I just got back from McDonalds and as I was going through the drive-thru I noticed a loud ticking noise coming from my truck. So I get home and pop the hood and it doesn't really seem too loud until I get underneath. It sounds like it is coming from the oil pan area. Is this a bad sign? The only thing I have done different in the last few days is put in 91 octane instead of 85 and switched from 265 tires to 285's.

 

i ahve the same "ticking". i can really notice it in drive throughs. it sounds like it comes from the same area.

 

I did an online check and it might possibly be gunk in the oil perhaps. I know that my truck sat at a used car lot for about 8 months before I purchased it so I just went to the auto parts store and got some engine flush and some synthetic oil and a filter and am gonna change it out and see what happens.

 

I decided not to do the engine flush thing, did some checking on that too and there were some bad things said about it. Anyway I put in a some valvoline synthetic blend and started it up and it was still ticking, I let it idle for a few minutes and revved it up a couple of times and it went away. I let it set for an hour or so and went and started it up again and the ticking was still gone. Hopefully it was just because the oil was bad and the problem is solved.

 

ive already gone to synthetic, the ticking still there... the garage says theres nothing wrong with it

 

The ticking came back today so I took it to the Dodge dealership and they checked it out and found it to be a bent flax plate, whatever that is. Anyway, they straightened it out and the noise is gone now. [sm=icon_rock.gif]

 

what is a flax plate,they didnt even tell you where it was, find out and share so the rest of us can look if problem occurs...thanks

 

Flax plate? Come on guys, don't you mean FLEX PLATE ?

The flex plate is what connects your engine to the torque converter. (in an automatic)

It looks kind of like a flywheel in a manual trans, but thinner. It's location is indeed close to the oil pan. Never heard of one 'ticking'. But if it was bent, it could have been hitting something. Next time you service your tranny, consider upgrading to a heavier duty aftermarket one.

Other things that go 'tick' in the night:
1.Broken valve springs.
2.Piston slap. (aka the deathrattle) (gapping between piston and cylinder wall) (goes away after good warm-up)
3. Loose rocker arms.
4. And the worst, rod knock from a cracked / broken connecting rod. Eventually fatal.

 

Yup, thats exactly it, he was asking if the transmission had been out but I wasn't sure since I have only had the truck for about 3 months or so. I thought he said flex plate but when I read the work order it was spelled flax so the service writer must have been a bad speller. The mechanic said something was hitting against the bent plate, the flywheel perhaps?

 

Ok thats better I was looking for something under the valve cover, didnt know it was flex plate.....you can get then certified to fix cars but spelling is sometimes another matter...thanks