http://https://www.youtube.com/watch...ature=youtu.be

I've been told it sounds like a bad pulley. I've also noticed a faint squeaking sound under acceleration but only when the engine is cold. I thought this noise might support the suspicion of being a belt tensioner pulley going bad.

I've posted a you tube video here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCDx...ature=youtu.be

 

Have not gotten any responses on this. If anybody would care to suggest some ideas, maybe another video would help? Is the sound not good enough?

 

Sounds just like mine. I just assumed that was the "Hemi tick" unless there is another sound i was not hearing in the video.

 

This so-called Hemi-tick just started about two months ago. What in the hell is the hemi-tick? I've seen people mention the hemi-tick in other you tube videos, but I'm calling bullsh*t.

I don't believe in a hemi-tick unless someone can explain to me what actually causes it.

 

Well there doesn't seem to be any single explanation for it. There are a few different theories, however they all agree on the fact that is has to do with the valve train. Since yours is an 03, and mine is an 05, neither of us have MDS so the "official Dodge explanation" that "the way the MDS engages gets stuck" I think is a load of crap. However people with the MDS enabled HEMI have reported that installing non-MDS lifters fixes the issue. However, seeing as we don't have MDS something else must be wrong. Another common theory is bad lifters. Or at least one bad lifter. Which would explain why some people report that it goes away with a change of lifters, MDS or not. However the fact that so many of them come off the Dodge lot with the tick already tells me that it doesn't have to be just the lifters. Some people have theorized that due to QC issues the rods may not be long enough. Another thing to factor in is the complexity of the Hemi valve train. Due to the hemispherical heads/valve placement, Chrysler engineered a very complicated valve system.

Again, as I said there doesn't seem to be any single answer to it and according to Dodge and almost every1 that has had it, it isn't a problem. People have gone well over 100k with the "Hemi tick" and never experienced any problems related to it. One thing you can try that is cheap and easy is an oil change. A lot of people claim that doing an oil change to full synthetic 5w-20 oil will at the very least cause it to quiet down and some people have even said it fixes the problem all together.

I am no expert, I have just done a ton of research on it because it bugged me too for a while when I first got the truck. At least until I read about how common it is, and is generally accepted as normal for these engines.

 

I've tried an oil change, and added an oil treatment and neither helped. So I don't think it is my valve lifters.

It seems like the sound is coming from underneath the engine. Maybe an exhaust leak? But then I was thinking maybe its something with the flywheel. I've also noticed more of the chirping sound. I was fairly certain the chirping was coming from my serpentine belt. Until just now I was driving home and noticed something.

I was at a redlight and could hear the chirping of the belt. Then I was about to park the truck and when I put it into Park, the chirp suddenly stopped. So I put the gear back into Drive and the chirping started again. Put it back into Park and chirping stops.

Could this be a transmission thing since the chirping stops when I put the truck into Park?

 

I dont think it is your transmission. When you are sitting still, regardless of being in park or not, nothing should moving in your tranny. The only difference between park and drive is the free movement of your torque converter. So when you are in park it spins freely and the engine is running with no load other than the flywheel. when you put it into drive the torque converter is trying to spin but cant because your sitting still, thus puts load onto your engine.

When was the last time you changed your belt? If it isn't the belt then its probably a pulley. Just my guess but maybe somebody else can chime in with their knowledge.

The clicking/ticking noise still sounds like the "Hemi tick" to me though.

I guess I should also point out that my tick is audible behind the engine, so standing in front of the hood you can hear it but its not loudest there. It is loudest at cold start and at full operating temp from under the cab/behind the engine. I just had an inspection done and they are very strict about exhaust leaks here so I know its not an exhaust leak. I do believe it is a valve train issue and the sound just resonates down the exhaust.

 

Hmm ok. Well I really appreciate your comments. This has been driving me crazy and I know what will happen if I take it to a mechanic and ask them to "fix the noise." They'll bankrupt me.

Last time I changed the belt was about 15,000 miles ago. I moved across the country in the middle of summer so I replaced the belt and hoses, along with new plugs, and plug wires before the trip.

Btw my truck only has 90,314 original miles on it, if that is relevant info. A friend suggested it might be a pulley originally, and that would probably be best case scenario. I'm hoping to use this weekend to get to the bottom of it.

I'll update you if I can.

 

My '05 sounded exactly like that. It was louder from the wheel well than it was from under the hood.
Didn't worry about it that much since it was cold and snowy up here in Ohio and the noise wasn't persistent. The other day the belt started squealing so I knew I had to dig into it.
Turns out the lower idler pulley was completely gone. The belt was just riding on the bearing itself.
Took ten minutes to change out the pulley and the serp belt.
Now I just hear the Hemi tick LOL

 

Thats comforting to hear. I'm hoping it's just the pulley. Unfortunately I got tied up this weekend and didn't get to focus on the truck. I'm hoping I can get it done before we get hit with a hard freeze or snow storm.

I've never changed a pulley before, this should be something I can do myself?