ok saturday night at ronnie setzers one of you mechanical geniouses have to drive my car around and try to decifer what in the name of asshole is this nasty ticking i have under my hood. i think something is possibly loose under there. help me out!

 

When does it tick?? Always or just when your turning?

 

Also... how old is the car?

 

Not too familiar with VWs so Im not sure if you have hydrolic lifters or not. If you dont then you might be in need of a valve adjustment. If you do then you might have a/some sticky lifters. In that case you can usually try out a cleaner oil drive around for a bit change and use a better grade oil.

 

CV joint going bad?

Also all VWs come with hydraulic lifters.

 

If it was a CV joint it would be more of a clicking than a ticking. Guess it can be kind of hard to distinguish noises at times.
Take a 3/8 extension or a large screw driver and hold it up against the valve cover (while engine runs) put your ear to the other end and listen. If the clicking is coming from there then its valves.
If its the CV joint youll hear a clicking sound while turning and should check the boots to see if there are any tears in them.

 

it doesnt click/tick 100% of the time but when it does click/tick its when i give it some gas if i let off the gas it stops it sounds like theres something loose in the engine bay

 

Bill took the words out of my mouth. Sounds like a lifter. Obviously it is impossible to diagnose over the internet but I had a 89 Probe GT that had the 2.2L turbo Mazda engine in it and I had a ticking sound from the valve cover area which turned out to be a lifter. I just changed all of them because once one goes they ususally all go. Do you rev the engine pretty high or shift right at the rev. limit all the time ? If so this will toast hydraulic lifters quicker.

 

If it is clicking/ticking when you give it gas it is also possible that it could be detonation. check your timing and run some better gas. other than that and what was mentioned i dont know what else it could be unless i hear it.

-adam

 

Its the sound of a volskwagen crying...Why is a 15 degree 6 a V?