My Durango makes a ticking sound at the start when I start my Truck. It continues on for a while eventually goes away. Can someone tell me whats wrong with it?

175

Asked by Chris Mar 30, 2009 at 03:59 PM about the 2002 Dodge Durango

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I also just replaced a hub assembly on my driver side and now I need to put one the right side. I just replaced the hub assembly on the driver side a little over a year ago. I talked to my mechanic and he said that these trucks are hard on hubs. Does anyone know just how hard these trucks are on hubs? I own a 2002 Dodge Durango 4.7L 4x4.

31 Answers

275

I am actually going through the same thing right now. The ticking that is. Its the oil pump. It's not getting the oil to the top of the motor fast enough, that's why it eventually goes away. There's nothing really wrong with the pump (I just put a brand new one in and it does it.) Every mechanic and dealer I've talked to said the best thing to do would be to put synthetic oil in and an oil additive such as Lucas. I haven't tried it yet but its worth a shot. Hope that helped.

20 people found this helpful.
175

Hey Sara, Thanks for your advice. I will try the synthetic oil idea. I had been to dealer and they had told me something totally different. I will go out and buy some synthetic oil. But just to be clear, you said that buying a new oil pump wont stop the ticking sound, right?

9 people found this helpful.
90

mine just started doing that too the ticking was worrying me thanks ima try synthetic and lucas asap:D

4 people found this helpful.
650

could be a small leak in the exhaust manifold. I just traded for a 2005 with 4.7 liter that has the ticking. My 2001 had it also and manifold repair fixed it.

16 people found this helpful.
175

yeah, thats what i was told and what I replaced and all is good now. The truck still makes some noies but thats just from agw the mechanic told. Nothing to really worry about, just take care of the truck and make sure not to push it to hard. I can still haul things such as boats and trailers so all is good. Thanks for all the advice guys.

7 people found this helpful.

before you go synthetic try a thinner oil and stay away from additives. most additives can and will do more harm then good. if your oil is low, it can do that too. synthetic is a good oil with 2 drawbacks : 1, once you use it you can't go back to regular oil, and 2, it's not cheap. engine oil is actually 80% oil and 20% additives and cleaners.

4 people found this helpful.
65

i used to have the same problem and like the one lady said use lucas it works wonders or at least it did for me idk bout u but u can pick it up at any o'reilys or advanced auto parts or any mechanic type shops u just put it in ur gas tank and once it gets worked in it should stop ticking and it also helps improve fuel economy

4 people found this helpful.
40

what kind of motor oil did you use mark ? and did u add lucas to the iol also?

4 people found this helpful.
40

you may want to check on some of the forums. My wife has an 05 durangowith 84,000 miles. This perticular model and engine have a really small return coming back from the motor to the oil pan. If the oil hasen't been changed at or close to the recomended mileage and type of oil required this opening will begin to close off and not allow the oil to drain back, thus not oil circulation. I found this out the hard way with my wife's engine dropping a cylinder due to lack of lubrication. I have a friend that is a mechanic and he also had a Dodge Ram same year and engine. Thanks Dodge for a reliable motor, and owning up to the issues at hand. FYI on this model only a motor from the same year and vin lettering can be used for replacement due to electrical system. May be something that y'all can look into and head off before this happens to someone else.

4 people found this helpful.
150

I have a 2004 dodge durango that used to tick at first start up, but would stop after it got warm. I used sea-foam about 100 miles before a oil change, then put in another can in with the fresh oil. Change oil every 3000 miles for 2 oil changes, then switch to a good synthetic oil like castrol or mobil 1. The motor ticked at 105,000 miles, now at 113,000, no tick and the motor sounds, and drives like a new car. My problem was varnash and the beginning of sludge building up around and on my lifters. Pull your dipstick for the oil. If you see any discoloration on the stick, chances are you have varnish building up inside your motor. CLEAN OUT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!! Varnish leads to engine oil sludge. DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF ENGINE FLUSH!! Most engine flushes work too fast causing the oil pick-up to become clogged and causing more problems. Sea-foam did the trick for me and now my oil dipstick looks brand new, letting me know that the varnish has been removed. I also went from 13 mpg in the city to 16 mpg in the city. A CLEAN ENGINE PERFORMS BETTER!!!

15 people found this helpful.
945

Lifter(s) IF the noise goes away with warm up. Very small tolerances on the lifter specs and even a small glob of crap can cause delayed "pump-up" or complete failure. Low RPM's until pumped or you can do like I do. Run it hard until it pops then replace the heads. Edelbrock 61779 and then change the lifters to Hyd Roller type.

