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the old antrx.com wiki => old wiki articles to be converted => maintenance issues => Topic started by: noss on Jul 1, 2004, 04:23PM
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(http://www.antrx.com/images/faqs/engine_tick/engine_tick.jpg) a guide on diagnosing ticking noises coming from your engine
[author]noss
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pics to come soon.
ticking can be attributed to a few things..
- leaking exhaust manifold gasket
- not enough oil in your car, hence lifter noise
- faulty/damaged/worn lifters
- timing chain needs to be replaced
- spark arcing somewhere (most likely from a worn/torn/incorrectly fitted spark plug lead to the block)
simple stuff like this has been comvered many times on antrx to help you diagnose problems with your car. a simple search will yield you more than enough information.
to help you tell exactly what it might be, there are a few ways.
- exhaust manifold gasket leaking
usually this will result in carbon (black soot) build up around the manifold where it bolts onto the head. its a pretty easy symptom to spot, and a cheap one to solve.
- not enough oil in the car
check the oil level by checking the dipstick when the engine is cold. in the u12, the dipstick has a yellow ring type handle and is located between the exhaust manifold and the alternator. remove the dipstick, wipe it with a rag, insert it fully and then remove it again, you will see just how much oil is actually in the engine and you will know if you should top it up or not. also a very simple and cheap problem to solve.
- faulty hydraulic lifters (does not apply to ca20e engine)
normally not all of the hydraulic lifters will fail at once, so if the noise your experiencing doesnt sound like its from all cylinders, it may be the case that the odd one or two of your lifters has failed. hydraulic lifters last a very long time provided that you maintain your car correctly. there are very fine oil galleries which assist the lifters in their operation and if you get lazy and dont change your oil and oil filter regularly, it will result in the lifters clogging up with junk, and as a result, they dont get the oil they require for operation. to determine which lifter(s) is faulty, you can normally run your car at idle, and then place a long screwdriver on the rocker cover and put your ear up to the handle of the screw driver and listen for the ticking noise, effectively what your doing is using the screwdriver as a stethoscope. replacing the lifters brand new is quite expensive, around $800 in fact for 12 of these little things maybe the size of your average jellybean. if you cant justify that kind of cost, and the lifters are your problem, search around a few of the wreckers listed in the victorian section of antrx and price 2nd hand lifters or a complete head.
(http://www.virtualgaz.co.uk/update%20nov02/hydraulic%20lifter.JPG)
this is a hydraulic lifter. you will find these in the rocker arms in your ka24e engine
in the ca20e, the lifters are what is known as 'solid' lifters. to remember noisy lifters in a ca20e, adjust the lash on the lifters so that the clearances match the factory specifications.
the factory specs for the clearances on the ca20e are as follows:
inlet (cold): 0.21mm
exhaust (cold): 0.23mm
inlet (hot): 0.30mm
exhaust (hot): 0.30mm
click here for instructions on how to adjust your solid lifters (http://www.antrx.com/tech/article.php?t=4450&a=noss)
- timing chain
what generally occurs is that the chain stretches due to the millions of revolutions. as the chain wears the gears take a beating as well. once the chain cannot stretch any further it actually breaks causing the valves to hit the pistons resulting in costly engine repairs. generally speaking, worn chains can be identified by listening for chain slap at idle. in the ka24e engine, the timing chain is supposed to be changed every 100,000km so if you are nearing 200,000 or 300,000km this could be your problem. or for example, if you bought the car shortly before 200,000 and you are now a fair few km's past that, and there is no evidence the chain has been replaced, then this could also mean that the previous owner sold the car before they replaced the chain. when the timing chain is replaced its usually fairly costly, but if this is the problem, dont delay in replacing it as it could eventually break and result in catastrophic engine damage.
- spark arcing
you can tell if this is the problem by the obvious electric zap type of tick that you can hear. the easiest way to tell if this is your problem and where it is coming from other than by listening for the sound is to idle your car at night (in the dark) and look for the spark.