ticking and diming

Often I get a loud engine ticking noise, it comes and goes randomly and and only lasts for a minute or two, it does not matter if the engine is cold or been running for hours.
Also sometimes when driving slow at night I noticed my headlights dim just for a second for no reason.
I notice no change in engine preformance when this occurs.
Thank You

mine does the same thing an i don't know why either hopefully someone answers who knows........by the way I'm a b. labonte myself

I have a 2005 Envoy that has the dimming thing going on. Please read any post or reply from me eith on the Trailblazer or Envoy Forums.

I will also send you a "cut and Paste" form another gentleman regarding his problem. Hopefully he won't mind and hopefully maybe someone will be helped by our conversation. (You will need to read from the bottom up.)

Howard,
Your problem I have not experienced! I was headed to the BBB and ended up withdrawing my complaint without prejudice. I had talked to two lawyers, both friends on mine, and they urged me to drop it. One is a product liability lawyer and said that my case was too weak to win, at least, at this point. Now that I've found a dealer that's taking an interest in the problem maybe this we'll overcome the glitches.

I'm 99% sure this will be my last "American" made vehicle. I've had it with the poor quality and the lack of interest on the part of GM. With all of the financial problems GM is having, it astounds me that they are not trying to hold on to loyal customers. I'm guessing your problem and mine are a 50 cent part made in "who knows where". I continue to get J.D. Power surveys in the mail regarding both of my GM vehicles and I tell them the truth about my dissatisfaction. I've written e-mails to a VP at GM also and they won't respond. They're hoping I will go away.......they're correct in that assumption! I will go away from GM.

Have a great day and keep me informed on your battle. The next time I go for service on my vehicle I will ask the Heritage dealership if they have heard of your problem with the secondary pump. Who knows that might know of a fix.

Best regards,
John

howard novitsky <[email protected]> wrote:
John,
I am having a problem with the secondary air injector pump. When that baby kick's on, my whole electrical system takes a hit.
They replaced the alternator and the secondary pump. The vechicle still has a problem when it's cold out and the pump kicks on.
I went back to GM and they told me this is normal !!!! I am going to be going to arbitration with the BBB Auto Line. I had the dealer near me dupilcate the problem and they informed me that there is nothing they can do for me, other than what has already been done. I am glad to see that you found a dealer that would work with you and your problem. I was just wondering if you are experiencing a voltage drop with the pump kicks in?
Thanks for the reply.
Howard
John Hinz <[email protected]> wrote:
Howard,
I found a dealer that would work with me. (GM was a total waste of time.) The dealer has done extra research and it appears the headlight problem may have been resolved. I'm reluctant to say 100% fixed!
I took my problem to a dealer in Peoria, IL. and they put a new plug, (12059168) and connector, (12186568). Refer to Document ID# 1750221. This seems to have corrected the problem. Before the AMP Gage would drop to the negative side and the lights would actually dim to the point of going out. I've not experienced that condition since the dealer has worked on it. That was about 3 weeks ago this Friday. They have been very good to work with and although I didn't buy the vehicle there have bent over backwards to help resolve this problem.
If you want to talk to the dealership with regards to your vehicle here is their name and number: Heritage Buick Mazda GMC located at 1500 W. Pioneer Parkway in Peoria, IL. Their phone number is (309) 693-2300. The Service Manager's name is Tom Tanney and he has been very helpful with the problem. Tom also stated that GM knows they have a problem with this and will eventually find the problem. The previous dealer didn't take my complaint seriously. The Service Manager at that dealership was a moron at best.
I hope this helps you. I'll save your address and e-mail you if anything changes.
[email protected]

howard novitsky <[email protected]> wrote:
How did you make out with GM on the flickering headlighs?
[email protected]

blabonte, what year and engine do you have? How many miles on it? Like jhinz57 says, the blip of the lights going dim is caused by the air injection reaction (AIR) pump kicking on. It's a high electrical load device. I guess I dont see the big deal on this provided it's just a blip and nothing else. I've had the same exact 'condition' with Nissan and Ford products when the aux electric cooling fans kicked on. You can alleviate this by installing a high capacity battery, or changing to a higher output alternator.

G/luck
Joel

2002 , inline 6 cly

46000 miles

46000 milesI'm assuming this is normal then?

I wouldn't say it's 'normal'. It is more of a nuisance that is completely harmless. More and more vehicles do the same thing. My ford van does it, our nissan did it, my FIL's toyota does it. Modern vehicles have too many electrical loads on them. It wont be long until they go from 12v to 18v or 24v systems!:uhoh:

G/luck
Joel

I wouldn't say it's 'normal'. It is more of a nuisance that is completely harmless. More and more vehicles do the same thing. My ford van does it, our nissan did it, my FIL's toyota does it. Modern vehicles have too many electrical loads on them. It wont be long until they go from 12v to 18v or 24v systems!:uhoh:

G/luck
Joel
Just to make sure, the ticking being heard is like a light lifter tick? (I know its not, just kinda sound like it)

Ticking can be difficult to diagnose. If it's definately coming from the top end, valve cover area, then it could be a collapsed hydraulic lash adjuster (lifter). HLA's can get clogged with debris from the oil, not pump up all the way, cause a gap between the valve stem and rocker arm, which will give a steady tick-tick-tick. I've not heard this as being an issue with the 4.2L's, but I'm new to the game. If the noise is lower in the engine & more of a rattle or thud/knock, it's probably piston slap, which sounds horrible, but has shown to be harmless to the engine. FWIU, today's shorty pistons can rock within the cylinder bore slightly and cause the slap noise. With other engines, experimenting with different brands and viscosity motor oils can alleviate piston slap. There are many, especially GM V6's and V8's that have had piston slap their whole lives and still go 100's of K miles.

G/luck
Joel

Its not always ticking just once in awhile, weather and temp don't matter, heard it in winter and summer. it just ticks and i d/k how long it lasts or even when it starts it just comes and goes. i d/k anybody else w/ one to compare it to.