Clicking SOund Driving me nutz

[tbird187]

I cant figure out what it is but there is a cliking sound consistant and gets faster when i rev up the engine.... it is nothing in the drivetrain cause it will do it at all times anyone have any ideas.....

 

[ironheart1]

If one of your lifters is shot it can make a click noise, but I'd be willing to bet it's an exhaust leak, probably from the headers. That problem's actually not uncommon, though it sounds really annoying and makes the car sound like crap.

Does it sound like its coming from the top or the bottom of your engine?



If its neither of those, I'm sure one of the gurus has a suggestion for you.

 

[88stangmangt]

ya im gonna go with a exhaust leak does it get louder at higher rpm's? but with that broad of a image it could be anything.

 

[JimBowy]

could it also be pinging?

 

[ironheart1]

It could be, but to determine that for sure, tbird will have to be a wee bit more specific.

Any other symptoms to speak of?

 

[mscatena]

Probably the headers but I had an EGR leak between the manifold (edelbrock RMP) & Carb (Holley Dbl Pmpr 650) with my combo the hole for the EGR is just covered by the gasget & carb, card got loose and vacum leak accured. Anoying as heck, tick, tick, tick,...

 

[tbird187]

yah it sounds like an exhaust leak but ive never heard one inside a car.....

 

[super302]

there was an annoying clicking noise in my 87 4cyl, it turned out to be one of the guage needles going up and down like crazy.

 

[10HoleLX]

Typicaly on a fox 5.0 that ticking is an exhaust leak at the header or normal valvetrain noise.

 

[blkstangman88]

clicking, thats probly ur throw out bearing.......push in ur clutch and if it stops thats it.

 

[ironheart1]

If you can hear it inside your car, it very well could be either the throwout bearing like blkstangman88 said, or it could be an exhaust leak at the point where your collectors meet your midpipe. I've had that exact leak and it sounds like utter crap.

 

[bloggins02]

I've also had this sound happen to me with an exhaust leak. The problem was two header bolts that were loose, causing them to slap against the block. The noise was loud and only happened on rev-down, not rev-up (push pedal in, motor revs, no noise, let pedal out, motor returns to idle, loud as hell clicking sound on the way down).

 

[1991vert]

im gonna go out on a limb and say it's a lifter. i've never heard of an exhaust leak meaking a ticking sound. i've heard of them backfiring and making a loud pop though . i'd tighten up your exhaust and then go from there.

 

[1991vert]

tibird, is the car an automatic or a 5spd?

 

[ironheart1]

So far we have 3 major possiblities (assuming its a manual transmission). I would check them in this order:

1. Exhaust. Go through your headers and on your collector/midpipe connections and tighten all of the bolts up. Check for cracks.
If that doesn't work...
2. Throwout bearing. If its a manual, of course. Push the clutch in.
If the noise doesn't go away...
3. Lifter. I'll defer the rest of this step to the gurus on hand, as I've never disassembled an engine before.

 

[_jb_]

Maybe it's the distributor? They can sometimes make a clicking sound. I moved over to a 160 MPH speedometer, then back down to the 85 Speedo and the cable makes a clicking sound from the back of the speedometer. The faster I go the more it clicks. But I doubt its that.

 

[PonyBoy90]

I have a similar problem. However, on idle it stops. I can rev the engine all I want and it's smooth as butter, however, once I start moving/accelerating I get the click, or a clack as I like to put it. Funny thing is though, that after the car reached operating temps (5 minutes), the clicking goes away. I have no shifting issues, no gear grinding, etc etc. My clutch is nice and firm.

A month ago I exchanged my shot muffler's for a MAC catback system. I have MAC headers, however, my stock h-pipe is FORD made. I have a really good sneaking feeling the clicking I hear and I've heard it a couple of time when the car WAS idling is coming from the area where my cats are! I really think mine are shot and need to be replaced. Maybe when the installation of my catback system was being done, the h-pipe was removed and the element was somehow dislodged and now 4 weeks later I need new cats.

My click was a little louder originally, but has since quieted down a little which to me means they're disintigrating and blowing out the back piece by piece.

I'll be swapping those out sometime in September.

So far, I've not had any power loss issues or overheating due to clogging or congestion of the filter element in the pipes. I've checked my cats and headers in the dark after a long drive and they have not changed colour meaning to me the car's still breathing ok.

The good thing about a welded exhaust is you'll never have to contend with rattles due to joints coming undone, however, they suck to work around as you pretty much have to remove your rear wheels and springs to install them.

 

[blkstangman88]

if he has hydrolic lifters the clicking or ticking should go away within a few days at max, and a exhaust leak i have never heard tick or click, im still thinking it ur throw out bearing.

 

[PonyBoy90]

If it is his throw-out bearing, what would cause it to go ka-put?

The click or tick sound I mean on a catalytic converter would be classed more as a rattle, just with the tick/click sound as the element is moving/bouncing around inside the cat.

 

[tbird187]

UPDATE: The clicking sounds to be comming form the instrument cluster in the dash.. got new exhaust still does it.... It does it at idle and when i rev it up so it cant be the speedo right....