2019 engine tick
 

Wanted to run this by some people that have experience hearing these engines run or may have heard this before. I spent a few afternoons searching the forum for similar issues and there are a ton of threads complaining of engine noise so I'll apologize up front about starting another. I'm aware of the normal direct injection associated noise these motors make and I will be taking the car in to cover those bases.

Anyway, car has 30 miles and has been run up to temp twice. Engine temp, load, speed don't seem to make any difference in the noise. It's loud enough it sounds like a large exhaust leak at the passenger floorboard when driving and the radio doesn't cover the noise, its pretty loud and is present at all times. Oil level is fine, idles smooth, no stumbles or check engine lights so far the car runs strong in my brief experience with it.

Based off my research it seems like the frequency and regularity of it would point to a valve train issue but please correct me if I'm wrong. To me it sounds like excess lash in a rocker which I guess could be caused by a short lifter, bent rod, loose rocker, etc. I have read the fuel pump in these things can be pretty noisy but remember reading it pulses 3 times for every one cam rotation so I think this noise is too slow for that? It is more pronounced on the rear passenger side but it's tough to tell if it's in the valley or not, the fuel pump is located there correct?

Thanks all, links to videos below.

Definitely sounds like a valve train issue to me. We just dealt with a bent push rod on an old Mopar that sounded just like that. I would have it towed to the dealer and let them deal with it.

its got 30 miles,either drive the crap out of it,or take to the dealer

I would normally break in an engine with plenty of acceleration and engine braking but I'm not not playing around with going passed the break in limits that gm recommends. Don't want any assumptions about this being my fault due to abuse. I don't plan on driving it at all until it goes in actually.

Sounds like a knock and not normal.

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Hopefully you get it resolved soon and are enjoying many miles and smiles to come, good luck.

Sorry to hear the unknown with a new car.

Agree, call dealer and then have if towed there. Hopefully simple like pulley. Good luck and pls let us know.

Have you run it in eco mode? Is it a manual or auto trans? Sounds like a sticky lifter to me. With those miles I'd let them take care of it (it's not normal injector/pump sounds).

Keep up posted bud!

I was ready to tell you that it's a DI engine and they all tick, but what you've got there is definitely broken. Back to dealer.

I got it with 4 miles and the noise was present when it rolled off the delivery truck at my home. Assumed it was an exhaust leak but even if I figured it out at that point the car is mine anyway. Only realized what was going on fully once I had a chance to look into it over the weekend.

Car is a manual so no V4 miles as far as I know unless it was in the first 4 miles. Both times I drove it was a mix of tour and sport. Thought about taking it out and getting into V4 mode and then back out to try to cycle the valve train but decided to not drive it. It definitely sounds like there is slack in a tolerance that is being taken out and the tick is metal parts coming together. Just like a short lifter being smacked into a rod as the gap between them is taken out by the cam lift. All speculation of course.

If the lifter is collapsed it can't be completely because the car seems to run fine. Otherwise there would an intake or exhaust valve not opening on a firing cylinder right?

I went back and forth on it myself a few times since I know these engines are noisy but this is definitely a distinct metallic ticking above and beyond the sewing machine kind of ticking you get with DI.

I've tried responding but my replies are being auto moderated. Car is a manual only had it in sport or tour both times I took it out.

That sounds awfully familiar, sorry you're having to deal with this. This was my failed lifter... they ended up doing a complete rebuild.
.

Yeah I'd say that it's likely going to be a lifter. They manuals do not go into 4-cyl mode (other than in eco) so that's why I asked. Generally you'd want to stay out of that until full break in, but that's a non issue here either way.

Sorry about the hassle, it stinks on a new car!

DANG! That one was severe! How has it been since the rebuild? What exactly did they do?

It's definitely not that severe but I don't expect it to improve. At this point I'm just hoping whatever work gets done is proper and the car comes back in decent shape considering it was unwrapped 4 days ago. The first 30 miles had me really looking forward to more barring the tick it's a fantastic car.

Also since this section gets more traffic than the regional if anyone has a recommendation for Corvette service in or around Columbia, SC I'd appreciate it. I'm considering taking it to Charlotte but we'll see. I have zero experience with any dealers around me.

