My car fell apart...help me.

[C_Bino]

Well I see everyone else ask car questions here so I figured I might as well ask here first rather than takin my car into the shop.

My car is making this ticking sound when I accelerate. I dunno what the hell it is cuz I damn near know nothing about cars.

So first things first I DO know its not a knocking sound. I was in the car when that happened to my brothers old car and the engine needed to be replaced. Its not that, its just when i accelerate that I hear a little ticking sound kinda like my computer fan sounds if I havent cleaned the dust off in a while. As soon as I take my foot off the accelerator the noise vanishes.

Any of your grease monkeys got an idea of what it may be? I searched on google and got like 50 different things it could be.

[Big]

Hey bro, what kind of car is it? It could be something as simple as a tiny exhaust leak near the engine. Can you tell an approximate area the sound is coming from?

[C_Bino]

I have a 2006 Mazda 6. Its the V6 version, I dunno if that makes a difference. It sounds like the noise is coming from under the hood, I looked under the hood, but like I said I dont know much at all, and since it only happens when I accelerate I cant look under the hood or hear where its coming from when I have it parked.

[tommy0677]

Hey mang,

Can you get someone to rev it up slow while you take a peek under the hood? Don't get them to floor it, just rev slowly to hear where it is. Also, does it only happen in gear?

[Big]

You should be able to narrow it down to either valve noise or an exhaust leak, although those aren't the only options. It couldn't be chassis or wheel related or the noise would be dependant on speed and would not go away once acceleration stops and the speed levels off. My brief long distance diagnosis would still lean toward an exhaust leak where the manifold bolts to the head of the engine. If it is a tiny leak it will only sound like a tick, and will only manifest itself upon acceleration in most cases. If there is enough room to even see the manifolds, you could take a flashlight and look around the exhaust areas close to the engine and see if there are any visible signs of a leak, such as soot, etc. If the engine is low mileage or still burns clean there may not be any visible signs to speak of. Sorry I can't help more, good luck.

[Odpierdol_sie!]

Have you noticed a drop in power?

[C_Bino]

Hey mang,

Can you get someone to rev it up slow while you take a peek under the hood? Don't get them to floor it, just rev slowly to hear where it is. Also, does it only happen in gear?

Ya Im gonna have to wait till someone comes home later to check it out. Also yes it only happens in gear, and even seems to go away when i speed up more, but that may even be because the engine becomes louder than the ticking...I dunno.

[C_Bino]

You should be able to narrow it down to either valve noise or an exhaust leak, although those aren't the only options. It couldn't be chassis or wheel related or the noise would be dependant on speed and would not go away once acceleration stops and the speed levels off. My brief long distance diagnosis would still lean toward an exhaust leak where the manifold bolts to the head of the engine. If it is a tiny leak it will only sound like a tick, and will only manifest itself upon acceleration in most cases. If there is enough room to even see the manifolds, you could take a flashlight and look around the exhaust areas close to the engine and see if there are any visible signs of a leak, such as soot, etc. If the engine is low mileage or still burns clean there may not be any visible signs to speak of. Sorry I can't help more, good luck.

Appreciate it tons man believe me. Anything helps, I just wanted to get an idea of what I am looking with. My car is a 2006 like I said with low mileage so thas why Im even a little curious if it has anything to do with the weather. It only started yesterday evening when the temperature dropped to like -20. Shoulda mentioned that before I guess lol. So today I let my car warm up fully before driving it and still got the same noise though.

[C_Bino]

Have you noticed a drop in power?

Havent noticed anything, but at the same time I tried to drive it more gingerly since I noticed it, havent gone over 40mph. And it seemed fine up to that with no noticeable drop in power.

[C_Bino]

Hey Big...I guess in the end Im gonna have to take it in for repair regardless right? So right now I guess my main concern is should I take it in right away or drive it the rest of the day?

[TheArtist]

try your fan belt first, i have a truck, and my fan belt starts to make a clicking sound when it's time to replace it (other than squealing and chirping)...but, it doesn't constantly make that sound. Only when i first accelerate.
Just a thought though.

[ecto9]

My car made a ticking sound only when I accelerated. Turned out valves needed adjusting. (75 Maverick)

[Big]

I think it's doubtful driving it for the day would exacerbate the situation, however keep in mind that most shops will want it there first thing in the morning if they are to look at it the same day. Around here if you aren't in by around 9am it's likely they won't check it same day.

[goodcents]

Damn, 06 and having problems

[Odpierdol_sie!]

If there is not a drop in power i highly doubt it will be anything to do with the exhaust or manifold.

Does the ticking noise happen when you are moving? or if you are stationary and rev it up?

[Prada]

Bino dont you have a warranty? If so just show it to the mechanic.

[C_Bino]

Ok thanks guys, Ill try revin it while stationary and see what happens then bring it in tomorrow. I do have warranty so I'm hoping it wont be an issue.

[Odpierdol_sie!]

Chances are its nothing major. The only real thing that may be noisey is the tappets on the cam.
If it makes the noise while stationary i would put it down to either a noisey cam belt or alternator belt, could be a chipin or dirt stuck somewhere.
Doubt it is anything to do with the radiator fan as this will spin at a constant speed and only when the thermostat trips in and you would notice this.

