My girlfriend drives a 2001 2.2L 4 door and we recently started to get it up to better standards than what it was. So far everything is going great except for the god awful noise coming from the engine bay. She put a nice exhaust system on and you can still hear the engine. To describe it, it sound like a tractor and is a constant ticking sound. No matter if the car is in Neutral, Park, Drive or Reverse, hell even she gives it gas or lets it set there it still makes the noise. Now when she accelerates, the sound speeds up but when she slows down, it slows down. It's just so nerve racking when you pull up in an enclosed area (mc-d's drivethru) and you hear this loud tractor like sound. What are some things that we could start looking at with silencing or fixing it? We heard another cavalier one time in town that sounded exactly the same so with thought, it only seems right to rule out that this is common? Any links someone can send my way to help? I looked around the forums but unable to snag anything up. Thanks guys!
Not sure what sounds you mean, Valve train lifters? Ive got an 01 2.2L It sounds pretty good for the the km's on it, You could have timing chain and tensioner issues. Plus with these 2.2L they are known to have little valve noise, Just the way they are designed, That would be my guess, For youre noises.
Good Luck.
Tough to diagnose noises via a keyboard and monitor.
It could be a lot of things.
Lifters
worn cam
timing chain and gears
piston slap
rod knock
alternator bearing
water pump bearing
AC compressor or idler bearing
belt tensioner bearing
transmission pump
broken flex plate
etc etc etc.
Try to determine what part of the engine compartment it is coming from and start looking at possible causes in that neighborhood.
You really need to take it to someone who knows noises and pay him to take a listen and get his 2 x
You could make a sound file and post it, not the best but better than words.
Dave
When I get a chance tomorrow, I'll record a youtube vid with the noise from all angles of the engine bay so you guys can hear. Check back tomorrow towards evening time to see it up. I really really appreciate your help on this!
My '97 2.2 has a engine tick that settles out for a while (a few weeks) when I use Seafoam. It might be a option for you.
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One of my strong guesses is the ticking is with the valves being out of alignment. I do know the car was a loaner car out of a fleet but was taken care of up till when she got it two years ago. Something both me and her have noticied is the ticking has gotten louder of the years. We started using synthetic oil in it with the last oil change but it didn't have any effect.
I posted a video of my car making the ticking sound (I'm the gf he's talking about), It's not the best video in the world but give it a shot. It sounds like it is coming from the back left corner of the engine vblock (if you are looking at it from the front of the car)
Well it wasn't mine right after the loaner, it was my dads daily driver and he didn't take good care of it, my brother attempting to destroy the car didn't help either. All I know is that this ticking problem is a common problem in most cavaliers and sunfires pushing 100k. If an engine swap is the only way to kil it permently then that's fine I plan on doing one anyway.
Here's a link to the vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Fu0F4BT84
I'm not going anywhere just yet
R.I.P. Jimmy "the Rev" Sullivan '81-'09
I posted a video of my car making the ticking sound (I'm the gf he's talking about), It's not the best video in the world but give it a shot theres a really loud sound in it that's coming from somewhere else, I think the wind, but you can faintly here it. It sounds like it is coming from the back left corner of the engine vblock (if you are looking at it from the front of the car)
Well it wasn't mine right after the loaner, it was my dads daily driver and he didn't take good care of it, my brother attempting to destroy the car didn't help either. All I know is that this ticking problem is a common problem in most cavaliers and sunfires pushing 100k. If an engine swap is the only way to kil it permently then that's fine I plan on doing one anyway.
Here's a link to the vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4Fu0F4BT84
I'm not going anywhere just yet
R.I.P. Jimmy "the Rev" Sullivan '81-'09
More than likely it is valvetrain noise.
IMO, Just live with it.
My '96 is the first out of 5 2.2 cars I have had that hasn't made the tick.
Those engines are known for valve train noise and it is usually a bad or collapsed lifter.
Tinkles
2003 Cavalier 1SV
Bagged and Blown
Another tip that will narrow down youre trouble shooting, In which always works for me, You can remove the superine belt, Then you should be able, To fix the problem.
Good Luck
A automotive stethoscope might help pinpoint where the noise is coming from.
Aaron
97 Cavalier Z24 @ 85k
00 Cavalier Base Coupe @ 152k...rollin on 14's!
97 Grand Cherokee 5.2L@ 260k
Sounds like one of those diesel 2200's
rich weeks wrote:Another tip that will narrow down youre trouble shooting, In which always works for me, You can remove the superine belt, Then you should be able, To fix the problem.
Good Luck
Agreed. Check the serpentine belt, look at the ribs when the engine is off. If you can't see anything, take the belt off. I just changed my 96 Sunfire serpentine belt over memorial day weekend, my engine sounded the same! There was a chunk of the rubber missing on the 5 rib serpentine belt, I don't know how it stayed on. I could see it when the engine was running. notice in the youtube vid, the sound is the loudest on the passenger side of the engine where the serpentine belt is. it's either a bad serp belt or a bad serp belt tensioner. I go with belt first. it's cheap and easy thing to check/replace.
Have the same problem with my gf's 2001 Cavalier, checked out the YouTube link and tried the belt of sound was gone but changed out both the water pump and the Pwr Steering pump...Could it be the tensioner pulley?
