I'm sure sure if I'm just noticing this now or if it is new, but I'm hearing a somewhat strange noise coming from my engine at idle. The best way to describe it is it sounds like someone tapping/pinging on a plate or glass with a spoon but with a more metallic ring to it. Almost as if I left a wrench sitting on top of a valve cover or something (hey, need to check that...). Hard to describe but just wanted to run it by the group.

 

check the exhaust manifold for either cracks or a loose bolt

 

Does the sound increase with the engine speed? Like a rythmic tic?

 

i had a noise that i could have sworn was a metallic tapping or clicking. it only happened at certain rpms too. thought something really bad was happening, but it turned out to be just my belt

 

Could be the lift pump, too.

 

truth is, I can only really hear it at idle, so I'm not sure if it increases with engine RPM, but I will pay better attention on the way home today. It sounds like someone very rapidly tapping a glass with a spoon, but more metallic.

 

x2... I agree.

 

does it sound like its coming from your oil pan??...i had loose TC bolts...removed the access cover, put a socket on them and tightened each one...they were all loose an equal amount

i would describe the sound as if a piece of metal was gettign banged around in the crank case....all is well now...the truck has never been this quiet

 

it sounds too consistent for it to be a piece of metal being clanked around randomly. Who knows, maybe it's normal. I'll take a look at the manifold bolts this weekend.

 

some ticking has been involved with an overflow valve in need of changing...i also had a brake line that was vibrating against the chasis right around the beginning of the bed...it got to the point that i had a chirping while driving and i thought it was a bolt in my seat or something

 

If it's a consistent tic then i would say the lift pump, either on its way out or just trying to push fuel through a restriction like a dirty fuel filter, mine would do the same thing, changed the filter and added some additive and it quit.

 

well, I've located the noise, its coming from my oil fill tube. I'm currently driving around without the cap on because I have crankcase pressure which either isn't being vented out the vent tube due to a restriction or is abnormally high for some reason. The pressure results in a leak out of the front seal, thus when I remove the cap no more leak. Anyway, when I put the cap back on the noise goes away... I guess it is normal sounds coming from the timing case?

 

Vaccum pump, if its not working right it will act like a compressor and fill the crankcase and could cause gaskets and seals to leak. Blow by tube could also be stopped up.

 

Plow, what is the best way to check to see if my vacuum pump is working properly? manometer?

 

manometer would probably just tell you that you have to much blow by, the best way would be to test the vac system for leaks what happens is the vac pump vents into the crankcase, if there are no leaks it doesn't vent, if there are some leaks the pump turns into a compressor pressurizing the crankcase.