I had the same thing happen to my car. Went away for a couple of days then came back louder than ever. It became more of a knocking noise that could only be heard between 3k-4k rpms. My engine was also consuming oil.

I took it to the dealer. Come to find out that the rod bearings were scored and there was oil in my main cat. Got a whole new long block, exhaust manifold/cat, crank sensor & they even washed my car. All under warranty. The guys at my dealership were really accommodating (Gardena Nissan). Extended warranty = peace of mind.

 

two things cause it.

1)fuel injectors

2)metal contact until oil gets in the head.

i have it too and doesn't bother me anymore.

 

I would have to go with greendot on this one, its probably valvetrain noise when there is not sufficient oil cycling at start-up. What kind of oil are you running, and what is the mileage on your engine? Synthetics have a better metal adhesion qualities than conventional oils, leaving more lubricant on the metal to metal contact at start-up.. I have also seen hydraulic lifters "flatten" over periods of extensive use and high revs.. this could also be a source of your tapping.. again, depending on severity, once the oil warms up and cycles properly, it would cushion these "gaps" on the metal surfaces and quiet down. This would also explain why after a breif stop as the oil returns to the pan, why you would have the tapping return. Also, does the pulley in your mod list remove the harmonic balancer? Underdrive pulleys of that type often cuase main bearing wear which results in low oil pressure, this could also exacerbate the tapping noises.

BTW nice qoute!

 

I run Mobile 1 synthetic with a Mobile 1 filter. The pulley does NOT remove any balancer because the QR25 is internally balanced (balance shafts).

 

The tensioner for the cam chain is pressurized by oil. It's probably leaking down when the car is off which is causing a slight amount of chain slack. As soon as it gets oil pressure it takes up the slack in the chain and the noise goes away. This is very common on KA's. It is less common on QR's. Nothing to worry about unless the noise gets louder.

The only real worry is that, if it gets bad enough, it will eventually wear a hole in the cam chain cover.

 

I WOULD bring it in, BUT I don't wanna have to give them the "Mod" speech again.

 

I WOULD bring it in, BUT I don't wanna have to give them the "Mod" speech again.

I really wouldn't worry about it. My KA has been doing it for over 100,000 miles and it's still fine.

 

Yeah... my mitsu started EXACTLY the ticking you describe about 12 miles before it put a rod through the side of the block on the highway.

food for thought.

 

THANKS, lol

 

Yeah... my mitsu started EXACTLY the ticking you describe about 12 miles before it put a rod through the side of the block on the highway.

food for thought.

That ticking would have been a rod bearing and is a VERY different sound than valve train noise to the trained ear. A rod bearing is louder under the car and is a deeper thud sound.

I've heard both many times

 

HA... sorry.. didn't mean to bring you down.. mine was similar to some of the opinions above, I wasn't getting oil to the valve train at startup. Same thing, mine would go away in 5 miles or some warming up. Then, one morning, I started it, drove it down the h-way and the ticking got louder and louder until BWAAAAAAH!!! it threw all sorts of bad parts into the road. I couldn't see the hole, nor did I know what was going on. I coasted to the side of the road, shut it down, then tried to start it again, after some chug chug chug BWAAAAH I thought it was an exhaust problem, had it towed. The mechanic that looked at it (hadn't tried to start it yet) was baffled for about 5 minutes until he noticed it was low on oil, put some in and it drained out on his shoe!!! then he got a flashlight and (laughing) showed me the hole (baseball sized) in the back of the block.. D'OH!

HOPEFULLY that's not what's going on with yours. But be careful and don't screw with it is the lesson, get it looked at.

 

Sorry, to be clear, mine dropped a valve (retainer/spring, everything) and then all sorts of craziness ensued... it wasn't a bearing going thump, it was a top of the valvetrain "clatter".

 

Mine sound like injectors, but I am getting a very mixed review here of what it could be... It doesn't sound like it could get that serious however.