It's runs great! Did a full teardown, replaced everything oil touched including the dry sump system. Comped me the Platinum GMEPP for an additional 3/36 bumper to bumper too. Noting like a 2016 car with B2B warranty through mid year 2022:thumbs:

Other than the stress/worry of a new car having this issue, It was a positive end result and I'm happy with the level of service the dealer provided.

Get a Range Device for it. This lifter problem is related to cylinder deactivation.

I've read that and since I have a manual trans I'll just avoid eco mode. I purposely didn't try it after reading all the stories during my pre purchase research. I almost took it out and cycled in and out of eco to see if the lifter would reset for the hell of it but I'm leaving it be.

Sorry, didn't see it was a manual. No Range Device Needed!

Dude that's awesome.... WOW! :thumbs:

That noise is NOT a lifter IMO sounds like an exhaust leak or pipe hitting something. Early on (2013/2014) there were a few posts about the insulation in the valley cover out of place and making a loud injector pump noise BUT I have not heard anything like a that in my 2014 or Grand Sport LT1.

Finding a good C7 Tech is not easy. There is a small dealer in Hartsville SC where I picked up my Grand Sport bought with Courtesy Delivery who has a great C7 Tech but not sure I would not try to find a larger dealer. Got my 2014 from Hendrick in Cary NC. They sell a lot of Vettes. Don't know much about Hendrick in Charlotte.

Certainly possible. It is a bit quieter, but typical exhaust leak would follow a deeper sound on that side (usually). Hope your right Jerry, would be easier outcome

Whatever is causing that noise is not normal and needs to be diagnosed sooner than later. If it was mine I would not drive it 7nless head8ng to the dealer.

I also had an annoying tick, went in last week for 500 mile break in oil change and found a 3 inch gash in serpentine belt was the cause, replaced under warranty and ticking noise gone

Yep, many noises are hard to diagnose! I had one that I finally figured out after a year! On a full lock, slow speed, right turn had a noise that sounded like a playing card in a bicycle wheel but it only occurred once per revolution. Had nothing to do with tire “chatter” as happened when warm and no such noise on a left turn. Thought it was the Grand Sport brake cooling duct or plastic air diverter hitting something.

Jacking the wheel and turning was no help even when lifting only a ¼ inch off the pavement, no noise. Tried the GM suggested, “remove the wheel and clean the matting surface” and retorque the lug nuts several times. Even trimmed some plastic I thought was offending. No help but the noise became less.

When I changed oil at ~1 year I saw the problem, which by then was almost gone. A wheel weight was on the inner edge and had been warn slightly on the front and top edge. Obviously, it was hitting the plastic brake cooling duct air diverter! A spot on the diverter and the top edge of the wheel weight were wearing! It’s gone now!

From inside the car I would bet money it was an exhaust leak from the passenger header collector or midpipe but standing over the motor with the hood up it's obvious it's on top of the motor. I would have opened it up myself yesterday if it weren't under warranty. I'll keep you guys posted could be a simple fix I definitely could be wrong. I'd be thrilled if I were haha.

Try using a piece of hose as a stethoscope and check around the bottom of the manifold. In 2013/2014 that is where, as I recall, the sound insulation under the manifold to muffel the ~3000 pst mechanical pump noise was found out of place. Also check the stainless cover on the exhaust manifold.

On other hand, sound does travel.

No not normal. I’m not trying to turn this around on you (sincerely) but how did you not hear that before ou bought it. I always doa thorough walk around, and check the engine while running. Did it present after delivery?

I'll pick up a stethoscope and hunt around if the dealer can't sort it.

I bought it remotely from a forum trusted dealer. I did not hear it run until it was being backed off the enclosed carrier and I noticed it immediately. At that point it's mine like it or not. I sincerely thought it was an exhaust leak I only realized later something more serious could be going on. Even if I had I can't tell the truck driver to take it back, I owned it. So what's done is done.

I get it. Sorry to hear that. It takes some of the luster of the new car delivery, but take to your local dealer and they should get it sorted out. You'll have it back in hand before the Spring flowers start popping.

Any dealer is “required” to fix it on warranty but put that in quotes as they don’t get much from GM for diagnosing the problem! So I agree if you can find the location and can point it out then they get paid for the effort to fix

Keep is posted

For sure. Truth is no one even knows the problem but there are likely suspects ranging from minor to major. On top of that no one including the selling dealer, the local guys or gm corporate is even aware or had the chance to address whatever it happens to be. I'll take it one step at a time.

