This is on the '88 Camaro in the sig...

I've noticed that I can hear a clicking sound on the inside of of my car that varies with engine speed, and it's more audiable the more gas I give it. It's just a slight tapping/ticking sort of sound. The only other place I've heard this before was on my brother's Jeep, and it was even louder there.

I almost wonder if it's comming from the intake since it gets louder the as I step on the gas more (so the throttle plate opens allowing more sound to get through).

Any ideas as to what this might be?

 

Okay, a few quick questions. When was the last time you gave your car a tune up? How many miles are on it? Dit it start all of a sudden, or has it been a persistant problem that's just getting louder?

Craig C.

 

The car has had a "tune up" within the past year. By that, I mean that I've done the following (off the top of my head):

- new plugs
- new wires
- new rotor
- coolant change
- oil/filter change
- transmission fluid/filter change
- timing set to spec (as close as I could get it, given that the timing chain is probably stretched)

There are actually probably more things, but I do try to keep the car pretty-well maintained.

It has ~125,000 miles on it.

I don't think that's it's started all of the sudden, but then again, I'm not sure. Probably I only just started noticing it recently. What I have noticed for as long as I can remember is that I hear a similar and constant ticking at idle in the engine bay (i.e. when the hood is open and I'm watching it idle). To me, that one really sounds like a loose rocker arm. Or I suppose it could be comming from the exhaust; there is a bolt missing in the passenger's exhaust manifold, closest to the firewall. As to what it would more likely be, I don't know.

I'm just trying to avoid pulling off valve covers if I don't have to...

 

Our injectors make a ticking sound normally so that could be it. If you want to find out if its a rocker arm or other problem, take a really long socket extension, put one end on the area that's making the noise, and hold the other end to your ear.

 

I have a ticking sound under my hood, but that is from the ACCEL 300+ MS box. Since my exhaust is loud I can't hear it.

 

ticking sounds are usually exhaust leaks or valve train noise, loose lifter/rocker.