!998 Engine Noise

[VanDave]

Hi all...first time poster here.

It bugs me that I'm asking a question of the experts here without contributing something first.
I've spent a couple hours googling etc

But anyways,I recently bought a 1998 Corolla VE with 79,000 km (50k miles) that had been sitting in my underground parking (nice and dry) for 3 years.
Car stats:
3 speed auto
No A/C
Power steering

I paid $1000- gave 'er a new battery,pumped up 2 tires and lucked out-the gas tank was almost empty.
Started instantly,and I filled it up with premium at the station 100 yards from home and added injector cleaner to help dissolve any gunk.
The trans had been given a whole flush a month before it was parked.
Did some maintenance and she runs fine...have put on 2000km (1300 miles) and hasn't burned a drop of oil.

Thing is,there is a minor rattle/tick coming from the engine-and it's sort of intermittent:
-When it's cold-nothing.
-At idle,only does it in gear (rpm drop)or when in park if I turn the wheel (p.steering) in N or P to load the engine (a load).So it's not the tranny.

-Sometimes when I get home from work (5 minute drive) it's quiet-yet other times it's doing it...with temp gage always on the same spot.

-It seems to go away when speeding up from lights,if on the brakes and step on the gas it seems to go away.

-Listening carefully,it's not coming from the driver's side..and doesn't seem to be coming from the rear-used to be a car broker,and many times I've fixed engine rattles by giving the heat shields a good hammer hit..it doesn't seem to be this.

-Seems to be coming from the accessory drive side or maybe the top.

-Not the injectors ticking away

It seems to me if it was continuous I could look at the alternator,ps pump, or maybe the water pump.

Could it be the cam chain tensioner?
Or maybe even the belt tensioner?


I've considered removing the belt and starting it up for a few seconds...but that involves hot engine work and with my luck it's gonna be the time it's quiet.

The engine does seem a bit growly (used to belted cams) but I'm assuming that's to do with the chain drive.

Thank you kindly in advance for any ideas,hints,ridicule,praise,and/or assistance anyone can give.

ps I changed the oil using 10w30..then I just read here to use 5w30..does it matter much?

Regards

Dave

[Sonix]

Probably won't help, but try turning on the headlights and see if it goes away. My rolla makes a clicking noise and it's daytime running lights(relay) making the sound. Worth a shot anyway.

[GaryGoatse]

Will it do it when you leave it idling? My car was making a buzzing sound only at a certain throttle opening or a certain load and then when i opened the hood i would find nothing. When i had a friend look under the hood it wouldn't make the noise. Don't over think your problem with the conditions it happens in. Turns out my head lamp rattles when the RPM is around 800rpm lol. Check for something that would be rattling and grab at stuff and give it a good wiggle. It wouldn't be too hard to take off your timing belt and give it a try. Also, how does the belt look? Can you hear the noise coming from near the tensioner area with the car running? I know that on a lot of cars i find the tensioner is making a weird sound intermittently on some cars and on other cars all the time.

Get the car to make the noise then poke around the engine bay looking for something and grabbing things and listening for it to go away. If you're lucky, it's just your head lamp, or a screw in your air ducts XD(happened to a friend)

[VanDave]

Hey guys thanks for the replies...I've been out of town till last nite.

I had mentioned the engine itself did seem "growly", so an hour ago I got 'er warmed up,stuck in new 5w30 and is still knocky.

Took off the serp and engine is as quiet as a Rolls..just the injectors merrily ticking away.

Zero play or slop in all the accessories,but when I rotate the ps pump pulley back and forth...it makes the exact knock yet has zero play..then the light switched on about the growly engine.

I thought it was the cam chain,turns out it's the ps pump.

I'm guessing the impeller is loose on the shaft,but have a new one ordered for monday.

Thanks again....