clicking noise

[JSUsaxman]

i have a 97 sohc and when i hit the throttle it makes a clicking noise. i bought the car for practically nothing so i figured it would have some problems. the man i bought it from said that he had just had the heads worked on and that was probably it. any more assumptions???

[das2123]

Originally Posted by JSUsaxman

when i hit the throttle it makes a clicking noise.

Clicking, kinda like a tapping or ticking noise? Does it increase with the RPM's? If so, it's your lifters telling you they want/need more oil. Check your oil level and top it off if necessary.

[NJH_Habitatpro]

its either you need more oil or you need to check that little sylinoid or however you spell it but yeah its on the passanger side right next to your timing belt cover. One of those two things.

[clariveros]

Hello all sorry to revive an old post but have to ask this question, My wife's car is a 99 dohc, when it start cold there is a ticking coming from the right side of the car, but goes away when the car is run for about 10 minutes, i am pretty sure the lifter are not getting enough oil, but confused as to why only when a cold start, on sunday i added 2 qt to it and it did not do it right away but it did do it yesterday,, and i have not had the change ot check the oil level cold becuase of work/school , yeah i know my bad, but is it just that it need more oil or it is becuase of the oil pump? thank you in advance

[denisond3]

Im guessing, based on experience with lifter noise in other cars, not Neons. A noisy lifter that gets quiet when the oil warms a little is often a symptom of a hydraulic lifter than has dirt in it or has a weak spring. In my experience they stay noisy like that, getting slowly worse - but they keep on working for the most part. Its more likely to happen in a car that is used for short trips, and doesnt get long drives. There is just more buildup of sludge inside the motor with an engine that doesnt get its oil fully warmed - like you would get with a long highway commute. Clean oil will help, but its still going to click. The lifters are called 'lash adjusters' in the Noen service manual, and they can be replaced with the engine head on the car.

[fantastic]

Originally Posted by JSUsaxman

i have a 97 sohc and when i hit the throttle it makes a clicking noise. i bought the car for practically nothing so i figured it would have some problems. the man i bought it from said that he had just had the heads worked on and that was probably it. any more assumptions???

I've got a '95 and it does the same thing. I would have to go with the lifters. I had an 83 caprice classic that had the same noise. It went to the shop and a couple springs were weak. I can hear mine whenever I accelerate and idle. Does anyone know what would be involved in doing the springs yourself??

[clariveros]

Originally Posted by denisond3

Im guessing, based on experience with lifter noise in other cars, not Neons. A noisy lifter that gets quiet when the oil warms a little is often a symptom of a hydraulic lifter than has dirt in it or has a weak spring. In my experience they stay noisy like that, getting slowly worse - but they keep on working for the most part. Its more likely to happen in a car that is used for short trips, and doesnt get long drives. There is just more buildup of sludge inside the motor with an engine that doesnt get its oil fully warmed - like you would get with a long highway commute. Clean oil will help, but its still going to click. The lifters are called 'lash adjusters' in the Noen service manual, and they can be replaced with the engine head on the car.

I think you might be right on the money with this one becuase she only uses that car for short trips, work and home, i have been letting the engine warm up a little in the mornings, and at least it does not make the noise as bad. most of the time we take my car because i dont liek to drive that one (too tall or fat, my knees hit the steering wheel). can you please explain what is lash adjusters. thank you

[denisond3]

'Lash Adjusters' is the name Dodge used for the type of hydraulic lifters used in their engines. This is what allows the motor to run for tens of thousands of miles without the valves needing adjustment - like the old cars did that had mechanical lifters. They provide a controlled amount of 'clearance' or lash, when the valve is shut, but without the clicking noise that mechanical lifters involved. -Except when they get sticky. The lifter might get quieter if you changed the motor oil... and took a 400 mile drive with it. Or it might still click some!

[clariveros]

this my seem a little dumd, but if i was to go the the parts store and get a replacement part or parts, what should i get: The lifters for a 99 neon???

[clariveros]

also since this seems as a "fun" in the garage at what interval did you guys replace the timing belt, i know the manual says 100+k but i have replace the timing belt on my 95 galant every 60k

[denisond3]

Your question about what to buy is a good sign; that you plan beofre you starting unscrewing parts.
According to a note in in the Service Manual in [bold type], the Lash Adjusters (aka lifters) are replaced as an assembly with the rocker arm. The auto parts place will likely confirm this. You would also need the rocker or cam cover gasket, which probably comes with new grommets for the top of the spark plug openings. If you are going to do this job, I would advise investing in the Chrysler Corp. NEON service manual for your year beforehand. You remove the rocker shaft (and all 4 or 8 rockers with it) then can slide on the new or newer rocker- arms with the built-in Lash Adjusters. Depending on cost, I would be inclined to either buy a full set of rockers for all 16 valves, or to just get the couple of rockers that I needed from a junkyard. Thats if you can find a junkyard that will sell you parts from an engine versus selling you the entire engine. I find this very seldom allowed, unless the engine (head) is otherwise junk - such as if it cracked from overheating or was in a Bad collision. Sometimes auto machine shops have such heads lying around though. This scheme would also depend on being able to tell which of the lifters was causing the noise. If any lobes on the camshaft are 'badly worn' then it should be replaced also. On my own cars I personally have re-used some really sorry looking camshafts with good results - even after the machinist told me I needed to replace it.
I would replace the timing belt after 100,000 miles or less; such as... when I had to replace the water pump...OR... when I had the motor out...OR.... had good access to that part of the motor for any other reason. I had my engine out at 140k miles, and found the water pump was beginning to seep - it was probably the original. I replaced the timing belt and idler at that same time, though the belt/idler had been replaced about 50k miles earlier at 90k - as the previous owner told us. Now I dont have to worry about that for another 100k miles!

Because I prefer to do my own repairs and prefer to avoid sudden failures, I have replaced hard to reach parts that were working fine, just because the vehicle was going on a long drive and had high mileage. Pre-emptive repair.