2 people found this helpful.
945

Have had no problems (knock knock) with my Hubs.... But the OEM Ball Joints are crap, then the MOOG replacements loosened up after about 250 mile. Replace the Upper Ball Joint Hardware with G8 and Nylocks ... No problems now

3 people found this helpful.
60

My 2004 Durango with a Hemi, knocks when I start it. I have had no problems up until now. I was due for an oil change so I added a few quarts. It slowed down the knocking, but the knocking did not disappear completely. It also speeds up when I accelerate. I have not let it warm because I'm concerned about the future damage it may cause. I think it may be something hitting the fan or the oil not getting back up to the top of the engine.

6 people found this helpful.
30

Oil pump screen asembly and tube are known to clog up and to keep oil circulation to the lifters low. Might be something to look into. Also know is the oils pressure sensors are faulty.

3 people found this helpful.
120

I have a 2001 Durango and I have the same issues? What should I do now? Its driving me crazy?

12 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 99 and mines is knocking hard to. When I crank it I don't hear it but as soon as I start driving it starts. Almost sound like it interferes with my transmission shifting.

3 people found this helpful.
115

Dodge vehicles are known for crappy engines and workmanship! The best thing to do if you are having problems is to get rid of your vehicle and buy a Ford or GM or anything but a Dodge.

11 people found this helpful.
40

I have a 05 dodge Durango & it has a ticking noise. Its non stop! The mechanic told me I need a spring in my engine. Can someone help me PLEASE & THANK U!

4 people found this helpful.
90

the ticking sound isn't in the motor at all its on the fire wallright behind the engine and its called an E-vap its job is to suck the fumes from the fuel tank and run it back through the system, and its normal operation to hear the ticking NO SPRING ON THE ENGINE!! SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED A WRENCH THAT DONT GET RICH OFF YA

5 people found this helpful.
90

oh and synthetic oil is ok if you have few miles on the car BUT on high mile cars it is the anti crist it will eat up all the seals in your engine causing oil leaks so DONT use if your car has over 75000 miles !!

4 people found this helpful.
90

Rory, you are giving bad, false advice on oil. Total myth. Synthetic oil will not "eat up all the seals" on a higher mileage engine. What do you think "high mileage" oil is? Hmmm oh wait it's a synthetic BLEND. Look up on all the major oil companies websites, valvoline, amsoil, any of them and they will straight up tell you the facts and myths about full synthetic in their FAQ section. I'm pretty sure they know what they are talking about.

6 people found this helpful.
90

Also, yes there are indeed springs on an engine, they are called VALVE SPRINGS. Good day.

3 people found this helpful.
30

You will all learn to fear dodge more than death one day also and as kjohnson 6 dont start your engine if it is a lower end know you have spun a bearing or broken a connecting rod and if motor isnt trash running it more will do so fast id start searching for a motor and try to keep what you have core condition atleast its worth something that way

3 people found this helpful.
140

That ticking noise, short lived and only on cold starts! So after my extensive research, doing my best to filter mechanics advise, They mostly always recommend everything ACCEPT the solution. They're not always on your side,, even if a friend. I was dealing with the noise for nearly 25k miles, over a year. Tried fix with Chngd oils/cleaners/additives, nothing was a permanent solution. After I felt confident about understanding the problem, I went to my mechanic(a friend) told him what I wanted done, he said I was crazy and wasting time/money, but he did it anyway. The problem was the Right Manifold cover gasket was leaking. We found 2 sheered bolts on the back side (very common). when we removed the cover, you could see the mark from out-gassing, the pressure leak. It was exactly what it needed. Good cleaning and replaced with new, problem solved. I knew it!

14 people found this helpful.

It is because you need to replace your Crankshaft Position Sesor which is on the underside of the engine on the passenger side. At some point this problem will cause you to start stalling out, and you will notice the care does not idle well at all at low rpm. The car will stop running altogether if you don't fix it. This sensor is about 6 inches long and cost 30 to 50 bucks and has one small bolt holding it in. There is a youtube video on how to do this.

10

I just ran into this problem seemed to have trouble starting on occasion as well as idle but not all the time now it is a very noticeable ticking noise don't have a ton of money and can get most things done myself diagnosing the problem is the hard part 02 4.7 Durango

1 people found this helpful.
50

My 01 dodge durango has been making the same ticking sound three mechanics have told me that it is a lifter going bad

5 people found this helpful.

I have a 2003 Durango . a sports one . and it was ticking . well the fan went out and made a huge loud noise . well we fixed that . and its not ticking anymore. I'm not a mechanic but it could possibly be your fan fixing to mess up.

10

I have a 2000 Durango (4.7) which is making a ticking noise as well. Just fixed a vacuum leak which had it running like shit but now I hear a bad tick on the back side of the engine on the passenger side.. any chance it's just the manifold?

1 people found this helpful.
30

After make a research the issue is the rocker arms check this out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHVWD-SXQiQ

3 people found this helpful.

I have 04 Durango and every Durango I have seen has a valve tapping noise it is a defect to dodge, now also I had additional ticking which was a broken manifold bolt.

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