thephenom

Just noticed it today coming home from dinner. (Excuse for the pup barking in the middle)

Recently had a P0303 code, and the local shop found the cracked coil pack and replaced it. (~3 weeks ago) They suggested we replace the other 5 since 2 others seems to be in rough shape as well. Car has 94k (58.5k miles). I've only put on about 100 miles since changing the coil packs and spark plugs.

TheBruce

Sounds like somebody trapped in the trunk tapping out SOS.

Hard to hear clearly, but doesn't sound rhythmic like piston slap. Where is the noise coming from? Inside or outside?

thephenom

This was recorded from the passenger side muffler after driving home. The driver side muffler didn't seem to have same sound.

TheBruce

Hmm. I was hoping you said driver side, as that would have been the water pump. But passenger side raises my concern a bit.

Does the car burn oil? Any soot buildup on the driver-side tailpipe? Is it a cold weather car?

Can you take another video and get the mic down under the car.

thephenom

I've only put on about 1200km since picking it up. Oil level from on-board computer is still full, same as the day the car was delivered. No noticeable soot on either side. It is a cold weather car from Canada, but no idea whether it's been used as an all year around car or just a summer car. Underbody seems pretty clean and rust free, so I presume it hasn't seen much if any winter.

Let me try to get another video tomorrow from both exhaust at startup, as well as after driving.

snaphappy

Based on what I've learned so far, if you've gone 1200km and you haven't burned any oil - that's really good news and rules out a bunch of problems. But I'm no expert.

I just did plugs and coils myself, DIY. Could something be loose? Like the heat shields by the coils? But you said you had the job done three weeks ago and the sound just showed up today. So that can't be it.

There are some really experience members here that will chime in soon and I bet they'll have a better idea

NuttyProfessor

You should watch Jake Raby's video series on cylinder bore scoring and plan to purchase a cheap bore scope off Amazon and scope bank#2. Good luck!

Flat6 Innovations

Don't jump to this conclusion so quickly.

What I hear in this video doesn't have the consistency of a "ticking" related to bore scoring. It isn't consistent enough, and does not have the right rhythm, or tone.
When I hear this noise the first thing I jump to is a loose spark plug, or an exhaust leak. The quality of audio does make it tougher to determine what it may be, BUT the consistency and rhythm do not sound like bore scoring to me.

You may actually have a rare issue where the lifters are creating a noise, and the misfire from cylinder 3 could be telling us that's where the issue lies. Feel the exhaust pulses out of each muffler at the same time, and see if you feel an interruption in the exhaust flow that is consistent with the noise you hear. If so, a lifter could be at fault. I just corrected thios issue with a Cayman last month, and collected video before and after for a Rennvision series soon.

Petza914

I'm not sure what that is, and with the wind noise, dog barking, and short video length, it's tough to tell, but it doesn't sound good.

Because of the randomness of the sound relative to the engine speed I first thought it was a misfire, with unburned gas popping in the exhaust, but it also has a bit of a metallic quality to it also, which is the part I don't like.

Do you have a Durametric where you can monitor live misfires by cylinder while the car is running. Knowing which cylinder(s) are misfiring while that noise is occuring might be helpful.

The other thing it sounds like it could be is timing chain slap against the side of the case as the engine is spinning. This could be caused by a weak or failed chain tensioner (there are 3 of them). Is the sound worse when you first start the car?

You need to think about how many times you restart the car to diagnose this issue and what damage may be taking place internally as that noise is being created. I might suggest having it towed to a shop for the next start so they can put it up in the air and listen. A mechanics stethoscope to pinpoint the source of the sound might also come in handy for that.

Iceter

Don't freak out yet. Start with the simple stuff. Have you watched the engine while the car is running to see if there is any obvious cause?

It could be something as simple as a worn out belt tensioner.

TheBruce

Gotta love this forum. Its like a bat signal and Jake and Pete arrive on scene :-)

@thephenom Jake and Pete are the two most knowledgable guys on this forum, so you are in good hands. I'm glad they concurred it wasn't rhythmic as that should take your stress level down.

(And if you dont know what we were referring to, there is rare issue with cold weather cars called bore scoring, which eventually causes the pistons to slap against the cylinder, typically on the passenger side 4-6 cylinders. This create a rhythmic ticking. However by the time it gets to that stage you would have seen some pretty dramatic oil usage and your driver side exhaust will have a lot of soot on it. Jake has some great videos explaining it.)

Send some more video and they should be able to help you sorted.

And welcome to the club!

Petza914

Can't believe I just got mentioned in the same sentence with Jake.

...but that's like saying the minnow and the great white are similar because they share the same water LOL

Wayne Smith

Don't sell yourself short Pete. We're all fortunate to have you on here!!!

TheBruce

thephenom

Thanks for all the help.

I will try to record better video after work today replicating the same condition as well as when car is cold.

- Record it after cold start
- Drive about 15-20km and record again
- Area to focus on, engine bay, each exhaust, and from underneath

The sound I was hearing is similar to how it was when I got the P0303 CEL, but it was more noticeable then. The other detail I forgot to mention, was after the coil pack and spark plugs were replaced, the CEL was off, but had pending code from the scanner. The original dealer that sold me the car came to take a look, took it for a 30-40 minute drive, and the pending codes were gone. The mechanic I brought it to said he didn't know what the dealer did, but it was ok for me to take the car but monitor if anything sounds odd, excessive smoke, etc.

On the plus side, if the issues are related, the car was still under warranty.