Lifter Tick or Exhaust Leak?

NYC-TJU

NYC-TJU

TJ Enthusiast
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Joined
Oct 23, 2020
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105
Location
Charlotte, NC
Hi all,
So I've been searching the forums for an idea but haven't seem to have found my scenario yet which is as follows:
(1999, 4.0, 225K+ miles)

When i start the jeep when cold, until it gets to temp there's a tick that seems to be relative to RPMs. So, constant tick-tick-tick speed while idling, faster when you push on the gas. The tick goes away completely after a few minutes and doesn't come back at all until the next cold start - say the following day. What i mean is I can go drive to autozone and spend 30 mins inside, come out and start and no tick-tick-tick.

My first thought was an exhaust manifold leak/crack seeing as how that seems to be so common. I've inspected it as best I can given the tight space and can't seem to see any type of crack, and note that the PO at some point has already put on an aftermarket one with the accordion style pipes. No idea if that was 2 years ago or 10 though.

I have a new exhaust manifold ordered and waiting, but the more i look into things the more i see that these 4.0s sometimes get lifters clicking. If that's the case, I'd rather spare my sanity in trying to get off my exhaust manifold in the streets of nyc, as that paired with the NE salt is enough to drive ya nuts.

Question is - is there a surefire way to distinguish one from the other (without being able to see any cracks)? The fact that it only ticks when cold and goes away when warm makes me think hairline crack in the exhaust manifold, but wanted to get more opinions.

Thanks!
 
I have a 99 with the four cylinder and have the same thing. I am sure it's the lifters on mine as I hear it from the oposite side of the manifold.
 
TX99517 said:
I have a 99 with the four cylinder and have the same thing. I am sure it's the lifters on mine as I hear it from the oposite side of the manifold.
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I thought if it was lifters that we'd hear it more frequently, not just when cold? I can't seem to find a solid answer on this.
 
NYCTJ said:
Hi all,
So I've been searching the forums for an idea but haven't seem to have found my scenario yet which is as follows:
(1999, 4.0, 225K+ miles)

When i start the jeep when cold, until it gets to temp there's a tick that seems to be relative to RPMs. So, constant tick-tick-tick speed while idling, faster when you push on the gas. The tick goes away completely after a few minutes and doesn't come back at all until the next cold start - say the following day. What i mean is I can go drive to autozone and spend 30 mins inside, come out and start and no tick-tick-tick.

My first thought was an exhaust manifold leak/crack seeing as how that seems to be so common. I've inspected it as best I can given the tight space and can't seem to see any type of crack, and note that the PO at some point has already put on an aftermarket one with the accordion style pipes. No idea if that was 2 years ago or 10 though.

I have a new exhaust manifold ordered and waiting, but the more i look into things the more i see that these 4.0s sometimes get lifters clicking. If that's the case, I'd rather spare my sanity in trying to get off my exhaust manifold in the streets of nyc, as that paired with the NE salt is enough to drive ya nuts.

Question is - is there a surefire way to distinguish one from the other (without being able to see any cracks)? The fact that it only ticks when cold and goes away when warm makes me think hairline crack in the exhaust manifold, but wanted to get more opinions.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
What oil are you using? My 4.0 (97 and 229k or so miles) ticks slightly on cold starts then quiets down. There is a small exhaust leak when I floor it, but that has a different sound and only when not fully warmed up. I do have a bad valve spring on cylinder one and I can hear the valve sing every now and then depending on the temps. Depending on the oil and how the lifters are, you can always run some Mystery oil or engine flush before an oil change and put some good oil in and see how she sounds.
 
The tick on cold startup is pretty normal on the 4.0 and there are numerous threads about it. Mines been doing it for years. It could be this or it could be that. Just keep an eye out for signs of other issues with a cracked or leaking exhaust manifold, or drive yourself crazy trying to find the right motor or snake oil to cure it.
 
WDE said:
The tick on cold startup is pretty normal on the 4.0 and there are numerous threads about it. Mines been doing it for years. It could be this or it could be that. Just keep an eye out for signs of other issues with a cracked or leaking exhaust manifold, or drive yourself crazy trying to find the right motor or snake oil to cure it.
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Yeah the different snake oils are tempting but not too eager to start pouring random things inside her at this many miles.
 
