Ticking/rumbling noise in new HHR 2.4
07-11-2007, 11:08 PM
#23
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-17-2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 1,851
Is the sound a tick or a more like a low chirp?
If it's a chirp, it could the air filter housing (that big ugly black thing on top of the engine). Mine had a tendency to chirp when I first got it. I wiggled it around a bit and it stopped.
If it's a chirp, it could the air filter housing (that big ugly black thing on top of the engine). Mine had a tendency to chirp when I first got it. I wiggled it around a bit and it stopped.
07-12-2007, 04:50 PM
#24
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 04-26-2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 75
Ticking not chirping
Hi,
No, it is definitely a ticking sound. We can hear it from inside the car more than on the outside. As soon as you start the engine it begins. It is constant. Can't really say it gets louder with acceleration, it is just a constant noise. It seems to be louder on the driver's side than the passenger's side.
We are taking it in again on Saturday morning. My husband is going to speak to the technician. He spoke to the Service Manager last weekend at another dealership and we were told to continue to drive it and if it got louder to bring it back in. Frankly, we are getting sick of the waste of time going back and forth. This dealership we are going to on Saturday is closer to home...hopefully they will help. If not, on Monday we will call the Sales Manager whom sold the car to us. We haven't sent the survey back in yet - but I don't think our responses will be very favourable on the service end of things!
God, I hope we don't have a lemon. It's hard when you love your car and you feel like it might be a bust! This is my first new car, so it is a little disheartening. I looked forward to this for months and I got it on my birthday!
Again, thanks for the input...it is all helpful.
No, it is definitely a ticking sound. We can hear it from inside the car more than on the outside. As soon as you start the engine it begins. It is constant. Can't really say it gets louder with acceleration, it is just a constant noise. It seems to be louder on the driver's side than the passenger's side.
We are taking it in again on Saturday morning. My husband is going to speak to the technician. He spoke to the Service Manager last weekend at another dealership and we were told to continue to drive it and if it got louder to bring it back in. Frankly, we are getting sick of the waste of time going back and forth. This dealership we are going to on Saturday is closer to home...hopefully they will help. If not, on Monday we will call the Sales Manager whom sold the car to us. We haven't sent the survey back in yet - but I don't think our responses will be very favourable on the service end of things!
God, I hope we don't have a lemon. It's hard when you love your car and you feel like it might be a bust! This is my first new car, so it is a little disheartening. I looked forward to this for months and I got it on my birthday!
Again, thanks for the input...it is all helpful.
07-14-2007, 12:37 PM
#25
Join Date: 07-05-2006
Location: Fullerton, Ca.
Posts: 7
Our 06 2LT 2.4 makes a constant ticking noise that sounds a little louder on the Driverside than the Passenger side as you said.
So I spent some time looking into it and it appears that the noise is coming from the exhaust/muffler. The noise is pretty much there all of the time as the car starts to warm up, reaches operating temp, and cools down.
The tick (or more like "kink..kink...kink") noise does not follow the engine RPM (so that rules out things like valvetrain in the engine) and seems to be predominantly coming from the muffler (which is at the Left Rear of the car - i.e. driverside) so there is some connection there to the side of the car that you mostly hear the noise from.
Most likely the noise is caused by the thermal expansion and contraction of the exhaust. A normal occurrence.
The condition, although bothersome, seems to be a characteristic of the HHR. I have heard other HHR's that have this noise, even though those drivers don't seem to say anything about it. Maybe the exhaust tubing is thinner and lighter than other cars and this just amplifies the noise that is heard on the HHR vs other models.
It would be nice to know if anyone else has heard this noise with their STOCK Exhaust and then changed either their Muffler and/or exhaust pipe, and if the noise was gone after the change(s).
I have not yet tried to dampen out the noise on the stock exhaust, but if I can figure out a way to nail down the exact root cause and come-up with a fix I will post it here.
It might be impossible to correct without changing Exhaust parts, which I do not want to do.
I don't think you have a lemon, I think we are just "tuned" into this noise and can pick-up on it better than other people.
So I spent some time looking into it and it appears that the noise is coming from the exhaust/muffler. The noise is pretty much there all of the time as the car starts to warm up, reaches operating temp, and cools down.
The tick (or more like "kink..kink...kink") noise does not follow the engine RPM (so that rules out things like valvetrain in the engine) and seems to be predominantly coming from the muffler (which is at the Left Rear of the car - i.e. driverside) so there is some connection there to the side of the car that you mostly hear the noise from.
Most likely the noise is caused by the thermal expansion and contraction of the exhaust. A normal occurrence.
