engine ticking...help

[steinbachphoto]

is this normal? i popped the hood after driving around all day(so engine is pretty warm, it was just under the middle on my thermo) and i could hear a constant ticking , then there is also a little squeal as well(i think its a loose belt somewhere, but im not sure)

does anyone know if these 2 noises are bad? and if so how to fix them?

im not too familar working under the hood so the more help the better!

[eyagel]

check for arcing around the plug wires, and make sure that you do this when the car is on, but dont touch anything till the car is off. make sure the wired are pushed onto the plugs good and tight.

[steinbachphoto]

alright, where would i look to find those? im really new with this stuff(my first car) and i don't have a Bently yet so i don't know where everything is under the hood

[eyagel]

look at the plug wires and kinda look where you hear it..could have a split in one of your wires or a connector could have came off.

[steinbachphoto]

okay so actually i think its just the valves that i hear, but should i be able to hear them like that?

[jlevie]

If the valves are correctly adjusted you should barely be able to hear the click on a hot engine. However, if the valve guides are worn they will be louder.

[eyagel]

probably not the valves, yes they are sometimes loud but if the noise just started happening it leads me to believe that it is something else...did you check around your wires?

[Garageaholic]

Maybe he just noticed it now. Valve ticking is very common and normal in E30's. If you must, use a feeler gauge to check for the proper clearances as depicted in your bentley manual.

The simplest explanation is probably the right one.

[redhatpat]

M20 fuel injectors will tick some.

[Groove_D]

Ticking noise is common on e30s.

[Farbin Kaiber]

I was also gonna say injectors.

[steinbachphoto]

probably not the valves, yes they are sometimes loud but if the noise just started happening it leads me to believe that it is something else...did you check around your wires?

ive always heard it but never really clued in that it could have been a problem, then today i had the hood popped and heard it and it was louder(just because the hood was open and i was actually trying to hear the noise)

thanks for all your help!

any advice on the squealing? i think its the belt on the fan.. is that an easy fix?

[blck325is]

My ticking is loud as heck, like when the car is idling it's like a crazy woodpecker almost. How to fix? Anyone?

[euroshark]

Get a nice long screw driver and see if you can isolate the noise... Try to determine if it's coming from under the valve cover OR if it is one or more noisy injectors. Just hold the tip of the screw driver on the injector body or valve cover, and put the handle on / in your ear.

[kenika65]

My injectors are louder then my valves both have a faint tick.

Sounds Beautiful to me:p 170,000