[Builder15]

On my 2003 TJ whenever I start her up in the morning I hear a rhythmical ticking sound coming from under the hood right in front of the drivers side (or at least thats wher it sounds like its coming).

When I accelerate the ticking becomes faster, and when i slow down, you guessed it, so does the ticking. Once the engine is warm and at full operating temp it goes away and will not come back until the engine is cold again.

I have looked under the hood and did not notice anything unusual, but then i again i am still learning so any advice would be greatly appreciated. If it makes a difference i do have an AEM CAI with the throttle body spacer, but this has been on the jeep for a while without the ticking sounds.

-B15

[TheMatrix]

I've got the same exact problem. It almost sounds like that clank-clank-clank noise a diesel engine makes while idling.

I've been told this may be the result of a cracked exhaust manifold.

I'm anxious to see what you find out.

[DixiesCJ3B]

It most def sounds like a cracked exhaust manifold. As the engine is cold you will hear the ticking, but then the engine warms up and heats up the manifold causing the crack to close slightly so therefore you are not hearing it. I know with mine i get the ticking till it warms up, but mine is from a i broken manifold bolt.

[retroflow]

Heh, I was gonna' tell you that it's quite possibly an exhaust leak, be it from a cracked manifold, broken manifold bolt or failing gasket. Even just loosening nuts/bolts from thermal flexing or vibrations. But... everyone else beat me to it.

Provided that the manifold isn't cracked but the exhaust leak is from another reason, you may be able to deal with this yourself. NOTE: No one has had any real success merely patching a cracked manifold. Let us know where the leak is if you find it.

[benjamin.olejnik]

mine does this on and off when it is both cold and hot

[LandoCommando]

Out of curiosity, how does an exhaust leak cause a ticking noise relative to speed?

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER!

[DixiesCJ3B]

Higher speed = higher rpms = more exhaust coming out = more exhaust leak = faster ticking

[Bear13]

Lets not get hung up on the exhaust leak...

First off... what engine? (more out of couriosity than anything...)

Second... I have a 79 Ram pickup with an exaust leak at the headers. The sound is NOT a metal "tick". The sound will quiet down when it warms up, but it never goes away. It is still easy to hear the leak on hard excelleration. Also, on a cold morning I was able to see the exaust puffing around the headers... you should be able to see the exhaust leak when its cold.


Third, a story... I had a 4-banger 97 TJ before I got my WJ, and I had a similar tick like you describe. It was very noticable when the vehicle is cold and would go away after warming up. I had a friend who works on motors take a listen and we couldn't come to any conclusion. We suspected and exhaust leak or lifter tick. About a week or two later, the TJ gave her last horrah on the highway with a noisy bang. The shop took the head off for my and found that the 4-banger was now a 3-banger... Cylinder #4 basically grenaded, nothing left but a hole.

I lucked out and was able to sell the body for more than I owed on the wonderful green beast. Fortunatly (or unfortunatly depending on your perspective) it was more economical for me grab up one of the last 04 WJ's instead of trying to scrape together the money for a motor rebuild... if it was rebuildable.


Moral of the story... GET IT CHECKED OUT!

[smamas]

Check to make sure that your exhaust is not loose on the manifold. Get underneath when the exhaust pipe is cold, grab it and REALLY try to wiggle it. Mine was loose with 12K on it. A simple "careful" tightening of these nuts fixed my ticking!

[Wif]

Originally Posted by Bear13

Lets not get hung up on the exhaust leak...
... GET IT CHECKED OUT!

x2 .. more likely to be lifter. Try an oil change .. if using a Fram filter try something else.

[sherp89]

"Cylinder #4 basically grenaded, nothing left but a hole."

Exactly what happened to my 2.5L... thought it was a lifter intended to have it checked, thought I could make it from downstate Illinois up to Chicago... turns out I couldn't... I have a new Jeep now.. and will get ANY sound looked at unless I KNOW what is making it.

[WillyB]

I have a similar ticking sound, and it's my #6 injector. Those things are noisy, but that one's closest to the firewall and receives a great deal more heat than the rest of them. So mine is noisy, but I don't mind it. I've replaced my exhaust manifold, too (twice actually). If you're curious about your injectors, just go through them one by one (after checking your exhaust manifold for cracks of course) by pulling the plug. The one that rids you of noise is typically the culprit. Actually, you can use this same method to determine where a potential crack in your manifold may be as well. Good luck!

[Builder15]

Engine is a 4.0L, I'll check for a leak in the exhaust manifold tomorrow, and if i can't find anything I'll take it to a shop and get it checked out. Thanks for the help everyone.

[MercuryTec]

Well this sounds like same problem i had cold start u could realy here it ticking . warm up not so bad . After i towed a couple of boats i realy start to notice tiking all the time . Drove her to the shop said i think i got a bad lifter sure enough i floated a lifter and i was covered under warranty.

[TheMatrix]

Why would a bad lifter cause such catastrophic damage? Aren't lifters just to control the opening and closing of the valves? Wouldn't the cylinder just fail to fire?

Fortunately I'm heading to the shop tomorrow (warranty covers my A/C as well as engine, and the smoking clutch indicates my compressor apparently seized) so I'll ask them what they think the noise is.

My noise is a metallic clanking, only when cold, and has been doing it the same amount for months. It seems to be coming from the mid/top of the engine on the firewall side. Imagine tapping an I-beam with a piece of steel, and that's similar to the noise I'm getting.