Thats why I would never buy a car remotely like that.

The dealer who sent you this car must have heard that ticking when they shipped it to you. Hold them accountable - and if they don't make it right, let us know what dealer sent you the car with an obvious engine tick. Hopefully it's something minor but that sounds bad to me.

Sorry to hear of your issue, let's hope resolution is minor as opposed to major. My experiences over the years have taught me it's best to never buy a car sight-unseen or in this case unheard. Surprised the selling dealer didn't hear this defect, if in fact they didn't.

Sorry to hear bout this issue. Any LT1 owner will tell you that is not normal. I have an M7 with 19K miles, and mine doesn't idle like that.

Just thinking out loud... I assume you are still on first tank of gas tank. But even if the dealer put low octane complimentary fill up in there, knocking would affect all cylinders equally, and the sound is definitely near the rear two passenger side cylinders. Anyway, the knock sensor would have triggered a timing change, so that can't be it.

Good luck, we'll all curious what you find out.

It is hard to understand how the selling dealer missed that.
Good luck OP. Hope it turns out to be minor & you get to enjoy that new ride soon.

Jesus Christ!

WOW - yeah - that's no DI tick... Sorry about your delivery issue - but interested to hear where this goes. I know the selling dealer isn't on the hook for anything cause like you said it was yours... but - have you at least contacted them to let them know / weigh in on things?

This does not help the OP but may help others.

This is why I tell my fellow members do not pay for the car or sign the paperwork until AFTER fully inspecting the car. When I factory ordered mine from a forum dealer the car shipped from the Bowling Green factory to my local Chevrolet dealer. After they and I did a three plus hour inspection did I overnight the signed paperwork and wire them the money.

I informed the sales rep I purchased from and was told that no problem was noticed during prep. He asked that I keep him informed of what develops. I haven't asked for anything and nothing has been offered. Just have to wait and see how things develop I'm not assuming anything good or bad at this point.

Update
 

Assuming the dealer has now looked into the car’s issues, what new info is there to be gleaned from this tick issue?!

My late MY 2018 has always had a tick like that, especially when the engine is cold. Always assumed it was the fuel injection because that was the way my 2011 Mustang V6 sounded. Hasn't changed at all over the past year and miles.

What I would like to ask is whether in your opinion, the tick in the videos is more accentuated or prominent than when you are hearing it in real life? The reason I ask, is because if in real life it is not as loud as in the video, then it is probably normal. Unless I too have an issue:willy:

It's pretty loud when cold you don't even have to try to hear it. It sounds like a large exhaust leak when driving and you can hear it inside the car with the radio at a normal volume and the AC on. It was loud enough to me I took it in. It is a loud sharp metallic ticking. Think if you had a hammer and we're tapping it on a metal surface. It's sharp and loud.

Verdict is a bad lifter on the passenger side. All lifters are being replaced on the passenger bank. The warranty is covering the work of course. Should have the car back by Friday I'll check in whether it resolves the issue or not. Servicing dealer was very forthright and helpful in getting it handled no questions asked.

^^^^ Read above ^^^^:rolleyes:

Servicing dealer
 

Is the servicing dealer also the Courtesy Delivery dealer?

That diagnoses makes sense to me. Glad to hear they’ve identified it and are addressing it. Keep us posted.

Sure thing Dad

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.cor...7d81d92ae1.gif

Hopefully the dealer will fix the problem for you and you can enjoy the car.

Excellent, glad to hear that they got it diagnosed and it's early. Sounded lifter-ish to me initially too (albeit nowhere near as loud as the other dude). :thumbs:

This is the same sound but louder that mine makes, louder in drive than reverse, and it buggggs the hell out of me. It hasn't gotten worse for me, bought with 8k and now have 13k on it, so I just try to ignore it. Still buggggs me. lol Glad you got your noise fixed though.

Awesome, glad they got it figured out.

Curious if they mentioned which one, was it the #7 like mine?

Picked it up this morning. They did an "extreme road test" to attempt to dislodge any debris that could be causing the problem per some technical order. That didn't work so they replaced all lifters. Techs reported no obvious damage or failure so they can't tell me what lifter it was. The low miles worked in my favor there I suppose.

