While car is stopped, in drive or reverse, i get this annoying ticking sound from under the car.Sounds like its even with the front wheel maybe? Doesnt tick in neutral or park. Any help or ideas?

 

I noticed my car did this a while back.
My car was idling low, like 600 RPM in drive or reverse at stop light or stop sign. Of course not in Nuetral because the car idles higher. I noticed the sound coming from the front of the car. Louder on the passenger side than on the driver side.
Turned out ot be the pipe/catlatic convertor. Something in it was rattling or the pipe was loose, I don't know which one. I just put a new gutted cat and tightened it up. No more noise!

May or may not be your problem. Just a thought though. GL

 

well the drive/reverse is bringing the idle down low enough to hear it or make it discernable from a constant sound.

 

If you have headers check your bolts on the back on the passenger side, i just replaced my header gaskets and it has come loose again and has started that ticking sound

 

I agree w/ Red92RS, I also had this issue a couple of weeks ago and it was an exhaust leak. 2 of my header bolts were loose (last 2 on passenger side closest to the fire wall), tightened them up and the ticking is gone.

 

Yeah its probably just a small exhaust leak. I have a permenent one...My last bolt on my pass side is stripped so I cant put a bolt there

 

I have this problem too. However, I only hear it when I am just starting to drive the car, but when the cars warm, I dont hear it anymore.

:lala:

 

If it ticks only when there is a load on it, i.e. in drive but not park or neutral, it is most likely a bad lifter. If when you rev it up in park or neutral, there is a tick, it is more likely to be an exhaust leak.

 

I hear a ticking noise while I am idiling at stop lights and the first thing when i start up. It drives me crazy. When I took it to Meinke they could not fixed. Something about the ways it was. If the pop the bolt they could not get to it to replace the bolt. Does that makes sense?

 

Not at all

 

They also told me to take it to a general mechanic.

 

Same thing happens to me when i start the car after its been sitting awhile and hit the throttle. But it sounds like it coming from in the dash???Weird

 

You guys sure you're not hearing the injectors???

In gear at low idle, you should be able to hear them ticking away. As soon as you raise the rpm it seems to go away which is consistent with the injectors. It can sound like its coming from the dash and is louder from the passenger side due to the air being sucked in from driver side.

If it was along the valve train, increased rpm amplifies the sound ie more ticks per rpm. Also the valve train makes more of a metallic clang noise too, it distinguishes itself from exhaust leaks at higher rpm with a more metallic sound.

If it was exhaust leak, the sound is more of a pfft (spit with lips closed) type sound and like valve train looseness will amplify with increased rpm. The only difference is even at higher rpm, it will still maintain that pfft sound.

I've also had the metal piece in the exhaust and its a rattle. Like something in a can and it can get annoying. At idle its loud, at higher rpm, the backpressure pre cat will force it not to rattle so its not as audible.

 

Didn't say which trans you have, but iff its an auto, crawl under there and check the 3 torque converter bolts, one of mine worked its way a little bit loose, and drove me nuts, same noise your'e talking about. I was about to rebuild the engine before I realized it