The condition, although bothersome, seems to be a characteristic of the HHR. I have heard other HHR's that have this noise, even though those drivers don't seem to say anything about it. Maybe the exhaust tubing is thinner and lighter than other cars and this just amplifies the noise that is heard on the HHR vs other models.
It would be nice to know if anyone else has heard this noise with their STOCK Exhaust and then changed either their Muffler and/or exhaust pipe, and if the noise was gone after the change(s).
I have not yet tried to dampen out the noise on the stock exhaust, but if I can figure out a way to nail down the exact root cause and come-up with a fix I will post it here.
It might be impossible to correct without changing Exhaust parts, which I do not want to do.
I don't think you have a lemon, I think we are just "tuned" into this noise and can pick-up on it better than other people.
07-14-2007, 01:20 PM
#26
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-22-2007
Location: Kenner Louisiana
Posts: 381
I seem to remember Wheelie making a very faint ticking noise too, it was heard in the fist 200 miles, then, it suddenly disappeared, WHeelie has not made any weird sound since, He sounds normal.
I may be of help tho!, I got Wheelie a present not to ong ago, a Computer program called AUTOTECH, It diagnoses problems from over 600 car models (Including HHR) and gives you remedies on how to fix them. I will look up the ticking noise and let you know what i come up with.
I may be of help tho!, I got Wheelie a present not to ong ago, a Computer program called AUTOTECH, It diagnoses problems from over 600 car models (Including HHR) and gives you remedies on how to fix them. I will look up the ticking noise and let you know what i come up with.
07-14-2007, 01:32 PM
#27
Senior Member
Join Date: 06-22-2007
Location: Kenner Louisiana
Posts: 381
OK all, I ran through the problem you all are having on my AUTOTECH program and It determined 3 things that may be the culprit.
1) Not enough lubrication in the engine, consequently producing a steady ticking noise within the engine
2) Not enough Oil pressure will create a ticking noise in the engine, check Oil level
3) MOST PROBABLE CAUSE: Loose valves or Leaky Exhaust manifold
I Hope this helps!!!!!
1) Not enough lubrication in the engine, consequently producing a steady ticking noise within the engine
2) Not enough Oil pressure will create a ticking noise in the engine, check Oil level
3) MOST PROBABLE CAUSE: Loose valves or Leaky Exhaust manifold
I Hope this helps!!!!!
07-14-2007, 04:21 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: 05-26-2007
Location: ...
Posts: 1,554
If the interval between each "tick" remains constant throughout the rpm range then as Charger stated above it is not valve train related. I am not clear from HHRDreaming's description if the ticking is steady or the pace quickens with increasing rpm.
Thermal ticking from exhaust system is most often around the catalytic converter, since it gets the hottest of anything aft of the exhaust manifold.
As for all HHR's doing this, my 2.2L most certainly does not. I have no mechanical ticking sounds.
On a new engine at idle in gear (automatic transmission) at a stop light you should not have a noticeable valve train tap/tick. If you do your oil pressure may be dropping too low at idle as the valve train is hydraulic. If oil level is okay then this may indicative of an oil pump issue but that would be rare on a new engine. I would suspect something with the oil filter.
Based on this thread: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/%5Bphotos%5D-possible-oil-flow-restriction-9150/ it would be interesting to hear if anyone having actual valvetrain noise at idle is using an AC Delco or Wix oil filter.
Thermal ticking from exhaust system is most often around the catalytic converter, since it gets the hottest of anything aft of the exhaust manifold.
As for all HHR's doing this, my 2.2L most certainly does not. I have no mechanical ticking sounds.
On a new engine at idle in gear (automatic transmission) at a stop light you should not have a noticeable valve train tap/tick. If you do your oil pressure may be dropping too low at idle as the valve train is hydraulic. If oil level is okay then this may indicative of an oil pump issue but that would be rare on a new engine. I would suspect something with the oil filter.
Based on this thread: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/%5Bphotos%5D-possible-oil-flow-restriction-9150/ it would be interesting to hear if anyone having actual valvetrain noise at idle is using an AC Delco or Wix oil filter.
07-14-2007, 04:36 PM
#29
Senior Member
Join Date: 08-17-2006
Location: Ottawa, Ontario
Posts: 1,851
Based on this thread: https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/showthread.php?t=9150 it would be interesting to hear if anyone having actual valvetrain noise at idle is using an AC Delco or Wix oil filter.
We can't get Supertech or Purolator filters here in the great white north, so my only other choice is Fram.
I just passed the 3,000 mile mark on my synthetic oil run and am considering changing the oil filter. That would certainly be one way to prove/disprove your theory about possible oil flow restriction.
