Shane9910

I have an automatic 2005. I hear a clicking noise only the first time I accelerate every time I drive. Even if I come to a stop and drive again it's not there. It sounds like it's coming from the engine and I have no idea what it is. It happens with a slow or fast acceleration. Any ideas at all? It's about 5 or 6 fast clicks. Thanks

Kris Hansen

If you accelerate quickly, do the clicks happen quickly, and conversely, if you accelerate slowly, do the clicks happen slowly?

Put another way, do the clicks seem to correspond with engine speed, or road speed?

Shane9910

Nope. Fast clicks always. And everything seems normal otherwise

Shane9910

And it's always only the first time I accelerate. Then gone until I turn the car off and on again. And only once I drive

Shane9910

I was just told cam chain or hydraulic pressures or something

John535is

Ok, what you are probably being told is these engines have a timing belt at the front and a cam chain at the back, both these need a tensioner to keep the belt and chain nice and tight. Some engines use a small hydraulic ram as a tensioner. I would explore some more options because if it is one of the tensioners, you need to know if it's the one at the front or the one on the chain at the back. The front one you can do yourself, the rear is a bit more specialised. The reason Kris asked if it changes with speed as usually if it is a tensioner it should change with different speeds and be audible every time the engine idles, not just on start up. Try using a stethoscope or just a long screwdriver. Have someone else turn the engine on and try to locate the source (front or rear), I would also be listening around the turbo, could be a sticky wastegate or a vacuum leak that's holding the gate. Hard to tell from cold but is it 'sluggish' when the ticking sound is audible?

Shane9910

Nope. Not sluggish at all. I was told it's not those problems. I just read from someone else to check the cv boots

Shane9910

Or the tensioner. I don't get how it could be the cv boots on only the first accelerate. And if I let if sit for like 3 or 4 min it won't click at all

Kris Hansen

If it was purely engine related, I'd expect it to happen when you first start it, then go away when you increased engine speed (or get worse) regardless of moving or not.