Ok i have an 2004 350z with 90000+ miles. My mods are only CAI & EXHAUST with stock cats. Ive posted before and never got the feedback i was lookin for. Now im goin to give more detail..

About a month ago i started hearing a ticking type noise near the driver side engine. Its just a tick, not a knock or grid, It gets a lil louder when revn but not bad. I put a machine stethoscope on it an didnt find anything. Ive heard people say its oil or lifters, well ive run mobile 1 fully synthetic since the showroom floor for 2000 miles, next the vq35 dont have lifters. Some people say its the cam caps has come loose idk. The engine runs & drives like new. It doesnt smoke nor mis. Im about to change the valve cover gaskets dew to one of the gaskets around the spark plug is leaking. I want to fix it while its apart, But wont be able to crank it and lesson when its apart. Anyone with this problem let me know what u did to fix it. This will help me & future people with this problem.. Thanks MWS

 

bump, figure it out?

 

adjust your valve lash

 

tough job? whats the process like?

 

Usually it is the injectors clicking on/off. Do you have any CEL's?

 

taking of valve cover and using feeler gauges.. you have to turn the crank to the specific cylinder you are adjusting as well.. im not 100% that is what is the noise since i am not there.. get a mechanics opinion

 

its possible.. but the only reason it doesn't sound like injectors because he said the noise increases while increasing the rev

 

im putting a plenum spacer and lower plenum on soon so maybe i will check then. it seems to me that if the ticking rate increases with rpm, that COULD mean injectors, not rule them out...

 

i have had that problem going on for a few days now; my engina has 80k on it and it runs perfectly, no hesitation, no grinding, no oil pressure issues, no anything, just that annoying clicking, which increases when i throttle up, then decreases when I am either at idle or downshifting. i am not worried too much over it, but is an annoying sound to say the least.

I heard from a mechanic that it might be lifters, but since the VQ doesn't have lifters in it, then what is it? I run Mobil 1 synthetic since i bought it with 45k on it. i also have a plenum spacer (5/16), JWT popcharger, but nothing else, so it can't be any of that.

I hope is something simple, like a timing belt adjust ment or something. Is really beginning to wear thin on me.

 

Subscribing . I have the same annoying tick and ive been on Mobil 1 since birth too.

Im starting to see a connection here, I think im changing to Castrol on the next change.

 

i use penzoil platinum 5w30 and have ever since i bought it with 35000 miles, im at about 70k miles now. it didnt make that noise right away when i got it, just started somewhat recently

 

Bump. I actually have the same ticking. bought @ 45k, and has 80k now. my last oil change was at the dealership, and they did not use mobile 1 fully synthetic, however I had used it for the past couple of oil changes myself.

 

mine ticks too, but runs great.

 

im thinking these engines are just terribly noisey, mine knocks a little too but i cant find anything wrong

 

i had the ticking starting at around 85k. @107k after it had went from bad to worse, the rings burned up in the #6 cyl. needless to say i had to replace the engine..

good luck

 

^yikes!

 

What mods were done?

 

Maybe the timing chain tensioner?

 

. .

 

I really doubt the Z has solid lifters. Most likely they are hydraulic and therefor self-adjusting.

If they are indeed hydraulic, and that is causing the noise, you could try draining 1qt of oil and putting in 1qt of ATF. Drive it for a day and then do an oil change. ATF is a detergent so if there is something gunked up keeping the lifters from pumping up, the ATF should clean it out.

I had an X3 come in for this same problem and this fixed it. This is actually a common problem on BMW's with the N52. There is actually a recall for replacing the exhaust lifters.