Tick tick when I start it

[Fornesto]

Probably a dumb rookie question... What is that tick, tick, tick, tick,loud sound when I turn the key forward, before I engage it to start?

Any help would be great?

[Gawdzilla.]

that's the timer on your engine self destruct. smile.gif

electric fuel pumps will do that- but you would know if you put one on. They aren't stock.

tape deck?
a/c fan?
look for anything that comes on w/power, 'cause that's what you're doing before you hit start.

[Fornesto]

I just bought it a week ago. It might have an electric fuel pump, should check it out. The sound is from under the hood for sure.

[Gawdzilla.]

should be easy- turn the key to on then go poke your head under the hood and see where it's coming from.

[Jlamb]

Usually a tick tick is valve noise. Could try a MotorVac. This will De-Carbon your engine, including your valves. Or the oil is just draining into the oil pan from the top end of the engine. The valves now don't have oil so they are making noise untill oil pressure builds.

[Fornesto]

The noise starts when the key is in the accessory position, so I can't listen to the radio without the tick, tick, tick..

[DjD]

It's the other 10 keys on your long key chain clicking together... oh, under the hood.

I would think an electric fuel pump wouldn't be mounted under the hood.

[mtn goat]

hummmm, thats odd. there are lots of relays that make ticking sounds but should not be a constant tick tick tick...does it continually do it if left in acc position or will it stop after a while?... try to isolate where the noise is comming from, you may have a hot wire shorting to ground that you can hear.

[Gawdzilla.]

Originally posted by Fornesto:
The noise starts when the key is in the accessory position, so I can't listen to the radio without the tick, tick, tick..that's what I meant. IS it the radio? Or one of those little ac fans that come on when you put they key on?
turn the key to acc and then pull fuses 1 at a time to see what circuit it's on.

[Fornesto]

It is not the radio, for sure. There is an aftermarket Pioneer set up that just barely started working. Last night, I crawled underneath the rig and the sound is not from under the hood, but its kind of echoey under there. I'll try to isolate it. It is a constant tick, (about 3 ticks per second)and loud. It stops when the engine turns over. Would a fuel pump come on at accessory mode?

[Gawdzilla.]

depends on how it was wired. Since it wasn't a factory option - the PO would be responsible for choosing when it came on.
go back and do the fuse thing to figure out what circuit it's on. That will give you a better starting point.

[kenny1221]

Check your heater fan, sometimes a bad switch will let it run slow and if it's got leaves or paper in the heater box you can hear a ticking sound.

[hippymill]

sounds like electric fuel pump. probably mounted on the inside of the drivers side frame rail, just in front of the tank.

[Fornesto]

It was my elect fuel pump. The PO wired it into the radio slot, so I threw in a top secret, James Bond, Mission Impossible, style toggle switch, so I can tailgate with the radio on without the tick tick tick of the fuel pump. Also, a mild theft deterrant. Knowing the average dumb car theif, he won't figure out why the Chero ran out of gas at the end of the block = Ghetto Alarm. Hee, hee, hee

[hippymill]

mine is wired into the wipers right now, so i hve the same prob. never thought to put a inline switch in to cut off the fuel pump. good idea.

[81wag phil]

thats what the po did with mine
but the pump is wired to the cruz control slot' the electric pump was installed to crrect for vapor lock and to help out the manual pump when switching from one tank to the next