So I've had this ticking/tapping noise going on for a while now and it's starting to realy worry me. Its not terrible loud and only seems to happen under very light throtle, under 2000rpms then once over 2k it goes away. Like when creaping in traffic. Now the strange thing I've noticed if I let my car warm up before I start driving it doesn't happen but when I drive it cold its allways there. Another strange thing is it only happens in Drive not in park or neutral, very strange. I haven't been able to pinpoint where it's coming from but it sounds like its comming from the back of the engine closest to the firewall. I had my plugs changed at 107k and am now at 126k other than this noise the car runs like a champ minimal oil burning (less than 1qt) and no power loss so I'm pretty perplexed any ideas?

 

exhaust leak?
what gas do you use?

 

Shell V-Power ONLY! I don't think it's knocking, how would an exhaust leak make a ticking noise. I'm not knocking your theory just curious.

 

hmmm, i had that couple of times.. but when i was using regular?
i might be totally off~ but premium solved it for me

 

is the noise comming from the valve area? mine has valve tapping noise.

 

Its hard to tell cuz it only seems to happen in Drive not in park or neutral so I can't really pinpoint it. If it is valve noise is there any fix with out tearing the engine apart.

 

valve buckets.

 

disconnect the grounding wire that goes to the firewall and see if it stops

 

had this same problem...checked the oil one day and it was fine then checked it 2 days later. Bone frickin dry. also switched from Royal purple to Castrol. It's running better than ever, checked for leaks and had no leaks. idk. Id say check your oil again make sure you check it when your car is cold and keep checking till you get an accurate reading

 

care to explain

 

oils not the issue my VQs not a burner...knock on wood

 

i had the same ticking sound coming from the firewall.i took off that ground wire and it stopped. i dont know what makes it tick but it did stop

 

hmmm interesting I'll try that

 

Was it constant or did it depend on revs?

Johnny, grab a video of it if you can, capturing the sound.

 

only on light revs just like he described

 

I've been having the same Grinding / Tapping noise from my 2002 GLE for about 6 months now. I brought it to the dealer, (3 separate occasions) but they cant find anything wrong since it happens on a cold start for only about 5mins. All their diagnostics check out fine.

A while back, I read that it was a problem with the [timing chain tensioner] ?

Im not mechanically inclined at all, but would a loose tensioner cause a rattle on a cold start?

 

does it only happen between 1600-2100 rpm? when engine is under load? does it get loud or worse when ur going uphill? also does it happen if you rev the egine in neutral to those rpms?

 

idk what to do, the car rattles at 2,000 rpm, but doesnt before or after that, what can be the cause of this?

 

heat shield?

 

ping pong

 

Catalytic Converter Rattle? Mine did the same thing around 2k rpms sounded like it was comming from the firewall side. Check your cat

 

Not sure if it's the same thing, but I installed a grounding kit and afterwards I developed a clicking sound coming from the engine bay. After a long time of not being able to figure it out, I took it to the dealer. I had a grounding strap that connected my upper intake manifold to my firewall. They found that I had it connected to the wrong screw on the intake manifold and they moved it to a different spot and the clicking/ticking instantly went away. Felt very stupid afterwards .

 

A lot of 5th gens have an issue with the timing chain rattle on cold starts, there is actually a service bulletin for it. I currently have an issue where (I'm pretty sure) my timing chain is rattling all the time, not just on cold starts, when in drive and the RPMs are between 2000-2500. Believe it or not, my car used to make the grinding noise on cold starts, but hasn't since I started experiencing this new noise while driving. I'm taking my car to the stealership on Wednesday to see if they agree with my diagnosis...

 

So I removed the ground wire going from the IM to the firewall and now the ticking is gone. It seems very strange that something like that would cause noise but now that I think about it the sound was like a electric relay switching on/off.

 

I have the same problem. where is the ground wire going from the IM to the firewall?

And what do u mean the IM? what is that

 

IM is for intake manifold. But i either couldn't find any wire connected to the firewall

 

sounds like u guys are on the right track..

hey have pics im trying to find it but im alittle mental so i dont see it...pics? please? purtty please lol. it owuld help out alot for me man or for future reference for someone else.. ty


pics of location of this wire, please?

 

Its wasn't a factory ground that I removed I had put in an aftermarket grounding kit and the wire went from behind a bracket for a sensor with a blue plug to the firewall.

 

ok well i have the same issue just like you down to the T. It seems to be getting worst though, i took in to midas and one of the guys said its was because i maynot have been using the right gas. But thats b.s. because i have always used 93.

What should i do?

 

anyone?

 

maybe PCV valve is dirty?

 

Try lowering your antifreeze percentage in the coolant mix to around 25%Antifreeze/75% water. Most people have their mix over 50%. More antifreeze in the coolant results in higher cylinder head temps, which causes detonation. Antifreeze(glycol) is a poor heat transfer agent. More water results in better heat transfer and lower temps, therefore, pinging will be reduced. Each percent of antifreeze equals 1 degree rise in cylinder head temp. In addition, use redline waterwetter to help reduce the surface tension of the coolant,further helping with ping reduction,hence,the ECU will keep the timing advanced for more power and better gas mileage..