poohlikeshunny

Every morning now when I start my car I hear some kind of very faint clanking sound. Sounds like the blades of a fan or something moving keeps scraping up against something but it disappears when i blip the throttle...any thoughts?

poohlikeshunny

my buddy said I have to clean out my intake manifold to stop that noise, but to the best of my knowledge there are no moving parts in there, correct?

6spMike

How cold is it?
Could be the oil hasn't gotten to all the places it needs to.
If that's the case, the sound should follow the engine speed, and it should go away in a few seconds even without blipping the throttle.
Are you using the recommended oil weight for the outside temperature?
If the oil wasn't getting to the valves, you'd get a metallic clicking noise, and if it wasn't getting to the crank you'd get more of a dull knocking noise.
This could be crap, though, it's only a wild guess.
If it doesn't sound like either then it may be something else.
Some intake manifolds have moving parts, but none that I know of that move at engine rpm speeds.
Some metallic clicking type noises are normal from fuel injectors, but they aren't very loud.

fla-tls

I agree with sandynmike. This sounds like oil hasn't gotten to all parts of the engine yet. If you've used regular oil the whole time (and maybe haven't kept up the maintenance) you might want to run some engine flush through it before the next oil change. If you've been on schedule with oil changes and/or used a good synthetic the whole time - I wouldn't worry too much about it.

poohlikeshunny

Well I have always used 5w-30 for my changes and change it about every 5-6000 miles. The sound is more of a metallic clicking and it does seem to go away after about 30min of driving or if i give it gas...so you guys don't think this is an ominous sign?

fla-tls, hen you meanf lush, do you mean jut flush it through with oil the next time I do a change?

fsttyms1

maybe its time you brought your car in and see if the valves need adjusting or get a professional look at what the issue may be. noises like are hard to figure out over the internet as we cant here where its coming from. Unless your willing to take the time to help pinpoint it its just guesses on what it is for us. (could be any thing from a heat sheild, to sticky valves to a spun bearing)

poohlikeshunny

Yeah, i may just end up taking it in. But as far a where it is coming from, when you are facing he front of the car with the hood open, ithe sound comes from the somewhere between the engine cover/intake manifold area and the intake. When I start it up in the morning, the sound is very noticeable with the hood up, ut when i pull lightly on the throttle from under the hood, it definitely goes away completely. I would guesstimate that the sound is coming from about 4-5 inches down in between the engine cover and the intake.

How far in are the valves from there?

btw: I will be taking it either way, hopefully some of you guys can give me some possible causes so I can go in to the mechanic a little more educated...

fsttyms1

Do you know what valve tick sounds like?

poohlikeshunny

Yeah, it sounds kind like that. But I thought that valve ticks would come from closer to the middle of the engine..

6spMike

Do you guys have Harbor Freight out there? They have really cheap tools, mostly from China.
You can get a mechanic's stethescope for like 3 bucks.
It looks like a doctor's stethescope, except it has a long rod at the end of it you touch to different parts, and you only hear the noise that part is making.
It's a useful tool, and dirt cheap, too.
Mike

fsttyms1

We have Over Head Valves. They are on the top of the heads. (where your spark plugs go in) is that where the noise is coming from?

poohlikeshunny

Yeah, i checked it this morning and that is where the sound is coming from. Although it is a little warmer today (41 degrees F when the past week has been 32 or less) and the clicking disappeared quicker than normal.

btw: sandynmike, is harbor freight a store or the product name? Sounds like a handy tool to have around.

poohlikeshunny

Well i took it in to the mech yesterday and got a call today saying that there is no clicking noise. Of course, it's like 40 something today instead of 20. So I dunno what to do now...I'm thinking about trying some seafoam. I've read mad hype about it here but have a few stupid questions...

The Oil crank is just where you put the oil in right? I just take the cover off where I put in oil and dump half a can in there?

For the intake, ANY one of the vacuum tubes connecting to the intake is ok?

And for the gas tank, does ithelp to have someone giving it throttle while dumping it into the tank?

Hopefully, the seafoam will solve my ticking and vibration problems...thanx guys!

6spMike

Harbor Freight is the name of the store.
You could do a google search for a mechanic's stethoscope and find one that way, or Sears might carry one.
You add oil to the crankcase through the oil filler, yes.
I'm not familiar enough with Sea Foam to know about the vacuum hose question.
For the fuel tank, it just mixes with the fuel. Giving it throttle, or even having the engine running or not, will make no difference.
Sea foam in the intake or fuel tank won't make a difference if it's an oil-related click.
Sea foam in the oil might make it go away (until you change the oil again), since it will thin the oil a bit.
Try a different oil at the next change. Make sure it's the viscosity your owner's manual recommends for the outside temperatures you expect.
fsttyms1's suggestion about having the valves checked and/or adjusted is also a good one. That's likely to help if the car has higher mileage (check the owner's manual to see when it recommends this service). If it's valve tick, there's not really a large concern, especially if it goes away with driving.
Mike

poohlikeshunny

If it's not too much trouble, what is the cause of valve tick exactly? Maybe it will help me figure out the problem my self if I know how the problem came to be...

also, right now I use mobil-1 5w-30 and it's between 20-40 degrees here lately...should I try a lighter weight?