2004 MT with 140K
So recently I developed a ticking sound from the motor driver side. I noticed it a week ago. Car runs great. I havent seen any loss of power or any other abnormal signs. I've had this car for about 4 years now. I am the second owner. The car did have a history of routine maintenance and seems like the previous owner took good care of the car. Only mods the car had when I got it was a Greddy catback and a JWT pop charger which I took out and replaced it with the oem airbox with an updated velocity stack that I had my buddy make. Since then Ive done mostly suspension and the recommended replacement parts/maintenance.

I will say I unfortunately got a DE that consumes oil which ive learned to live with. I do the oil changes at the recommended miles, sometimes even earlier. I keep an eye on the oil as well. I've checked numerous times for oil leaks and I have not seen anything obvious since ive had the car. Ive replaced the valve cover/gaskets with OEM about 2 years ago. When I replaced the clutch a few months ago I didnt see any fresh oil coming from the rear main seal just a bunch of gunk from the clutch disc material. I will say Ive noticed dried gunk or dried oil residue around the upper oil pan in some areas but not fresh oil. I also have noticed dried gunk around the front crank main seal but again not fresh oil. I been wrenching for years as a hobby and ive seen this kind of crud/gunk around the motor which is normal and doesnt necessarily mean theres an oil leak. Ive also checked to see if maybe theres an exhaust leak but no doesnt seem like it.

Anyway Ive popped the hood open to inspect this ticking/tapping sound using a screwdriver to pin point where the tapping is coming from and I hear it very loud/noticeable when I put the screwdriver on the driver side fuel damper and fuel rail. Ive also checked the fuel damper on the passenger side and it doesnt pulsate as hard or as loud as the one on the driver side which leads me to believe that maybe the fuel damper or maybe even a injector on the driver side maybe be faulty. I also used the screwdriver to listen on different areas on the motor to see if maybe its a valve or something on the valvetrain but I only hear normal valvetrain noise. Once I put the screwdriver on the fuel damper that tapping/ticking noise is very evident. As for the questionable upper oil pan/front crank seal gunk I havent replaced those as its never been fresh oil. I check these areas regularly and they remain the same so thats why I havent dropped the upper oil pan as thats not an easy job. I guess the front main seal woudnlt hurt to replace.

Anyway what do you guys think of the tapping/ticking noise from what I have explained? I guess I could just replace the fuel damper and see what happens? Any advice or thoughts is appreciated. Thank you

 

Hey Bre,

The fuel damper is a common failure item on the earlier 350Z years. Nissan even put out a TSB and updated P/N I believe. My driver's side damper also makes a louder ticking/pulsing noise vs. the passenger side. I think it's about 300$ to replace both with OEM. The driver's side is the more expensive unit. I'm on the fence about replacing it because I'm not sure if the ticking I'm hearing is normal or not. I need something to compare to. So take a video and post!
Cheers!
-Icer

 

Ive found that posting videos online are kind of useless as the sound is either too loud or too low compared to the actual noise being heard in person. The tapping/ticking noise on my car is not that loud. I been back and forth if I should just bite the bullet and purchase both these dampers but man they are pricey. Im pretty confident the noise is from the damper as appose to valvetrain so I think I will leave as is for now as I dont really want to spend that much money on something thats not causing any issues aside from the annoying sound. Thanks Icer

 

For those who wish to lookup the TSB, here's the bulletin NTB06-042.

Here's the Nissan P/Ns for others who might find this. NOTE: This is only for the 2003-2006 VQ35DE (includes RevUp).

Passenger/RH: 22675-AM60B
Driver/LH: 22675-5Y76A
New O-rings (qty 2): 16618-10V10

About $350.00 total after tax and shipping from Nissan Parts Deal.
Cheers!
-Icer

 

Icer
Thank you for this information. I think im going to end up replacing these parts as engine noises really bother me.

 

i have found similar issue back when i had a DE.. was due to an oddly worn accessory BELT. sounded top end, like a fuel damper, or bad injector etc.. or like a " lifter tick" which we dont quite have in a DE, but still explains the sound well).

 

a mechanics stethoscope helps a ton w these things. very cheap to buy.

 

Quick update. I was able to get a hold of another fuel rail with injectors including the driver side fuel damper for dirt cheap. I swapped the fuel damper and still getting the ticking from the driver side so I can scratch out the issue being the fuel damper. I was hoping this would be the cause of the ticking/tapping noise. While changing out the damper I removed the plenums. Checked to see that the spark plugs werent loose and they werent. Ive heard of people saying loose plugs can cause a similar noise. Ive also read that a bad belt can cause this type of noise. Also checked both belts and tensioners, p/s and AC pulleys and everything seems fine. I did get a stethoscope and heard around the motor mainly on the driver side. Now im having a hard time pin pointing this tapping noise. At first I thought or maybe i was hoping it was the fuel damper but cant seem to pin point it. Definitely coming from the driver side 100%. I put the stethoscope on different parts of the drive rside valve cover and that tick/tap is audible but not loud or louder in a specific location on the valve cover. I got under the car and put the stethoscope in multiple areas on the block and cant hear the noise so at least its not bottom end. I would think if the noise is coming from the valve train it would be obvious and loud when im putting the stethoscope on the cover but the noise is kind of faint. Again the car runs fine. Im not getting any codes, smoke or any weird symptom.

