this. I'm not sure I would accept this answer (it's normal) from the dealer unless they can show me all the others do it too.

I can understand your frustration.

 

Nope not normal, chrysler replaced my complete engine due to a tick they could not get out, now no tick at all and runs great, By the way it Never had a issue but the tick...


This is not NORMAL...

 

I always have had a faint tick, occasionally its not there though or maybe i don't notice it. When my car got about 10,000 miles on it it sounded like a total piece of **** when it was cold making knocking sounds. After I got to about 16,000 I said screw it ill beat the hell out of it and if it breaks I'll get a new motor under warranty so I beat on it for a couple minutes and it's never knocked again. Kinda strange... I started driving it a little more aggressively and it seems to be happier.

 

Here's the thing though. It doesn't sound like it is coming from under the hood. It is more prevelant under the car. I'm leaning towards an exhaust leak, but I can't trace it. I really don't want to go through an engine replacement. That is why I got rid of my Infiniti G35 Coupe in the first place and ended up with this car.

Also, it isn't a faint tick, it's very noticeable, especially when next to a wall.

 

there is a black check valve on the drivers side fender, which ticks loudly like mad all the time, it's normal.

 

After doing some research over at mbworld and listening to the engine with a scope, I have discovered the following:

Yes, on the driver's side fender there is a small black component known as a purge valve. Mine is on intermittently and makes a moderately loud snapping sound that does change with rpm. It is noticeable with the hood up, and once you hear it closely you'll also hear it with the hood closed. You can feel it pulse too. That may be part of what I hear, but the main noises are coming from underneath the covers stamped with SRT-6. I'm assuming the fuel injectors reside there. If so, they are noisy as hell! Some of the MB guys have used fuel injection cleaner to quiet them down a bit and some have paid 170 bucks for a carbon flush to remove carbon deposits from the valves as well as the injector nozzles. Any thoughts?

 

Mine was the same, if you go thru mcdonalds drive thru it was sooo loud...mine does not have any tick and has 3K on the engine and almost 50K on the car...

 

I have heard the ticking noise since I purchased the car with 300 miles on it. I would hate to think the injectors needed cleaning or there was any
carbon build-up at that time. The best way I can describe the ticking noise is that it is almost sounds like the diesel engine in my old Volvo. You can definitely hear it more while accelerating at low speeds.

 

Your car may have had more wrong with it, but it could also have been a service team that didn't know this engine. Seems to me they couldn't explain why your car was ticking, so they just changed it out. Not many dealers would go through all that; however, then again, they might so that they could recoup the expenditure from Chrysler Inc. I listened to the heads where the valves are, not much noise going on in there. The noise mostly comes from the injectors. Injectors are like little, individual pumps. They do make noise, I'm just wondering if there is a way to quiet that noise.

 

had a '99 MB C43 that ticked also, this was normal - on the MB forums lots of back and forth how to quiet since some seemed to be valve noise, etc.

some of the owners switched oil to German Castrol and seemed to help, mine quieted a little on my C43 when I tried it... but shop foreman at MB dealer knew AMG engines and said the tick was normal - it was not really loud but very similar to what I hear in my SRT-6 now.

 

i drove a sample crossfire w/40k on it had a clatter the whole time
i always listen when i am at the bank drive thru to see if i hear a clicking
none yet , that is why i sold my 04 GT mustang the Remo heads.

 

don't waste your money on the carbon valve cleaning machines, as most fuels are 10% alcohol, which does a great job at removing gunk, maybe if you have about 80,ooo miles you could try the carbon blast job but they are very pricey.
carbon build up is only a problem if you sit idle in traffic alot and never rev the motor to redline.

I heard there is an oil sprayer which lubes the roller chain on the cams, if this plugs up it can cause the ticking sound, until the engine has cycled enough oil over the chain durring start up. bet it's a biitch to get at the sprayer.

 

Mine has the same problem since 18 miles on the car. It runs great, but it's quite embarrassing to hear an echo off anything around, including curbs. As I accelerate I can hear a metallic clicking that sounds almost like an exhaust leak.

It's even louder than my needswings intake.

 

cgocifer - I guess mine ticks some, but it is not overly noticeable.
Any way to get a sound clip of yours?

 

I've tried to capture it on various media, but without a boom mic, the ticking is washed into the background of all the other noise.

Just say tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, really fast! Most of the noise I'm hearing is coming from under the SRT-6 engine covers (assuming that is where the injectors are). Some of the prevalent driver's side noise is from the purge valve mixed with the other ticking.

 

Seems like it is not just the SRT engines that are doing it.. Mine does the same thing too.. since it was brand new and it now only has 1400 miles oni t.