had this problem for a while and have heard soo many different "ideas" to what the problem is. something somewhere in the engine ticks. and no, I do not just need oil. although it is quieter right after an oil change.
heard a lot of people say its the lifters. or that i could just put "motor honey" in it, being a lubrication problem..

anybody heard of this problem/ know what the REALLL cause could be?

im tired of driving down the road and it sounding like a bomb is about to go off in my car.
and of every boy suddenly becoming a mechanic when they hear it and see a girl getting out


anyways. please help before i start tearing things apart.

 

is it super loud? Cause i know a dude thats having the same issue.. But is redonkulously loud.. what type of oil do you use?

 

oh heck idk what kind. the expensive kind.



and i wouldnt go as far as to say its redonkulously loud.. but its pretty loud. like everybody notices it kind of loud

 

Lol.. i heard castrol syntec lowers the tick noise. i use it and have no noise.

Yeah , my friends is really loud.. you can hear it a block away(exagerated)

 

Kait, no one here can fix your car over the Internet, especially so without hearing the noise. Zs don’t have valve lifters per se; however if a shim under a cam follower goes amiss, it can cause a ticking sound that will increase as the rpm increases.

Drag a comb through your hair, put on a low cut top, and stop by the nearest Nissan dealership. (Gets immediate and way-better service) Ask one of the techs to give a listen under the hood. These guys have stethoscopes thingies and can listen to each part of the engine. They will be able to diagnose the problem and tell you how soon it should be attended to.

 

^good point.. Otherwise its just a game of 21 questions over the internet.

 

....just seeing if someone had the same problem.

jeeezz

 

I still want to help.. I just need more info..

 

if you can hear in inside the car... thats not a good. i have pretty loud valve train noise compared to most people but its not audible inside the car.

 

For some reason this never worked for me I wonder y

 

I ahve the same issue suddenly.
It def sounds like valve train noise, and isnt super loud, but the Kinetix composite plenum doesnt help either.. stock plenum masks noise far better.

If it DOES change after oil change, i assume its the shim issue or possibloy a carbon build up.. you didnt mention mileage or wether or not you did the reccomended top end de carbon treatment.

If you had NOT mentioned it reducing after opil change, i would reccomend checking your belts.

I SWORE i had a "bad or sticking lifter" ( Z doesnt have lifter, but its a common sound).. turns out it was jsut a belt unfraying.

 

...I can.


it has close to 100xxx
and idk what "the reccomended top end de carbon treatment." is

 

mileage.... so does mine. 96k.

At near 100k miles, you want to have a firm grasp on what is and has been reccomended by Nissan to take care of proper maintenance on your car.. id google that, look in your manual etc and start there.

carbon build up is always an issue, Ive had my top end cleaned twice.

You will likely have a host of items you need to attend to, fluids, flushes, etc. But about this issue, id start by getting your engine cleaned up.
Good oil changes, carbon clean, etc.

 

Someone with a maxima has this problem at the dealership a few weeks back too. Nissan service tech basically said they did it to themselves by using 87 and 89 octane.

 

well I would never! but I haven't even had it a yr so who knows what its been through before me.

 

Go to youtube, and search "engine knocking." If it sounds like that, knocking/detonation, go to a DIFFERENT gas station and use premium gas (91+ Octane), and put in an octane booster for this tank (a little bottle that you can buy at some gas stations and any auto parts store.) See if that fixes the issue. If not, change the oil and make sure that the right type was actually used. If neither of those simple fixes help--let us know. With "tick tick tick" as the only description, we are all just stabbing in the dark here.

 

lol well idk how else to explain it! but I have done all that. its a metallic sounding tick that increases as the rpm increases. it is pretty loud enough to be able to hear it inside the car. and everyone who hears it has the solution of its "a sticky lifter"

 

Y'all know the fuel injectors make ticking noises, right?

 

yep, thats the other thing to check, injectors can cause this all too. Probably a shim tho. pretty common, not a huge problem either. Unless it goes completely and causes clearnce problems in the head. then yea.. thats um.. bad.

Best bet is mechanics stethoscope. Or snake oil.
Or taste your oil. If its bitter, theres an infection. ew.

 

If its that loud that you can hear it in the car. Then I would have it checked out ASAP before you grenade something.

Unless we can listen to a sound clip, it's just all guessing.

Sorry.