Loud tapping from motor

[AenjukuCar]

Motor: 1998 SR20DET Blacktop (not KA)


Ok i've had this loud tapping from my motor for a while, well first off i thought that it might be the timing chain tensioner. So just today my brand new one from enjuku came to my door, put it in started it up and let it warm up and well at first it seemed fine, but then once i took it on a little test run, and came to a stop it was tapping again. Secondly I thought about well could it be the upper most timing chain guard, i heard of the stock KA motors needing to get ride of them under a recall, but then i thought this is an SR20DET not KA. This loud tapping only happens when the car is at low rpms and does not happen under throttle or deaccleration, it's only when your sitting or waiting for a light to change that you here this very loud tapping sound. I just pulled the valve cover off just to check to make sure everything looked normal and make sure there was nothing broken, everything looks good. I'll post pictures with the valve cover off and show you everything. If someone could host a video for me, i could do a short clip of how loud it is and show how when you get on the throttle it goes away. So if anyone might have a suggestion to what it might be, post it.
Thanks,
Cody

[sr240mike]

Did you take off the guard and look at it?

[cali240sxdrifter]

I get a similar tapping noise when it gets to extacly 2800 and it stops at extacly 3200 RPMs. Mine doesn't tap when idling, so it may not be the same problem or it might be.

Sorry for hijacking your thread =)

[AenjukuCar]

Did you take off the guard and look at it?


No i didnt take that off, i should have but i needed to put everything back together so i could go somewhere. I'll take it off tomorrow once i get some more daylight.

[ledzeppelin240]

Well most likely the tapping is your hydralic lifters. There could be low oil pressure which is causing the tapping at idle but not when accelerated. What grade of oil are you using, how often do you change your oil?

[AenjukuCar]

I'm using Redline synthetic oil since i bought the car off of scott down in Lynchburg,VA. That's what he used too. i'm usually running a 10w-30 weight oil. I change my oil almost every 3thousand miles sometimes a little less sometimes a little more and always with a K&N oil filter. If it is the lifters? how much are they going to be to replace? I might as well just re-do the entire head then.

[AenjukuCar]

You really cant tell anything: Everything looked normal

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/617000-617999/617749_80_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/617000-617999/617749_82_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/617000-617999/617749_83_full.jpg

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/5/web/617000-617999/617749_84_full.jpg

[WERDdabuilder]

i had a tapping noise also. changed the oil and its gone.

[SochBAT]

is it a ticking? or a tapping? if its a definite tick, it might be your injectors. I've learned a cool way of figuring out which injector might be messed up. Find a long screwdriver, and stick the head onto the injector itself. Stick your other ear to the handle and listen. If your injectors are messed up, you'll hear more of a deeper tick. Happened to me, and i found out that my injector covers were broken, so it was flooding my engine. If its a tapping/spurting noise, it might be your lifters. My "buddy" was an idiot, and didn't have the right oil in his car, so his lifters ended up fucking over. Hope you get a prompt solution.

[AenjukuCar]

the injectors could be the problem. I'm always backfiring alot. compared to my two buddies with 240's with sr's in them. but it's pretty loud sometimes, it seems like the tensioner helped some, but i still have the noise, it rocks!

[Var]

i get lifter tapping when my car is cold. then it goes away. might be your oil pressure

[zenkiticks]

my S15 SR ticks all the the time....has for a year now. only thing i can figure is the lifters. 5w-30, 10w-30, 20-w50 whatever...hasn;t changed a bit since i've had the car.

[AenjukuCar]

well i'm going outside right now to do that screw driver thing, so i'll let you know, yeah i think it's either the injectors or lifters, hoping it's injectors, i have an appointment next week on wednesday to give me a definite answer at Dynamic motorsports, in dillsburg, Pa

Yeah i think that it's the third injector it's making a different noise than the rest of them. I guess it's time for 550cc or 555cc injectors and a Z32maf sensor! But i'm still having it checked out next week, to make sure.

[sr240mike]

Did you take off the upper chain guide and look at it???

[AenjukuCar]

no i didnt take off the upper chain guard, i talked to my dad about the injector theory and he said that it wouldnt be the injectors from the sound that i have. I will take off the valve cover tomorrow since i have more time. I will inspect it more closely. It's really weird cause it doesnt do it all the time, sometimes it's really loud, and sometimes you can barely hear it. Another one of my friends said about the valve lash and too check it?

certainly doesnt affect performance, i just took down a gst with a gt35r turbo tonite on the highway, beat it from a second gear roll and a third gear roll!! :coold:

[Rezlo]

Take the upper chain gaurd off, you dont need it, thats is the noise, here in the land of MANY stock SR20det's its a common problem, its a semi (if it does it remove it) recall at all dealers on all SR20's NA and FI.

Mine was doing the identical thing, poped the gaurd off and its silent again,

One thing i did notice is that you got a little metal plate between your first 2 exhaust lobes to stop the oil splashing up on the hole for the Crank ventilation hose to the turbo, Ehhh mine is missing :(

[SochBAT]

does your engine get flooded at times? You could also pull out the injectors and inspect them one by one, but IMHO, upgrading is nice also. when i thought it was my lifters, i just poured some oil on them, ran it as is for 2 days, and the noise went away. Good luck!

[AenjukuCar]

The engine does not flood. I have not had any experience with this motor flooding. so far...knock on wood!

[ledzeppelin240]

You have hydralic lifters so you can not adjust the valve lash, engines with hydralic lifters are very sensitive to the weight of oil. Most of the time it is 5w-30 that is used, running a heavier weight oil has been known to screw the lifters up...