Infamous Ticking Noise

[Venom_5]

does anyone know what the click/tick noise my car makes is from?

this noise happens in a ton of cars ... usually after its been driven and i turn it off and get out of it - it sits and ticks in my driveway as it cools down

i dont think its a problem, i just want to know what causes it

[bigbird]

its the exhaust cooling down, that sound is the sound of very slow degridation of the exhaust flanges and connections. nothing to worry about though.

[tlong831]

thats your valves ticking.. valves are connected to springs which expand as they cool down and when they expand they make little pieces of metal come in contact with eachother, the part that you would adjust if you were to adjust your valves... not that you need to adjust them that is normal

atleast thats what i thought

[71Corolla]

It's caused by 2 or more components made up of different materials expanding and contracting while in contact with one another. My theory anyway.

[Blackhawk3D]

I always thought it was just the block contracting as it cooled and causing things to move around slightly.

[toyomoho]

As the various parts cool off they contract a little and bind on other parts, making noise. The exhaust system is usually the noisiest.

[Venom_5]

ok, sounds like what i suspected ... thnx

[Mike Gerber]

I agree with bigbird. It's the exhaust system cooling down and contracting a bit. Nothing to worry about.

Mike