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So I've had my Civic for about a month and a half now and there is an annoying ticking sound that I can't figure out.

Whenever I'm accelerating (usually it is most audible in second gear, although I've heard it in others), there seems to be a faint ticking sound coming from the passenger side somewhere. I'm not even sure if you would call it ticking... its more of like a.. well I don't even know how to describe it.

It is ONLY when I have the gas pedal depressed.. if I take my foot on and off the gas pedal rapidly, the ticking comes and goes rapidly as well.

I tried recording it with my cell phone but the sound is too faint to pick up.

Anybody ever experienced something like this?

BTW, it's an 02 LX Coupe with 155k miles on it.

Thanks

 
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I mentioned this in another thread, as well. In your case, I would venture to say it's a bent valve. If the sound is a knock, though, you may want to get it to a shop. It could be the rod bearings, or the timing could be off.

 
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Only when the gas pedal is depressed?

I don't think it's a knock.. unless a engine knock is different sounding than a regular knock.

And wouldn't you be able to hear a bent valve whenever the engine is on, even when the gas pedal is completely untouched?

I'm gonna try to get a recording of it because I can't really describe it.. it's not really a tick, it's not a knock.. it kind of sounds like a creaking meets crumpling saran wrap but it happens with regularity and is a fairly uniform sound.

 
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If it's valve tick, it will tick when your idling, but speed up when you depress the accelerator. The best way I can describe the sound of valve tick is like the ticking of the wheel on wheel of fortune, or maybe the speeding up of a ticking clock. Engine knock sounds much deeper, kind of like a woodpecker.

 
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does the car have anything done to the motor....my valve chatter got tremendously louder when i installed the headers and skunk2 intake mani....

another thought....an exhaust leak will most likely make a ticking sound also....

i would put it on jack stands and have someone run through the gears and listen closely to where its coming from to narrow it down.

 
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Hm... It doesn't really sound like that.

I think this is the sort of thing that needs to be diagnosed in person.. to hard to describe over the internet.

By the way, is a bent valve anything I need to worry about right away? Or is it just the ticking?

 
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ok so im i get like a clicking from my injectors thats not related to valve problems?

 
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Awjvail - If it is indeed valve-tick, then it isn't really anything to worry about. It won't do any damage, just make annoying noises. Not worth the effort and money to do a valve replacement for that, unless it's severe and hindering the performance of the car (misfiring and what not).

I don't understand your problem Tomj. I haven't heard of ticking coming from the injectors. It could be coming from the valve, or it could be coming from the cylinder. Depending on what the sound is and where it's coming from, it could be any number of things really.

Honestly, unless your losing sleep over it I wouldn't bother with any ticking. Now, if it's causing actual engine problems, or if it's a knock, I would have a professional look at it before it causes any internal damage (God knows you don't want to throw a rod).