I looked it over well enough to be on my way I'll check it over more thoroughly tomorrow when I have time for it to make sure nothing small got missed. What I can say is the noise is eliminated for sure no more tapping just the low whirring sort of noise you get with the direct injection that I would expect. I can take a video to compare if people think it'd be useful data to have a before/after.

I'm very pleased with the service I received. It took them one day to diagnose and repair it. It was ready yesterday afternoon, I dropped it off the morning before. As far as GM corporate goes I've got some concerns I'd like addressed with them so I'll be contacting customer service but the servicing dealer was top notch in my book. They took very good care of me.

Dealerships involved
 

Selling, Courtesy Delivery, and Servicing dealers?

As I said before there was no courtesy dealer. The circumstances of delivery are in the thread feel free to read it.

I am happy with the service of the selling dealer. The business end of things was handled well and they were in the loop on the status of the repair. I give them the benefit of the doubt on it. Even though it only had 50 miles on it when I took it in 90% of that was me driving and it is reasonable to believe that the noise got worse in my possession. It may have been undetectable to the average person when it went on the truck at their end or could have easily been written off as the high end of normal. I don't know, I wasn't there. There were no obvious in your face warnings or damage for the average person to notice. It's not like they sold me a car with a service warning or no oil in the sump or a misfire or whatever. Maybe I'm too easy going with it I dunno. In my line of work I am constantly inspecting and evaluating all types of mechanical equipment so I am also particularly sensitive to noise, sound, smell, etc. when it comes to these things.

My advice is the same as what others have said. Pick your cars up in person a defect could exist on any car from the factory regardless of who the dealer is. Otherwise I wouldn't modify my process. I'd buy another from the same place without a problem. I'd just go see it first. I won't be mentioning them by name as I'm not upset with them and internet forums have a tendency to overreact, no offense. The advice is if you are buying remotely, inspect personally.

Servicing dealer was Love Chevy in Columbia, SC. They handled the problem very well and they were very apologetic for the issue I was having so soon in my ownership. Didn't care I didn't buy from them, didn't rake me over the coals attempting to assign blame for the problem, just said yep I hear it too we'll check it out and a couple hours later they were in it replacing and repairing no questions asked.

In both cases I have a single experience to draw upon from both the selling and servicing dealer it ultimately means nothing in the big picture. Although I am happy the car is fixed and can now focus on enjoying it.

Thanks for the help and commentary all.

Hey if you get the chance post a vid of the fixed engine running, I'd like to hear it.

You gotta “Love” Love!
 

AND thank YOU for your timely, concise, and succinct explanations and progress reports. Some of the best I have ever read on CF for a start to finish denouement!

You were accurate in correcting me...... as I was cross-thinking of another similar CF thread that involved a Courtesy Delivery.

Now you can begin to enjoy your new purchase!!!

Hopefully no more shop time during your ownership.

You gotta “love” Love!

For the sake of comparison I'll put two of the original videos here along with two similar ones post-repair. As you can tell from the videos the tick has been eliminated and all you can hear is the normal "sewing machine" type of noise you'd expect from the DI top end.

As a side note does anyone know whether the lower little legs on the engine cover pieces are meant to rest on top of the coil covers or tuck under them? Seem to be two little spots for them to hook under but I don't remember how they go back on and they were installed resting on top when I got it.

Before:

After:

I hope someone can benefit from this thread in the future. I'll document whatever else happens that is relevant. Thanks.

Seems awful odd to me that a recommendation is to hit a car hard that may potentially have a bad lifter. Seems like a good way to cause catastrophic damage just to knock some debris out.

They should stickie this post so when people wonder if their engine has the bad tick or the normal tick, they can listen to these vids.

[QUOTE=spinkick;1598877340]Seems awful odd to me that a recommendation is to hit a car hard that may potentially have a bad lifter. Seems like a good way to cause catastrophic damage just to knock some debris out.[/QUOTE

I have to agree. ]

Glad it all worked out for you bud! Sounds like a solid dealer. I could see them trying to free the sticky lifter, but yeah I would have demanded them replace the side anyway. Sounds perfect now!

PHEW... :thumbs: