bobgodd

From what I can tell it seems to be coming from the passenger side of the engine, and it is a clanking noise. It doesn't sound healthy to be honest, but I can't say for sure what's causing it. It isn't noisy lifter noise. The noise is present at idle and under load and is present as soon as I start the car. I'm fearing something bad. I know I have a leak at both valve cover gaskets and I'm going to replace both of those as soon as I get home to the car... But I don't think it'll make much of a difference. The noise is present even immediately after an oil change. My car does burn a lot of oil too, at least it seems like a lot to me. I usually have to add 1-2 quarts between oil changes.

It's an 04, about 65k miles. Any idears? Naturally, no warranty coverage lol.


It doesn't sound like a:

tick-tick-tick-tick-tick-tick....

It's more like a:

clank...clank...clank...clank...

Not a loud frightening clank, but definitely not a noise you expect to hear.

Forrest Gump 9

Oh snap, I fear that's your rod bearings. Does the noise get louder as the rev get higher?

bobgodd

The noise stays present, but it does not get louder as I rev higher. I don't have access to the car at the moment but when I do I'll try to get some video footage with the noise.

jangy

OH SNAP!! Bro, I am hoping for the best. I think the valve cover gaskets is kinda normal, but not the oil or the noise. I change mine every 5k miles and haven't added a drop to date. Not that it doesn't burn some but at least not enough to get the add oil level (I do check sometimes).

A sound that remains at a constant cycle even as the motor winds up? Does it just not get louder or does it also not sound tied to the revs? I guess I'm asking if the clank frequency goes up with revs? If not, what part would it be?

Noises from inside are never good......

Yacht Master

Do you have a CEL? Got any codes? Compression test, next.
I hope you have a simple problem, any event before the noise?
Rods don't go on these engines, pistons do, try not to drive around too much
before you get it tested.

jangy

Replace with forged pistons FTW!!!

Havoc

+1

jangy

I learned alot about what to do if my motor blows from your build. Seeing a race motor on a jack was amazing! Looked sweet in the car, too but still. Not wishing bad on Bob here. Hope it turns out to at least just be in the head but I always reassure myself with promised forged pistons if I blow this one....

bobgodd

Yea, noises are definitely NOT good lol.

The noise does seem to somewhat follow the revs, as in, as I rev, the frequency of the clanks goes up also, but the sound of the clanks doesn't get louder.

I do have a CEL, and it's cuz I have no cats on the car. I was hoping that I might have a poopy weld job on the exhaust that might have came loose and caused the exhaust pipe to clank on something, but I figured that was more wishful thinking than anything. I will have cats on the car in October when I go back home, and that should at least clear that code.

Ali_E55

you have a leak on your exhaust, i had that sound before, believe it or not, it was only 1mm but it made some noise as you said. clank clank, try driving on high way about 60 miles and then hit the gas pedal to speed but not to much allowing it to change back to the forth, if it increases. then check your exhaust . maybe these is some place not welded right.

socali.luv

there are a couple noises that i am aware of from what you described- a fuel line tapping the firewall, catalyst leaking, or exhaust manifold leaking. All common things I have seen from what you described.

mekantor

I agree its probably from the exhaust, but it may even be a broken stud.

When you get the car back, confirm that every exaust stud is in place. If one or several snapped and fell out, this noise would be the result. If that is the case, you have to drill and extract it, then replace all the rest on that side while you're there.

Max.H

Bob, check your exhaust system for leaks. Maybe a gasket or a crack somewhere. GL! Hopefully it's nothing serious.

stevebez

Hmm could be something as simple as an exhaust braket or somthing coming in contact with the exhaust / manifold / motor / anciliaries etc ... broken engine mount?

Any abnormal vibrations?

I'd make sure the outside is fine before I would say its the internals....

prodigymb

there is a brace that runs under your exhaust tunnel. when i had my resonators and secondary cats cut out, one of the pipes would touch that brace and cause a clunking sound like the one you are describing. scared the cr@p out of me when i first heard it, then got it fixed.

Yacht Master

Any Update??????

bobgodd

I'm in Washington right now on business and I won't have access to the car for another month. I'll revisit this thread after I take the car to get cats put on and a thorough exhaust checkup.

bobgodd

Cats were put on today (finally!) and all exhaust connections were inspected and everything seems good to go.

The CEL went out immediately on it's own once the cats went in, so that was a plus. The noise however, is still there, although not quite as pronounced. Here's what I hope is the issue:

I noticed that when I had no cats and the CEL was on the car was running kind of rough and very rich, it even idled rough. This caused a slight vibration in the car while sitting still. I don't mean vibrate like a hum, I mean it wasn't calm and steady. Now that the cats are in, the car is very calm at a stoplight and can't feel any vibrations or anything like that. Me thinks the lack of vibrating has caused the noise to lessen in intensity. About 13 thousand miles ago, at an oil change, the service advisor tells me that my motor mounts have started to leak, but didn't quite need changing at that time. The car has now 73 thousand miles and I think I'll change the motor mounts and see if the noise can be attributed to vibration.



Although I doubt it lol.

DR AMG

Had a marble jumbling noise on pass side, think it is idler or tension pulley just a thought yours sounds like might be louder.

LB63

It could be the motor mounts. If they are bad it will cause excessive vibration and engine/exhaust parts that normally don't touch each other will.

bobgodd

Finally have an update from this old but still present issue.

Had the motor mounts replaced, but it did not change the sound at all. Replaced all the lifters and that didn't help either.

I listened to it for a good while the other day and it seemed to disappear with the slightest throttle... Although it could be possible that I just couldn't hear it because things start to get noisy fast with the hood open. The noise did appear to increase in speed/repetition as the RPM's started to climb but it happens so fast before I can't hear it anymore that it's hard to really tell if it is in fact speeding up.

To be honest it still sounds like exhaust pipes clanking. I'm a little discouraged about this though because I took the car (about a year and a half ago) to the exhaust guy who built my headers and who I trust to be highly knowledgeable, and he said all of the exhaust checks out normal.

Any thoughts??

HeissRod

Use a mechanics stethoscope to pinpoint where exactly the noise is coming from. You can pick them up fairly cheap at Sears.

bobgodd

This is definitely next on the list. I will probably pick one up tomorrow after work.

GT-ER

Maybe you simply have a noisy engine.... I know I do. Pulls like hell regardlessly...lol.

bobgodd

Hit It with the stethoscope and came back probably more confused lol. Probed the valve cover and heard the noise, then probed the passenger side header and the sound was much more pronounced. Leads me to believe that it could actually be a exhaut leak, or loose exhaust or exhaust hitting something....... or the sound could be reflected from inside the engine into the header primaries??