Why Does My Car Make a Ticking Noise?

A ticking noise from your car can be caused by a number of things. If it occurs when the engine is running but the car is not moving, it’s probably coming from the engine or something associated with it, such as the alternator. But if it occurs only when the car is moving — whether going straight or turning — it’s likely coming from another source.

Related: Why Does My Car Vibrate While Driving?

Ticking Noise Is Coming From the Engine

Although there can be numerous causes, a ticking noise from the engine is the most common. An easy place to start your diagnosis is by sitting in the driver’s seat and looking at the instrument panel. With the engine running, check the oil-pressure gauge if you have one; in place of a gauge, or perhaps in addition to one, you may have an oil-pressure warning light. Usually, the needle on the gauge should be close to straight up or halfway up the scale; if it’s low or the warning light is on, you should turn the engine off and check the oil level. At the same time, look to see if the check-engine light is on. If it is, there should be trouble codes stored that can be checked.

Next is to shut off the engine, let it sit a couple of minutes, then open the hood and check the oil level. If it’s below the recommended range, add some oil. It might be best, however, not to fill it more than a quarter past the bottom of the recommended range; you may later decide to add a bottle of cleaner, which you have to leave room for as you don’t want to overfill the oil.

While you have the hood up, the next step would be to start the engine and figure out the source of the ticking sound. Something that can be very helpful in isolating the source of a noise (and is far safer than moving your head close to a running engine) is a mechanic’s stethoscope, which can be purchased for $10 or less. It looks like the one your doctor uses, but it replaces the disc at the end with a long rod, the tip of which is placed against whatever you’re checking. Lacking that, you can use a roughly 2-foot section of hose, such as a garden hose, perhaps with a funnel on the end pressed against your ear. It’s important to remember that in some cases you’ll be checking moving parts, so be careful about where you put the noise-collecting end; if using a hose, it’s usually best to place that end first, then put the other end against your ear.

Among the likeliest suspects of a ticking sound are:

• A lifter tick, usually heard around the valve cover near the top of the engine.
• Faulty spark plugs or spark-plug wires that allow the spark to jump to a metal surface; this can also cause a rough-running engine and may trigger the check-engine light. It might work out best to run the engine in the dark to look for the flash of the spark jump.
• An engine accessory (such as the alternator) or pulley that’s turned by the engine’s serpentine belt. Since all of these accessories have a rotating element when the engine is running, you have to be careful that they don’t catch your fingers or clothes while checking them.
• An exhaust leak between the engine and manifold or the manifold and exhaust pipe.
• Interference between a rotating fan and its shroud. If the fan’s not on and you want to turn it to check it, make sure the engine is cold and shut off, as you don’t want the fan to suddenly start spinning when your fingers are on it.

If the tick is only heard for a short time after start-up then goes away — particularly if it’s cold out — it may be normal. (However, if it’s cold out, make sure you have the proper weight oil in the engine, as colder weather may call for a lighter-weight oil to help it circulate faster.) But if the noise doesn’t go away, it’s probably something worth looking into. Note that some modern cars have direct fuel injection, some early versions of which naturally made a constant ticking noise. What we’re considering here is a ticking noise that hasn’t always been there.

Noisy Lifters

As mentioned, perhaps the most common cause of a ticking noise coming from your engine is a problem with a hydraulic valve lifter, which is a barrel-shaped device about the size of your thumb. One of a lifter’s jobs is to take up slack in the many moving parts of the engine’s valve train to maximize efficiency and reduce noise. Oil is pumped under pressure into the lifter, causing an inner piston to rise and closing up any gaps that exist.

What can happen is that the port through which the oil flows into the lifter can become clogged, or the oil can leak out between the lifter’s piston and the barrel, causing the piston not to rise. It may also malfunction due to low oil pressure, potentially caused by a relatively cheap fix such as a low oil level, the wrong oil weight, a clogged oil filter or a bad oil-pressure sending unit; it can also be caused by worn oil pump (an expensive fix). If any of those happen, gaps can occur in the valve train, resulting in a lifter tick.

A clogged inlet port to the lifter can occur when the oil isn’t changed regularly. A clogged port or dirty oil can also cause wear that can lead to a leak between the piston and the inside of the lifter, though this can also occur simply due to normal wear at high mileage.

Particularly if the oil hasn’t been changed regularly or the engine hasn’t been run in a long time, it might be worthwhile trying to clean out the gunk inside the engine that could be causing the lifter to malfunction. This can be done by pouring a bottle of cleaning additive into the oil, which can be found at auto-parts stores, hardware stores and some big-box stores. It’s important to read all the instructions on the can of cleaner. Typically, you run the cleaner through for a relatively short period (you may want to run it only until you hear the ticking go away) then change the oil, making sure to use the recommended weight for your vehicle, such as 10W-30. In general, the additive shouldn’t just be left in until the next scheduled oil change as it may change the oil’s weight and formulation.

If the cleaner and subsequent oil change don’t do the trick, a mechanic may have to replace one or more of the lifters. In some engines this is fairly easy, but in others, it requires removing the engine’s cylinder head, which will be expensive.

More From Cars.com:

• Why Does My Car Make a Squealing Noise?
• How Long Do Spark Plugs Last?
• Do I Need to Use Engine Oil or Fuel Additives?
• Should the Exhaust System Last the Life of a Vehicle?
• More Service News

The Ticking Noise Occurs Only When Driving

Lots of parts rotate on your car while it’s being driven, and many of them can create a ticking noise. But the noise may be difficult to track down, as you can’t safely get out and check while the car is moving. As such, it will likely have to be taken to a mechanic, who can place the car on a lift and run it in gear — meaning everything is turning that normally would be while driving down the road — in order to find the source of the ticking. But there are a couple things you can check before taking the car to a mechanic.

If the ticking noise only occurs when you turn corners, it may be due to a worn CV joint. A CV joint is a swivel that connects the drive axle to the wheels and allows the wheels to pivot right or left when turning and to go up and down over bumps. CV joints are almost always used on front-wheel-drive and all- or four-wheel drive cars, and they may be used in the rear on rear-drive cars. The CV joints that wear out the most are the front ones as they have to pivot every time you turn the steering wheel. Try to take a few fairly sharp right and left turns and listen for the ticking noise. Another possibility is that the ticking is coming from a wheel bearing, which may also show up first when going around corners.

Another possible cause of a ticking noise while driving down the road is something embedded in a tire. Sometimes, a stone can be caught between the tire’s tread grooves or a nail or screw can get stuck in the tire. You can usually see and feel most of the way around a tire while the car is parked, then move the car forward a couple of feet to expose the rest of the tire.

While tracking down the source of the ticking noise is only the first step toward fixing it, even if you don’t want to do some of the corrective work, you’ve at least tried the easy things and can better advise any mechanic who tackles it next.

Related Video:

Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.