my ctd ticks mostly at idle

[Metalaram]

my motor has had a tick since new mostly at idle but it will go up with rpm's. (not noticable when driving) it now has 7000 miles on it and runs great! but i took it to the dealer and the mechanic and i started up another 03 on the lot and no tick. and he thought enough of it to have me bring the truck back in to investigate. so far he has called the STAR people checked for codes (none) shut down each injector seperately (tick still there) and adjusted the valves. they were a little tight but also not the problem. maybe i should have kept my 01 HO as i never would have herd the tick (or anything else for that matter!!! anyway i have read a few posts on a knocking sound but i am not sure if this is the same sound or not as i have said this is definately a loud tick verses a knock. i get her back this morning and have been told that they will be talking to D/C about what to do next. no biggie except the only thing that scares me is they say if it is not something they can figure out they would replace the motor or tear it down:{ i dont want major surgery on my baby!! well thanks for any help... chris

 

[JD SLVR 03]

Hey Cgarling I think I might also have what you are talking about. Mine hasn't had it since new I just started noticing it a couple of weeks back (mine has around 10K on it now). The only thing is mine is only while the truck is in gear if its in park or neutral no noise. I mainly notice it at drive through windows. I haven't taken it in cause it isn't causing any noticable problems and I don't really have the time too take it in. Plus I feel the same way you do about motor replacement or major surgery! Let me know if ya find out anything. Otherwise I will just let it go as I belive I have heard the noise on heavy equipment diesels aswell.

JD

 

[rbattelle]

My Opinion

I have a tick that sounds exactly like every other diesel engine I have ever heard. I am convinced we're hearing the injector pump running, and that it's absolutely harmless.

 

[Metalaram]

THE TICK

i would have let it go except for the dodge mechanic thought it was a little loud and odd. also he seems to know his I TRIED TO BY-PASS THE CUSSING FILTER better than most of the guys i have talked to. it is very noticeable and a bit louder than the "normal" motor sounds. it does not blend with other sounds like everything else. but i will see what is said in this post in the next couple of days and if everyone thinks im nuts i will let it go. other than that this is the most trouble free truck or car i have ever had!!

 

[rbattelle]

CGarling,



Oh, I don't think you're nuts at all! I'm just hoping your mechanic is wrong and it's a normal noise. Beware, however, if they want to tear your motor down. If there's one in your area, I strongly recommend taking the truck to a Cummins service station and asking them about the noise.

 

[Metalaram]

rbattelle

im glad you dont! i wonder that about myself every day already good idea! i will try to get the truck up to rocky mtn cummins and see what they think. ... thanks

 

[Rosco]

I have had two '03 Cummins and both of them ticked at idle. I really don't know what causes the noise but I would not lose any sleep over it.

 

[Steve M]

Mine ticks too. It's most noticable when the motor is almost warmed up to operating temperature. Power is good and mileage is normal so I'm not going to worry about it. When I step on the loud peddle it makes all kinds of noise! Turbo, exhaust, driveline torque music!

 

[RM]

ticking sound

my new o3 at 4k has a ticking sound since new and in my opinion its the injector solenoids firing they made the engine to quite and you can hear everything that use to be covered up . I'm a cat mechanic and 3126s have the same tick. with the engine off on a cat i can fire the solenoids and hear the tick I'm not going to worry about it. Ron

 

[jgibson]

Mine Too

I can relate to your tick. Mine has had it since day one, now at 5,000 mi.



Thought I might be over reacting so I listened to 5 other CTD's at the dealer, none of them had the pronounced tick that my truck has. It sounds just like a hydraulic tappet that is dry, very noticeable at idle and while driving with the windows open, goes up in unison with engine rpm... . again just like a tappet.



My dealer grudgingly preformed a valve adjustment, (or at least they said they did, they really do not have my trust, as they have lied in the past as to work preformed) and when I got it back from the "adjustment" sound did not change at all, they said valves on #3 and #4 were out of adj. but could not tell me if they were too tight or too loose!



For now I will continue to bring up the noise every time I bring it in for service so I have some record of the noise and my distrust of it. Just in case something goes wrong as the miles start to add up.



Performance seems OK and mpg is similar to other CTD's I have owned. Will be doing a dyno run next week just for my own info and to set a baseline for any future mods, or not.

 

[Duck]

Ditto on the tick. Started around 11k. I figure "it's a diesel", and don't give it a second thought.

 

[CATCRACKER]

mine ticks. it is loudest in the morning when idling. going under a bridge you can hear it a little better. go to the duramax page they have the same tick. a duramax pulled past me the other day he had the exact tick i have.



the other morning i cranked up my truck pulled up a seat and just listened. ticktickticktick ..... then all of a sudden tick gets quieter?????????? still ticking just not as loud.



while you guys are listening to your trucks listen to see in the morning when cold if you have a pulsating idle sound out of the exhaust pipe. this is only when cold in the morning i suspect more people have this than me. it is barely noticeable until your ear catches the cadence. let me know i dont think it is anything but it is strange.

 

[Metalaram]

the tick

hey i just wanted to add that the tick is to slow to be all injectors or all lifters ect. it is about the speed that one cylinder would be going not all of them. also it is quite pronounced though it does quiet a little at times. i am going to try to stop by rocky mtn cummins today and i will post anything i find out... chris

 

[Metalaram]

the tick is real!!

i went to rocky mtn cummins and one of the techs came out and took a listen and immediately said that the tick was not normal!!! and that i should pursue it further. he believed it to be in the valve train and it could be a valve sticking or being out of line or something of that nature and could cause problems later on. so i called D/C and they are starting a file and what ever else they do and i will talk to the dealer next week. not that i am happy to have a problem but i do feel better that it was not just all in my head. im sure this is going to become a major pain in the a$$ but i want my truck to be right!!!

 

[DJohnson]

tick solution

hello all. first time poster, long time tdr member. my '03 H. O. had the tick at idle since new. it sounded fine at higher rpm's but always came back at idle. I found a cure and it's not pretty. Turns out that the H. O. has a notch in the bottom of the piston on one side to allow clearance for the oil cooling nozzle jet. if a piston is installed with the notch on the wrong side, the piston will lightly tap the oil nozzle on the down stroke and make the tapping noise. This was the case with mine on #5 cylinder. chryslers fix was to replace the short block @ 10,000 mi. . there was no damage to the original block that I could see. after 18 days in the shop the truck is back together and I have put 1,100 miles on the new engine and it runs the way it was designed to.

 

[rbattelle]

Well that's just great... something else for me to worry about.

 

[rbattelle]

DJohnson,



By "short block" I assume you mean the swapped in a new block including pistons, crank, and rods, leaving your original head. This cured the tick? How confident are you that they didn't introduce any contaminants into the fuel system during this process? Remember that the injectors are extremely sensitive to dirt.

 

[DF5152]

mine ticks too. with the electronic fuel injection and te quieter motor u r hearing the injectors and depending on what type of lifetr they use you may be hearing that also.

 

[DJohnson]

rbattelle, you are correct in your assumption on the short block. I looked at the old one and saw the mistake myself. this did cure the tick. the sound was similar to what you would get it you took a large screwdriver and tapped the side of the block at the same speed as engine rpm at idle or slightly above. as far as the injection system is concerned, everything was disassembled and reassembled. am I 100% confident in this engine rebuild? not yet, but the vehicle will be worked hard and any future problems will be fixed by warranty or by our state's lemon laws.

 

[CATCRACKER]

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