[PROTEINSHAKE]

i was gunna say....mazdas have a 3yr 50k warranty...just bring it in to mazda. TICKING EH? It sounds like it could be a faulty spark plug wire(if that car has em-maybe have seperate coils for each cyl-IDK)....valve adjustment needed or even something with the fuel injection.... let us know the outcome

[firmechicano831]

my girl has a 06 mazda too and I think her warranty only went up to 30k the most. Good thing my car is still undar warranty.

[Big]

If there is not a drop in power i highly doubt it will be anything to do with the exhaust or manifold.

Good info, I don't know much about newer cars. I have a 454 in my old Vette and I have to re-torque the headers about every 6 months, but there is absolutely no noticeable drop in power when they start leaking, just the noise.

[C_Bino]

Hey guys, a little update. No drop in power at all, only ticks up to around 2000rpm. Then seems to go away.

Got my dad to drive it tonight as he worked for GM fro 35 years so he knows a fair bit about cars. He suspects it is just a loose valve or some type of "relay," whatever that means. He said not to worry and it definitely isnt an engine problem because of they way it come and goes.

Now my dad could be wrong for all I know but I did drive it again after he did and it was perfect, I suspect anyone else who may have had the problem wouldnt even notice because its so quiet. Only reason I did was because I happened to have my radio completely off when I was pluggin my ipod into the car adapter. Otherwise with any radio on you cant hear it at all.

But thanks again guys, my dad said to just bring it in and get the foreman to drive it around the block rather than booking it in and taking the whole damn day to look through it.

But any other ideas are welcome or suggestions for that matter. Thanks homies.

[jerseyboy]

Your Mazda is an overhead valve engine so there are no tappets and the valves don't need to be adjusted. It does have variable valve timing though. An exhaust leak won't make you lose power, not noticeably anyway, and you should still be able to hear it by revving the engine by hand with your head under the hood. If it's wireless have someone else rev the motor. The car should be under warranty up to 80,000 so take it back to the dealer.

[C_Bino]

Your Mazda is an overhead valve engine so there are no tappets and the valves don't need to be adjusted. It does have variable valve timing though. An exhaust leak won't make you lose power, not noticeably anyway, and you should still be able to hear it by revving the engine by hand with your head under the hood. If it's wireless have someone else rev the motor. The car should be under warranty up to 80,000 so take it back to the dealer.

Damn man how do u know so much lol. Thanks though, if I rev it in neutral it does still make the noise yes. Im gonna bring er on in to the dealer. I think you're right my warranty is 3/80k and 5/100k.

[Kale]

I am thinking one of those terrorist mofo's has left you a present dude !!!!!

[C_Bino]

I am thinking one of those terrorist mofo's has left you a present dude !!!!!

LOL bastard. Why you gotta scare me like that. I live in Canada, we dont have terrorists, we live in igloos and play with polar bears.

[jerseyboy]

Damn man how do u know so much lol. Thanks though, if I rev it in neutral it does still make the noise yes. Im gonna bring er on in to the dealer. I think you're right my warranty is 3/80k and 5/100k.

It's what I do.

[peteroy01]

i would go with the exhaust leak. could have rusted a whole in the pipe and when reved up the pressure increases causing a ticking noise. i had an old truck that did that back in the day.

[WEBB]

such a cute littlw car for such a cute little girl...take your car to the shop and let the men take a look at it cutie, hahahahahahhahahah

i miss you bro, text me one of these days....

[Fatmax]

I'm gonna go with faulty spark plug wire or exhaust manifold leak, from hot to sub zero temperatures the metal on the manifold expands and contracts which could have created a small gap between the manifold and gasket.

[qualityclrk1]

03 mazda 6.....knock on wood but not a single problem yet, just replaced the battery....

[qualityclrk1]

if u find out what the problem is come back bino...i'd like to know what it was just so i've got a heads up if mine starts to do the same shit...

[perfectbeast2001]

they have cars in canada?

[G-1000]

you can all so try changing the fuel to a higher octane or add an additive. Whet you may be hearing is a slight amount of detonation.

If it is detonation you will notice it more under load. So if your pulling onto the highway or going up an hill it will be most pronounced. But it can also do it when driving normal.

[G-1000]

It's what I do.

Poor guy stuck in the same rut i am.

[jerseyboy]

Poor guy stuck in the same rut i am.

Tell me about it. I really can't see me doing this shit for another 20 years.

[Columbus]

its God punishing you for not checking your emails and assisting me when I was struggling....I'm joking...all is good.....hope its nothing big.....

[J-Dogg]

My Jeep does the same thing, and it is worse on cold days.

My problem was just lack of lub making it to the lifters on the motor, so the lifters would tick. I put in some lucas oil treatment with oil changes and it's fixed.

It's good stuff, if you don't use it already get some and no I don't have any stock in them!

[jerseyboy]

Jeeps have problems with piston slap especially the 4.0's. You can quiet down noisy lifters by simply adding a quart of ATF to the oil for a hundred miles or so. The high detergency will help clean out the shellac buildup in the lifter body. I doubt his 06 Mazda is having this problem especially since it doesn't have lifters.

[swingbatta]

My car developed a small crack in the exhaust manifold a couple years ago. It made a ticking noise as I would accelerate. The sound was especially noticeable on cold days.