Ok, so there's a ticking noise somewhere in my engine, and I'm not sure where it's coming from. Some people say it sounds like an exhaust leak, some say it sounds like valves tapping. The pace of the ticking is relative to the pace of the engine. As the engine speeds up, so will the ticking.

Condition of the Engine:
a. I have several SES codes and a bad O2 simulator. The codes are in reference to the 2 sensors that the O2 simulator is supposed to be simulating, so I'm thinking once I put the new O2 simulator in, that will take care of those codes.

b. My engine has developed a hesitation at any more than half throttle below 4k rpms. If I stab the gas at 2,500 rpms, the car will surge, hesitate, and accelerate very slowly.

c. My car's performance has been worse than usual for a long time, meaning that my car accelerates much slower than it should. This loss of performance began a few months after I put the headers on (without a tune), and particularly began during one trip to the track when I put "octane booster" in my tank with less than a half tank of gas. My times just got slower and slower as the night went on, and my performance has not been the same since.

d. I have had headers on my car for almost 2 years now and have been running without a tune, so I'm sure I am running quite rich.

As far as the performance, people say I just need a tune and I will get my power back. I'm thinking that perhaps that octane booster messed something up during that trip to the track. Maybe a clogged cat or my fuel filter?

As far as the ticking noise, I opened the engine oil cap, put my ear to it, and the sound was not coming from inside there. I don't know about the rear bank of cylinders though. Any help on what this ticking noise, hesitation, and overall loss of performance could be?

 

Get those O2 sensors cleaned up.

The ticking to me sounds like an exhaust leak. I've got the same thing on my headers. It's been occuring since day one, so I plan to pull them off this spring and re-weld all the joints.

I would say the hesitation is probably from running extremely rich, considering our cars go into a closed loop at WOT, and run off factory ECU settings as to what the AFR should be versus getting feedback from the O2 sensors.

The other thing to worry about is fouling up the O2 sensors from running so rich. That may be another reason you're seeing degradation in performance.

If your cat was clogged, you'd be getting a rotten egg/sulfur smell in the cabin under heavy accelration. If your fuel filter was on its way out, you'd more than likely experience rough idling and stalling...

 

I don't think running for a long time without a tune would damage anything though.

The car runs in closed loop during normal operation, meaning that anytime you're driving below ~3000rpm and and ~40% throttle, the computer controls the AFR mixture based on feedback from the primary o2 sensors.

I can verify this because I got my wideband before I got a tune, and during regular driving, my AFR would stay in the 14's.

Now, if there is a problem with the primary o2 sensors, the ECU reverts to feedback from the secondaries, which happen to be simulated.

So you could have a bad primary and the ECU is reverting to the secondary o2 for AFR control, but since they are not simulated properly, you have a problem.

Hows the gas mileage?

 

Sorry, I had it backwards. But either way, at WOT, it will revert back to factory ECU settings and run an AFR based on that instead of the O2 sensors, correct?

As far as running rich damaging stuff, it definitely would if he's been running rich for over two years. That's a good recipe for fouled out plugs, among other things...

Although it is possible he has a bad primary.

 

Yeah, more or less. The ECU uses a stored map for open loop at WOT, but the stored map does take on small changes based on the long term fuel trims and such.

And yes, running rich for that long probably could build up some extra carbon and garbage.

And I know wyche is at WOT quite often...

Get the codes fixed and go from there...I'd say you're just running really rich.

 

"My engine has developed a hesitation at any more than half throttle below 4k rpms. If I stab the gas at 2,500 rpms, the car will surge, hesitate, and accelerate very slowly."

this is exactly what i have but mine is 100% stock, buit it doesnt do it all the times its friggen ramndom.
i also have a ticking/rattling noise from around my timing chain area between 2-3k rpms idle or under load.

i will be taking off my IM and checking rear injectors and coils and changing my plugs this saturday

 

Ticking is actually detonation. It's been proven...clean out your TB, run some SeaFoam through the brake booster, and run some 93 octane. Should get rid of the rattle. My car hasn't rattled in quite a while.