It almost sounds like an exhaust leak as it sounds louder when im squatting down as if im going to change a tire. Im not sure if thats because the hood is closed and the sound is bouncing off directed to the bottom. I was trying to get the stethoscope on the exhaust manifold but I was unable to access them.

 

Have you listened around the timing cover(s)? Like the vtc covers and main chain cover? When listening to the valvetrain, use the cover bolts since the plastic doesn't transmit sound very good (maybe you already did that).

I had some odd front end noises that turned out to be accessory belt pulleys. One of them was hard to catch because the bearing noise wasn't constant, it would come and go.

It could be an exhaust leak, I've had my share of those between the CATs and Y-pipe. But very rare for a manifold or header to be leaking unless you got serious rust belt issues.
Cheers!
-Icer

 

@icer5160 yes I have checked around the timing cover as well. Although its coming from the driver side intake/head area im still not convinced 100% that its valve/lash related. I would figure I would get an obviously loud tap when putting the stethoscope anywhere on the driver side valve cover. Im going to get under the car again and really inspect the CATs and y pipe. I have no rust issues with this car as its always been a california car.

 

Update

The ticking noise continued so I finally got some time to remove the valve covers and take a visual inspection and chech valve lash.
Unfortunately all valves are to spec but 1. One of the exhaust vavles on cylinder #6 is way out of spec. Should be 0.011 - 0.015 the valve lash on this one is 0.024. Way off. Im not sure how this happended. I know these can get out of spec but 0.024? That's excessive wear unless this is common. Anyway it's time to get a jdm motor and swap it out in the near future. The plan from the get go was to rebuild the original motor regardless and put in some better rings and what not to freshen up the motor. So when im ready for that I'll send the heads and block to the machine shop. For now I'll have my son continue driving it

 

Very odd indeed! That's a very clean cylinder head by the looks of it. You've clearly been on top of maintenance. My theory is...maybe a combination of heat-soak and oil pressure? It's pretty typical for the rear cylinders to get a bit warmer/hotter compared to the front cylinders. This is mostly because of the coolant routing as it flows through the block. This could also be related to oil pressure, crank mains and rods get 1st dibs on oil, the valvetrain components are usually the last in the loop. The backs of the cylinder valvetrain probably have the weakest oil pressure. I like to think this might be part of the reason Nissan upgraded the oil pump when the Revup DE released (aside from adding variable valve timing on the exhaust cams).

This is just my theory, purely anecdotal.

Cheers!
-Icer

 

My driver's side damper also makes a louder ticking/pulsing noise vs. the passenger side. I think it's about 300$ to replace both with OEM. The driver's side is the more expensive unit

 

Quick update. I have all the necessary parts to replace the lifter bucket that's causing the ticking noise on my car. I will be doing this in 2 weeks on my time off. Hoping everthing goes smooth with this repair.
Things ill be replacing while im in there.

• Timing chains
• Timing guides
• Tensioner
• Water pump
• Timing cover seals/o rings
• of course the worn lifter bucket

I will update this onces I have done this repair.

 

Hey Bre,

You're a brave soul! Take lots of photos, I'm very interested in how this progresses.
Will you be using the JWT tool to replace the stem seals? Or just tackling the worn bucket?
Cheers!
-Icer

 

only replacing the bucket. I know this consist of a lot of work just to get the bucket out but im not trying to do more work. If im going to replace a stem seal I might as well do all of them and im not about to do all that lol. I just want to take care of the ticking and as mentioned before get another low mileage VQ and have it on stand by if this motor goes. Then ill do a complete tear down and rebuild on the original motor.

 

Update

Started On the bucket replacement. I have everything off. A lot of work to get to this one bucket. Very intimidating removing all the timing components but im really getting to know the VQ.



damaged bucket below

 

Great progress!

What's the P/N of the spring bucket? Have you figured out what new bucket you need? Are there markings on it to indicate what the existing spec is vs. what you need for new? That's the part that confuses me, you know the gap is .024 which is nearly double what it should be, so how do you convert that knowledge into the replacement bucket to bring it back into spec?
Cheers!
-Icer

 

Icer there's an equation on the fsm to determine what size bucket you'll need.

t1= thickness of removed valve bucket
c1= measured valve clearance
C2 = standard valve clearance: in my case exhaust 0.33 mm
t1+(c1-c2) = thickness of replacement bucket
In my case I needed a 8.08 mm bucket that brought the lash back into normal range.

I bought a set of oem used buckets on ebay for $70 12 buckets. I figured I'll get lucky and get the size I needed and I did. Z1 sells that one bucket for $70 + shipping. Local dealer wanted $83 for just 1 bucket.
If anyone needs to replace a bucket I have several of them different sizes that im willing to give away if anyone needs one.

Got the replacement bucket on today and im just waiting for Z1 timing covers o ring/seal kit to arrive monday to start putting everything back together. Anxious to get the car started.

 

Very informative! I'm a bit shocked at the price per bucket, I swear I saw them being sold new for twenty dollar range (a piece) a few months ago.

So are the new buckets marked somehow to indicate size or do you just have to measure them with a micrometer?
Cheers!
-Icer