[MoparTen]

Help? My new Mopar 10 Hemi makes a ticking sound like a clock, very audible at idle. I pulled up to the bank and McDonalds drive thru and could hear a distinct regular ticking sound. Like a fast clock. Is something wrong?
It's not an engine 'knock', just a ticking sound.
Please help if you know of this or if this is normal. Thanks in advance..

 

[storkman]

I think they lovingly refer to this as the "Hemi tick".

 

[runner2go]

My new Challenger has it a little... but its more noticeable in the wife's 300c

To me it sounds very similar to my 74 Challenger, which has a set of Rhodes Lifters in it.
Rhodes lifters = the original Variable Timing lifter.
So I haven't worried about it too much...

But I'm sure some of the mechanic's on here will chime in with the a more detailed explanation.

 

[dino]

My R/T had a similar noise when it was new. After I changed to synthetic and put 3500+ miles on her, it's now around the Hemi noise parameters. One thing for sure, your not going to take it in to the dealership and let them tear your motor apart for this! Give it time, you still have plenty of warranty time and if by chance it does go bad, then they would have to fix it right.

Be careful about some technicians at Chyrsler. One told me I didn't let the motor break in because I used synthetic at 1200 miles.

 

[MoparTen]

My R/T had a similar noise when it was new. After I changed to synthetic and put 3500+ miles on her, it's now around the Hemi noise parameters. One thing for sure, your not going to take it in to the dealership and let them tear your motor apart for this! Give it time, you still have plenty of warranty time and if by chance it does go bad, then they would have to fix it right.

Be careful about some technicians at Chyrsler. One told me I didn't let the motor break in because I used synthetic at 1200 miles.

Thanks for the tips. I'll monitor the situation, change to Mobile 1 at 3000 miles and see how he is.

 

[STONEWHITE R/T]

Roller lifters in it. And wait until about 6K to go to synthetic. Let the rings seat first.

 

[high line]

mine ticks too have 3k on it runs amsoil 0-20 also have a jeep commander and it has the tick also. mine almost sounds like an exhaust leak but its not.

 

[Dawg]

Help? My new Mopar 10 Hemi makes a ticking sound like a clock, very audible at idle...

I'm glad to learn this, I was wondering the same thing about my M10 (almost 500 miles now)...

 

[Kean]

mine ticks too have 3k on it runs amsoil 0-20 also have a jeep commander and it has the tick also. mine almost sounds like an exhaust leak but its not.

....same here. Sounds like it is coming from the exhaust and not the engine (and that is what I thought it was).

 

[MoparTen]

....same here. Sounds like it is coming from the exhaust and not the engine (and that is what I thought it was).

My 'tick' is definitely coming from the engine, not the exhaust. I pulled out an old trick from way back which some of you will know.
Cut a broom stick off, place one end on your ear and the other on various parts of the engine (when it running but not near moving parts). I could hear mine in the valve train (heads). I don't have a clue what causes this but with as many of you that have heard it, it must be common. I've got 1200 miles on mine and I think it's quitter but I'll see. I'll check when I go to the bank drive thru or McDonalds this week. Meanwhile, I'll save my old broom stick and get a vacuum cleaner for the kitchen...

 

[06ssmc]

as stated previously..."Hemi Tick"

 

[hdsoff]

Hemi tick, search lx forums. Old news is good news.

 

[Tinstar]

My wife's 300C has a tick in the motor. The technician says it is normal on that motor. My RT does not have it.

 

[aarcuda]

i dont hear it on mine.

but then again, i used to sit in the first 10 rows at all the rock concerts in highschool.

Huh? Whadja say?

 

[deezlman]

Mine is at the dealer now to have bubbles in the grille surround and under hood panel fixed. Grille surround is being replaced. I think they are repainting the under hood piece.

Anyway, since the warranty is running out this year (2nd owner on 2009 gave me balance of 3 years) I asked them about the tick. Mine used to do it all the time, which was embarrassing at times. Starting in December - colder weather? though it seems counter-intuitive - it now only does it when the car is cold. It's quite loud and gets louder at lower RPMs. If, after a cold start, you wait for the engine to slow down, then put the car into gear, hold the brake and slip the clutch to slow it further, you can really hear it. It disappears at higher RPMs. Or maybe you just can't detect it then.

The folks at the dealer took days to investigate. I'm very lucky to have a dealer I trust. I've worked with the same service manager for years and their mechanics seem quite capable. They said that after further investigation and talking with Chrysler, they'd recommend not tearing down the engine to check for the source. They said they could not find anyone who knows what causes it or how common it is. They want to check other cars like mine - 5.7 6-speed - and see if they do it too. If not, they will go exploring if I want them to to try to find the cause while I still have warranty left.
I expect to be trading for a 392, so probably will ignore it unless there's some magical fix in the LX forum.

Suggestions or other info appreciated.

 

[MoparTen]

i dont hear it on mine.

but then again, i used to sit in the first 10 rows at all the rock concerts in highschool.

Huh? Whadja say?

Heck, I used to be one of the guys playing on stage - that is loud!

But the ticking is barely audible standing beside the car at idle but when I pull up next to a building, such as a drive thru, It seems pretty loud. I only have 1200 miles on mine so I'll watch (or listen) it closely.

 

[Deef1999]

Heck, I used to be one of the guys playing on stage - that is loud!

But the ticking is barely audible standing beside the car at idle but when I pull up next to a building, such as a drive thru, It seems pretty loud. I only have 1200 miles on mine so I'll watch (or listen) it closely.

Here is the problem. You should avoid the drive thru, nothing good comes of this. :thumbsup:

PS mine has the "tick" as well.

 

[Chelle's_Challey2010]

I am so glad to read this thread. I have been telling hubby for months that i hear this ticking noise, to which he thinks Im crazy. I hear it mostly when I start the car up in the garage, in a parking garage, a small semi-enclosed area... and at lower rpms.

Thanks for confirming im not nuts!

 

[CURT LF]

Are you guys sure you're not hearing the fuel injectors firing? They are quite prevalent on the hemi.

 

[deezlman]

Are you guys sure you're not hearing the fuel injectors firing? They are quite prevalent on the hemi.

It's not the fuel injectors. I hear those too, once the engine warms up and the "Hemi-tick" is quieter or goes away entirely.

This past summer, the tick was continuous, warm or cold. Now it's only after the cars been sitting over-night until it warms up, for which I am thankful. The dealer heard it and investigated for several days. No idea what's causing it. Says Chrysler thinks it's normal and not worth pursuing. If you Google "Hemi tick cause" you'll find lots of other ideas. The only one that seems to work for the largest number of folks seems to be to change to the 6.1 exhaust pushrods, if you have the 5.7 engine, and longer aftermarket exhaust pushrods for the 6.1. Looks like that gives you about an 80% chance of success, though some that said this was an initial fix also said the tick returned later but was not as loud.

This seems to have some validity to me because with my Blastin' Bob's setup, I can actually hear the tick in the left side exhaust tip. The dealer did as well.

Elusive! and apparently has been for decades!

Now... I'm wondering, if I get the 392, is it going to also have the genetics to inherit the tick? We'll see.