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NYCTJ said:
Yeah the different snake oils are tempting but not too eager to start pouring random things inside her at this many miles.
Click to expand...
I have used marvel mystery oil on several motors, air-cooled and water cooled. For the oil change it shouldn't affect it much and will give you an idea of how the lifters are. As said before, ticks are normal with these 4.0s and it is something we learn to live with. Unless you are willing to change out your valve train and go roller lifter etc.
 
Ephry73 said:
I have used marvel mystery oil on several motors, air-cooled and water cooled. For the oil change it shouldn't affect it much and will give you an idea of how the lifters are. As said before, ticks are normal with these 4.0s and it is something we learn to live with. Unless you are willing to change out your valve train and go roller lifter etc.
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Ha well definitely not trying to do that at the moment. Maybe I'll give the marvel mystery a shot this weekend. Procedure is top up the oil with the MMO, drive for a bit (50 miles?) then change the oil like normal?
 
Took a video tonight to catch the sound when cold. Ignore the smoke - been spraying penetrating oil in preparation for exhaust manifold swap. Does this sound like leaky exhaust or sticky lifter?
 
I have the exact same scenario on my '98. I know for certain it isn't the exhaust since I have an all new exhaust system, from the manifold gasket to the very end of the tail pipe.

I sometimes can hear it right at startup, and sometimes it takes a minute or two, and the ambient temperature doesn't matter. Winter or summer, I have it. Also, once at operating temp, I no longer hear it. Eventually I will pull the head and have someone rebuild the top end.
 
glowell222 said:
I have the exact same scenario on my '98. I know for certain it isn't the exhaust since I have an all new exhaust system, from the manifold gasket to the very end of the tail pipe.

I sometimes can hear it right at startup, and sometimes it takes a minute or two, and the ambient temperature doesn't matter. Winter or summer, I have it. Also, once at operating temp, I no longer hear it. Eventually I will pull the head and have someone rebuild the top end.
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Exactly! Once warm I never hear it again. The more I look into it the more I think lifters
 
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I had the exact same thing on my 06 4.0. I lived with it for a couple of years until one time when I touched the OPDA when it was ticking and noticed something hitting inside the housing in sync with the tick. I changed the OPDA and the tick was gone for good. Now I only hear a much slighter tick upon strartup that I can identify as lifter tick as it goes away after a min or so. Upon inspecting the OPDA I found some wear where the shaft meets the oil pump and hit marks from the wheel touching the sensor. Luckily There was no observable wear on the camshaft.
 
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Ephry73 said:
No an exhaust leak. If the MMO doesn't entize you, use your prefered oil flush. Run it as per manufacturer's guidelines and change your oil to a good quality regular motor oil. I even add extra zinc just because I'm weird like that.
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I'll give the MMO a whirl this weekend and put in a good 10-30 and see what happens
 
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H_Nunez said:
I had the exact same thing on my 06 4.0. I lived with it for a couple of years until one time when I touched the OPDA when it was ticking and noticed something hitting inside the housing in sync with the tick. I changed the OPDA and the tick was gone for good. Now I only hear a much slighter tick upon strartup that I can identify as lifter tick as it goes away after a min or so. Upon inspecting the OPDA I found some wear where the shaft meets the oil pump and hit marks from the wheel touching the sensor. Luckily There was no observable wear on the camshaft.
Click to expand...
Interesting. I'll look into it but I thought the big opda issues were in the later model TJs (like yours). Mine is a 99 so I think(?) I avoided the problem units..? I'll still check it out this weekend though - doesn't hurt!
 
Just an update in case someone goes down a similar path: I ran MMO for about 30 miles and then did a fresh oil change to see if that would help the tick at startup/warmup - no luck. I know they say to run MMO for longer, but my old girl has 225K on the clock and I don't want it to be TOO clean inside - some of that gunk is probably keeping it sealed at this point! So really it's just an annoying tick for the first 3 mins when cold starting, and something I'll just ignore until she goes completely and I put a new crate motor in. Seems to be a pretty common thing from all the forums I've read, and one most jeepers just put up with.
 
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