Tick coming from front end when warm

[REVOofRustler]

Hey there! So my Avant has recently started making a ticking noise that sounds like it's coming from right behind the radiator in the middle/passenger side of the car. It's most noticeable with the hood closed. I took my bumper off tonight, but still couldn't get a diagnosis. I'm gonna pull my core support out a bit tomorrow hopefully and see if I can find anything abnormal. My first thought was that it was the top idler for the alternator belt, but I'm not sure if it sounds like it's coming from there. I did notice that I have a bit of a coolant leak that looks like it's possibly coming from my radiator. The tick isn't noticeable when the motor is cold, but is pretty clear once it's up to temp. From what I've seen on the internet, it sounds almost identical to the intake flapper noise. I moved the flapper arm by hand, but it didn't change the noise at all. Any ideas?

I've owned the car for a year/17k miles (she's currently at 170k) and have changed the oil with Motul 5w-40 every 3.5-4k miles. The last owner did a pretty good job maintaining her as well, and I have a list of receipts from all the maintenance he had done to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy49...ature=youtu.be

After looking around with the radiator all hooked up and the motor running, I'm gonna be pulling my core support all the way off to install the JHM auto tensioner, as well as attempt to find what's wrong with my AC, so I may ask questions about those here as well.

[SteelCity_S4]

Hoping for your sake it is not the dreaded timing chain guides. Mine sounded exactly like that....ended up being a broken guide

[2004B6S4]

I was also going to say it sounds a lot like mine did with broken guides. Mine would only get really noisy after being fully warmed up, which was confusing to me at first but I guess it was probably just because the colder thicker oil was providing just enough pressure to the tensioners to keep the loose chain from slapping around.

It could possibly be the intake flapper, especially since you say it sounds like it's coming more from the front, so hopefully that's all it is. But it kinda sounds like the idle is a little off as well, just like mine was with bad guides. The flapper would just tick without affecting the idle

[REVOofRustler]

I'm pretty confident that it's not the chains. If you move your ears towards the rear of the motor, you almost can't hear the noise at all. It really seems like it's coming from the front.

[jakeoboy67]

1. open your hood
2.remove the front engine cover(the one that says 4.2)
3. locate intake flap "lever" (linkage)
4.try to move the flapper in both directions, see if the noise changes

edit: just read that you tried this already . . . ,



it doesnt sound good

[2004B6S4]

maybe the serpentine belt/tensioner? I'm not sure what that sounds like but that's the only thing in the front that commonly fails as far as I know

[emilio]

does it change with engine RPM? that would likely make it belt-related. otherwise, it almost sounds just like something is a loose in the front.

does it seem to come from one side of the engine or another? you might want to track down a mechanic's stethoscope to gently narrow down where the sound is (i say "gently" because it's painful to knock the probe into something while wearing the earpiece). you can also make a "field expedient" stethoscope by pressing the handle of a screwdriver against your ear and pressing the tip against parts of the engine as it runs.

there's a few things that can make a noise like that in the front of the engine:

• belt, tensioner, and pulleys (bad tension, failing component)
• alternator (debris or failing)
• valves & cams (lack of oil circulation)
• debris contacting the pulley or fans
• loose component

good luck!
- emilio

[REVOofRustler]

It does change with RPM. I'll see if I can pinpoint it a bit more with a screwdriver haha. I've been able to hear it the most when I put my ear up to the radiator/condensor right about where the top idler pulley is for the serpentine belt. Looking at the pulley, though, I don't visibly see anything out of the ordinary. Seems like it spins fine. I'm gonna be installing the JHM auto tensioner while I have it apart (just have to order it). Here's another video with varying RPM. Disregard the weedeater noise in the background.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GyH_fRXozY

[REVOofRustler]

Well I think I just solved it! Went ahead and pulled the belt off and found this. This is the worst spot, but there are chunks missing around the whole thing. The pulley on the tensioner is also shot - takes a decent amount of force just to get it to turn




I ran the motor for a second without the belt, and I didn't hear the noise at all!