Cottonwood Auto Repair

You park, the car settles into a steady idle, and then you notice it. A light, rhythmic ticking from under the hood that you do not remember hearing before. The engine still runs, there are no warning lights, and the temptation is to shrug it off. That small sound, though, can be your first chance to catch wear, low oil, or a failing part before it turns into real damage. Why Engines Tick at Idle in the First Place Engines have a lot of moving parts that all need clearance and lubrication. Lifters, rocker arms, injectors, and even the fuel system can create light ticking sounds as they operate. At idle, there is less exhaust and road noise to cover them up, so you may suddenly become aware of noises that were always there. Some ticking is completely normal, especially on modern engines that use direct fuel injection or certain valvetrain designs. The key is to tell the difference between a normal, steady sound and a new or changing tick that points to a problem. Th ... read more