Hey guys I could use some help trying to hunt down the gremlin causing my engine tick.
So a little back story first. I bought a 2008 JKU at the end of April and 8 days later hydrolocked the engine and bent a rod. My buddy and I were out dicking around on a dirt road late at night and decided to go through a rather large puddle/muddle hole. Apparently I hit it just right, and that was that. Fast forward 8 weeks and the jeeps got a new engine and a new clutch. Before I go to pick it up, the shop tells me that I need a new starter because its having issues starting, but it does run. Since I was tired of renting a car, I figured I could handle installing a new starter on my own. Got it in and nothing happens. After a few hours of poking around with a friend, it turns out that the ground strap from the battery to the engine block was ripped in half. We repaired that and she fired right up.
Right out the gate, the engine had a tick. My buddy and I noticed that the y pipe was cut in half and rewelded, so we sort of wrote off the tick as an exhaust leak from the shitty weld job the shop did. After closer inspection, we couldn't find a leak at the welds. Next I duct taped my shop vac to the exhaust and reversed the flow to see if I could find any other spots. Sure as shit all around the exhaust manifolds it was leaking. So I ripped into it, replaced the manifold bolts and gaskets and tightened everything down to spec. While working on the passenger side, I noticed that only 5 of 6 bolts were actually installed. Awesome.... I have looked up and down the exhaust system and can't find any leaks. I have checked all of the heat shields surrounding the engine/exhaust, and everything is tight. So I am fairly confident that I can rule out an exhaust leak.
The engine tick only happens when I accelerate (in gear and in neutral). It gets louder and faster the more gas I give it and lessens when I let off. I have listened to videos posted and its not the soft fast constant tick like its coming from the lifters. Nor does it sound like the "poof" of an exhaust leak. The sound seems to be coming from directly under me while I am driving or revving the engine.
Since I got a new clutch, could it be coming from that?
I am less than impressed with the shop, so I'd rather not take it back to them, even though they installed the engine. I stopped back a week or two after I got the jeep back and told them my engine had a tick. The shop owners response was "So? what do you want me to do about it?". I politely reminded that I had just given him $8500 for a new engine and he quickly back peddled. They hooked up the scanner and nothing popped up.
Any ideas or places to start looking?
I can post a video later if that would help.
So a little back story first. I bought a 2008 JKU at the end of April and 8 days later hydrolocked the engine and bent a rod. My buddy and I were out dicking around on a dirt road late at night and decided to go through a rather large puddle/muddle hole. Apparently I hit it just right, and that was that. Fast forward 8 weeks and the jeeps got a new engine and a new clutch. Before I go to pick it up, the shop tells me that I need a new starter because its having issues starting, but it does run. Since I was tired of renting a car, I figured I could handle installing a new starter on my own. Got it in and nothing happens. After a few hours of poking around with a friend, it turns out that the ground strap from the battery to the engine block was ripped in half. We repaired that and she fired right up.
Right out the gate, the engine had a tick. My buddy and I noticed that the y pipe was cut in half and rewelded, so we sort of wrote off the tick as an exhaust leak from the shitty weld job the shop did. After closer inspection, we couldn't find a leak at the welds. Next I duct taped my shop vac to the exhaust and reversed the flow to see if I could find any other spots. Sure as shit all around the exhaust manifolds it was leaking. So I ripped into it, replaced the manifold bolts and gaskets and tightened everything down to spec. While working on the passenger side, I noticed that only 5 of 6 bolts were actually installed. Awesome.... I have looked up and down the exhaust system and can't find any leaks. I have checked all of the heat shields surrounding the engine/exhaust, and everything is tight. So I am fairly confident that I can rule out an exhaust leak.
The engine tick only happens when I accelerate (in gear and in neutral). It gets louder and faster the more gas I give it and lessens when I let off. I have listened to videos posted and its not the soft fast constant tick like its coming from the lifters. Nor does it sound like the "poof" of an exhaust leak. The sound seems to be coming from directly under me while I am driving or revving the engine.
Since I got a new clutch, could it be coming from that?
I am less than impressed with the shop, so I'd rather not take it back to them, even though they installed the engine. I stopped back a week or two after I got the jeep back and told them my engine had a tick. The shop owners response was "So? what do you want me to do about it?". I politely reminded that I had just given him $8500 for a new engine and he quickly back peddled. They hooked up the scanner and nothing popped up.
Any ideas or places to start looking?
I can post a video later if that would help.
What MountainJK said about it possibly being my oil pump has me a little worried. I don't need to ruin another engine bc its not getting enough oil... If I go through 2 engines in less than 6 months my wife would never let me get another wheeling rig. If its nothing that will harm the engine, I don't have an issue leaving it. Its just super annoying and it drowns out my new Banks exhaust!