 

I get A ticking noise when I start my car, but after five minutes it goes away,then after I shut it off ticks again for about few minutes...any ideas or help please and thanks....been going on for about three weeks, no codes and car runs fine by the way.
oh and I searched ticking noises and most of them are not like mine

 

not in this case, my car never sees anything lower than 93 octane, had BG tripple thing done to it 2 weeks ago, ignition was @ 14, now @ 17 absolutely no difference. But i'm 90% that the reason for ticking is the previous owner and his lack of oil changes. BTW i got this car january 11th with barely enough oil to reach the dip stick and it was BLACK.

thats the kinda people i wana rip ***** off

 

But you said only between 2 and 3k RPM range, right?

If it was actual timing chain damage, I'd think you'd hear it all the way through the entire RPM band. And you'd be able to hear it with the car in park/neutral, not just under load.

You might have a bad timing sprocket.

It sounds like detonation to me, though. Winter blend gas is known to be notorious for causing detonation in our cars...

 

A poor man's way to check for engine noise in specific locations is place the screwdriver at the points where you think the sound is coming from and putting your ear to the end of a long-handled screwdriver.

 

between 2-3k rpms just revving it or driving
timing sprocket is my first suspect but its been getting weaker since i got the car and started taking care of it.
2 oil changes the first day and another one a month later with BG prducts.
3 oil changes within 1K miles new filters too.
my cars get the best treatment possible, thats why they treat me well

BTW i have automotive stethoscope so i know that my ticking comes from timing cover

 

I also have this ticking noise when my engine is started. Takes about 5 minutes to stop doing it. My friend used to work at VW and he said it might be the hydraulic tensioner. And when the oil doesnt fill up fast enough in the hydraulic tensioner it does that. Putting oil in helped a little. I am do for an oil change in about 1000km or so. Will have it checked out at the same time.
I have CEL on sometimes and 2 codes come up, using another friend's diagnosis check, they say
1 - P0011 "A" Camshaft Position - Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance (Bank 1)
2 - P0051 HO2S Heater Control Circuit Low (Bank 2 Sensor 1)

Nissan says that for one code, it can be 10 things.
On warmer days the CEL doesnt appear. And i didnt notice the ticking sound.
Putting more oil helped a little.

Will keep posted on what this is when car is checked out.

Frank

 

Oh okay, I misread what you said about idle and under load before. You might have some varnish or gunk stuck in the timing chain. Try dumping 1/3 of a bottle of seafoam in right before your next oil change?

I've never used BG before, but the SeaFoam has worked wonders for me. Especially when I've run it through my brake booster.

 

Yes, my car sees 4k rpms and over quite often, lol.. so basically, the plan is, throw in the O2 sim, possibly get new primary O2s, get a tune, and I should be good to go, right?

 

I had a similar tick when I had my max it turned out that the grounding wire going from the IM to the firewall was the culprit it not sure if you have a grounding kit but if so taking off that paticular wire should get rid it.

 

naa, i don't have a grounding kit.. i have a spare knock sensor in my back seat, so i'm gonna throw that in there as well to see if that does anything

 

the ticking developed a while after i got my headers put on, so i don't think that's it.. unless a bolt got knocked loose or something

gas mileage is good.. 30+ mpg on the highway at 65 mph

 

Alright, well I got rid of the O2 sensor codes with a new simulator, and now there's 1 code left, which is P0300. The ticking noise, hesitation, and major power loss are all still there. I took it to a nissan tech, and he said it's my valves that are bad. He said that the valves not closing properly is causing the ticking, the misfire, and power loss. I did used to race the car often, but never low on oil or coolant. Lately, I get on it every now and then, but not like I used to, and never low on fluids.

He said I could try an oil change with 3 quarts of 10w30 and 2 quarts of lucas oil stabilizer to try and fix the problem. I did that today, and the noise is still there after running the engine for 5 minutes. I haven't driven it yet to see if the power loss is still there, but I'm sure it is.

I'm kind of skeptical of his diagnosis, because I've had a P0300 code, and power loss for a while, LONG before the ticking started. Not to mention, it's an expensive fix, and I don't want to believe that I need a new engine! Is there any way I can diagnose it myself to double check this issue?

 

Can you do a leak down test? Also wouldn't a simple compression test point out problems like this?

 

that's what i'm asking.. so i'll do a compression test then