Ticking Noise

[Stewie316]

So for the past six months i've been sitting on this ticking noise which is kinda hard to explain. I've been trying to slowly troubleshoot to see where exactly it's coming from. At first i figured it was a wheel bearing but was told it was of course too new.

This distinct ticking noise doesn't occur on start up or revving in parked. But as soon as i go forward or backwards the ticking noise kicks in. Slow or fast. if i'm going fast and i press the clutch to bring the car in neutral i can still hear it. It just doesn't seem right that i should hear this at 70mph ticking all the way up north and back.

I've taken it to Ford to ask them about it popping out of reverse and grinding loudly but of course they couldn't duplicate the problem. The clutch clunks when slowing down and changing gears at times.

I'm just hoping i'm not going to have a serious problem later on if it decides to get worse.

Any idea's?

[JoeyG]

I don't think 2010 is too new for a problem like this to occur as it could have been a single event (incident) that made it start ticking.

It would be hard to pinpoint, and obviously if you take a problem to Ford they can never replicate it. Ironic.

Have you checked the inside of your alloys to see if there is anything there? I'm guessing since you put the car in neutral and kept on rolling and it was still ticking, it will be something to do with the physical movements of the alloys, tyres or roll bars.

I wouldent worry too much about it, but I would take it to an independent garage as Ford are useless.

[alexp999]

So for the past six months i've been sitting on this ticking noise which is kinda hard to explain. I've been trying to slowly troubleshoot to see where exactly it's coming from. At first i figured it was a wheel bearing but was told it was of course too new.

This distinct ticking noise doesn't occur on start up or revving in parked. But as soon as i go forward or backwards the ticking noise kicks in. Slow or fast. if i'm going fast and i press the clutch to bring the car in neutral i can still hear it. It just doesn't seem right that i should hear this at 70mph ticking all the way up north and back.

I've taken it to Ford to ask them about it popping out of reverse and grinding loudly but of course they couldn't duplicate the problem. The clutch clunks when slowing down and changing gears at times.

I'm just hoping i'm not going to have a serious problem later on if it decides to get worse.

Any idea's?

Does the ticking noise change with speed, or is it consistent?

Also about reverse gear. I spoke to my local independent Ford dealer about it and it is a known design quirk with the Fiesta's gearbox. His tip (which has sorted it for me), is to hold the clutch down for a few seconds before engaging the gear. If you feel resistance, then put it back to neutral, briefly lift the clutch then try again and it should slip in perfectly.

You can really feel the difference once you are used to it, of knowing that it is properly in reverse gear or not.

[Stoney871]

Another trick is to pump the clutch a couple of times and reverse will slot in better.

[MikePaine]

Check for stones or stuff in the tyres, classic mistake to make thinking theres a problem when it could be as simple as that.

Any more info would be useful, consistancy of ticking, does it stay the same rate and volume etc?

[Stewie316]

I can just slightly hear it at 30mph but i can hear it at 70mph pretty good. I'll take my camera with me and see if maybe i can capture it. I don't see any degrade in performance which is why i thought maybe it's a misalignment or something. But when i stuck it in reverse on a hill you can hear the same distinct tick outside the car and this is prob reversing at 2-4 mph.

I just need to find exactly where it's coming from. I'll update it a few.

[alexp999]

Is the tick changing in timing/speed though?

Or is it consistent, regardless of revs or road speed?

Is it a constant, tick, tick, tick. Or is it every now and then?

[Stewie316]

So i went out and tried to record it to see if maybe it would shed some light but my camera seems to pick up road noise more. Three times i pressed the clutch and the noise was a little quieter at 60 mph. When i pressed on the gas again it only got slightly louder. It doesn't get louder with RPM's but you can sure hear it at low rpm. It's not a super loud thing when there was very little wind one day i sat with the window open and could hear it from the outside. I tried today way too much wind.

I checked feeling behind the brakes or around the wheel and didn't feel anything out of place i also had a tyre rotated 2 months ago to see if it would go away. The only thing i have changed on it is the regular paper air filter to K&N air filter. When i opened the bonnet and had someone else reverse it slightly (Live on a hill) it sounded like it was coming from either under the engine or near the belt area.

But considering my lack of skills in car troubleshooting it might be worth having a checkup at a local garage.

[MikePaine]

Devons a long way off otherwise i'd pop round and check it out haha

Doesnt sound like anything worrying. But generally its not supposed to make that noise so it needs attention.

I cant even imagine what sort of noise it is,

Just to clarify, the noise stays at a constant beat or is it relative to engine or vehicle speed?

[Stewie316]

Seems to slowly tick faster and get louder with speed. I could never hear it at slow speeds months ago. It just seems now i can hear it at 30mph faintly but louder at 60-70 mph. Of course i have to fade out the rev noise and road noise first. I notice it more at low rpm but that could just be that the engine noise is more quiet.

The only things i can think of doing is.

1.. Have the belt checked incase maybe it's slipping but i'd expect a squeel noise.

2. Have the tires aligned and balanced again.

3. Send it to an independent mechanic.

Tomorrow i'll try a different camera and see if i can catch it.

[Stoney871]

Have you checked your tyres for nails and such like?

[Stewie316]

Yep i've had two bulged tyres and one with a nail all changed. When i first got the car i clipped a curb and had bent the steering rack or joint and had this replaced. White van bullied into my lane freaked and moved slightly and hit the curb. No other damage and alloy was fine as well.

[Magenta]

If you can hear it from outside with the window down and it changes with the cars speed then it must be something to do with the a wheel or tyre. You could try jacking each wheel up in turn and spinning it to see if it is a bearing.

[MikePaine]

Or maybe something broken or out of place in the drums, rust build up on the outside lip of the drums and also discs can sometimes cause an annoying noise, as magenta suggests, your only way of telling is to jack it up and free wheel them all, if you do, just be careful