Strange Ticking when Cold

[adam 32]

i know i always post the dumbest problem, and not wanting to dissapoint, heres another!!

the car is making a strange ticking sound when cold, the ticking gets faster with more revs and you cant hear it on when the turbo starts to spool (4000, i dont like reving the cold enigne too much though)

its coming from the left hand side of the engine bay, so possibly turbo. it goes away completely when the engine warms up, any ideas?

thanks everyone!

adam

[_turtle_]

im not too sure, but a few skylines have this and i've heard that its the fuel injectors???

[Pva_Glue]

I get that when I start the car cold morning

cheers

Joe

[adam 32]

what about the injectors?

how/why do they make that noise and only when cold?

[deesh]

I had that problem in my vl RB30E.

It was a lifter getting stuck, it was a loud metallic sound, coming from the top end, if thats what youre getting.

They are meant to compress and take the shock, so you dont hear anything, but if one gets stuck in or out, it will be noisy.

If its doing it while cold, it could be a lack of oil at the top end, check your oil, or maybe an oil duct up the top end is blocked.

Im pretty sure youll be able to tell the difference between this and injector noise.

hope this helps.

[adam 32]

is this bad? ie long term engine damage?

is there anything i should be doing about this problem or just ignore it?

[\\\Wiktor]

Originally posted by adam 32

is this bad? ie long term engine damage?

is there anything i should be doing about this problem or just ignore it?

No, not in short term but you are loosing power due to the valves are not fully closed.

You should either take the hydraulic lifters out and wash them in alcohol. or better is to exchange them to new ones. they usally don't cost mutch, but there is a little time consuming to exchange them.

But this "problem" can also accure when you just have changed oil due to air have come in to the lifters, or if you have changed to a oil that has to low density to make the lifters to work as they should.

[Zahos]

Originally posted by adam 32

the car is making a strange ticking sound when cold, ...... it goes away completely when the engine warms up, any ideas?

I also had this problem in my RB30E, and it turned out to be the exhaust manifold gasket.... It had sprung a leak, right at the back, and would make a ticking sound when cold. Once it had warmed up, the sound would go away.

[adam 32]

zahos: this is what it sounds like i think

its not from the block at all but from around the turbo...

how much did that cost to replace?

if not repaired immediately can this cause any engine damage?

[_turtle_]

is this bad? ie long term engine damage?

is ur noise the lifter noise?? eg. a tap tap tap kinda one, or a tick tick kinda one? the noise u have mite not be related to anything these things hehe.

the lifter noise is quite loud, i had it on my old celica.

[Zahos]

Wont cause any damage, but it gets louder and worse! If you do it yourself, shouldn't cost you more than say $15 - $20 for the gasket. If you take it to a mechanic, it will cost you for labour too! I'd say between $100 - $200.

But in either case, be VERY CAREFUL when taking the bolts of the manifold! Make sure you soak them in WD40 for at least 30 mins!!! Some of the se bolts will break off regardless, but the more broken bolts, the more headaches!

[adam 32]

definately a tick tick noise

ok thanks. someone suggested it could be a crack in the exhaust manifold. how am i going to be able to dinstinguish between the exhaust gasket and a crack in the manifold?

[adam 32]

shouldnt lifter noises always be there as well?

they wouldnt quieten once the engine is heated up...?

[Zahos]

first look to see if any bolts are missing on the exhaust manifold - especially on the last cylinder. If there are, then it is almost certainly your gasket.

You can also put your (wet) hand around it while the engine is cold and being reved!

If none of these yield any results, then remove the manifold and replace the gasket anyhow!

[adam 32]

well exhaust leaks normally get worse with heat so im guessing its not that

would a blown gasket stop making noise when the engine gets warm?

[Zahos]

definately!

With heat metal expands, and also the moisture in your exhast gases help seal the hole!

Mine was audiable for the first 5 mins of driving, and eventually got longer as the hole got bigger.

[adam 32]

so not exhaust leak

exhaust manifold gasket....

out of interest, why would one of these blow? excessive heat?

[Zahos]

Well if the gasket is gone, then it is a leak.

I dont know how these wreck besides having loose or missing screws on your exhaust manifold. Mine had a missing screw that had brocken off over time (thats how weak these screws are on the RB motors!)

I might be wrong, but I have had this problem and seen it on 2 other skylines, all with the same symptoms you are describing...

Best to take to a mechanic b/c if the screw was loose or off for a while, the manifold warps over time with heat if there is nothing to hold it in place. You might need to get it machined nice and flat!

I helped a mate of mine with his (changed the gasket), and because his screws were missing for a while, the manifold warped. After replacing the gasket, the problem was still there b/c of the warped manifold. So we took it to get it machined, replaced gasket, and problem gone!

[adam 32]

hmm ok

well ill get it looked at next week i think. its the auto salon this weekend and everyones very busy

ive got an HKS exhaust manifold and dont want to wreck it, should i try to drive the car as little as possible?

[Zahos]

It wont cause any damage (if it is a blown gasket), it's just irritating!

If it isn't that, then I cant give you any recomendations b/c I dont know what the problem is and what possible damage can come from it...

Just check one morning when it is cold, by wetting your hand, and placing it in various positions around where the exhaust manifold bolts onto the head, and revving the engine until the sound is very audiable.

Zahos