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2001 kia sportage tapping sound in front engine

22K views 10 replies 9 participants last post by  ZorgEntity 
#1 ·
i am trying to find out if anyone had this same problem with a sportage 2 liter. when engine is idling there is a distinctive tapping noise coming front the front of the engine,it is steady with the idle. when i accelerate the tapping gets very low. could there be a timing belt going bad? the tapping just started about a week ago and the engine runs fine and smooth. please let me know what this could be so i can take care of it asap. thanks for your help!
 
#3 ·
The more common problems that would make that sound would be

1:valves/lifters.
2:bad/blown exhaust gasket
3:piston slap EDIT piston slap
4:A snapping sound could be a bad ignition coil. (not likely)

If this were a timing belt problem the belt would have broken and the motor would no longer start, unless it is a belt idler tensioner, which is doubtful.

As mentioned by mirlomanzo, a sound discription could help.
Also how many miles are on the sportage?
Has the oil been changed regularly (roughly every 3k miles)

These noises are most commonly caused by infrequent oil changes or running the motor low on oil.(normally below the add mark)
 
#4 ·
hi, yes it sounds like the tapping of a valve,very clear when idling but goes away when accelerate speeds. oil is changed 1000 miles ago and level is full. engine runs just the same as before noise. should i add an oil additive? kia dealer is very far away to leave for a day.
thanks for any feedback, joe
 
#7 ·
Could be a lifter that is collapsed but pumps up above idle. It sounds like a ticking noise. If that is it, you should be able to take it into a good mechanic to listen to and they could verify it.
If it goes away off idle, I would drive it, if it continues while at 2000+ rpm, I'd get it checked out.
just my 2 cents
 
#8 ·
does the tapping sound speed up when you increase the rpms of the engine? if it doesn't, it's not a lifter. my evap canister, canister close valve, evap air filter, and purge valve is under the hood in front of the battery and i've found that the purge valve can make a tapping sound similar to a dry lifter. the only difference is that the lifter will speed up with an increase in rpm, the purge valve doesn't.
 
#10 ·
My does it too. its worst if the engine idles. Its worst when the temp gauge just passes the first mark, and its really worst if the car just sits and idles, better to drive it, and get the pressure up. take it easy though until the temp gauge is half way up or more. I'm going to start replacing lifters, and then run 20/40 oil since its always warm in my area. I've gotten to where I idle for 3 minutes then go. Sometimes when its warm out I don't notice the tapping this way. If it just idles then it just keeps banging away on itself.
 
#11 ·
Mine Too! Don't idle, drive it. Pump the oil up, and heat it up. Marvels mystery oil with every oil change. Then when its time to change the timing belt you can put new lifters in, or clean them. Yes some you can clean. They have a spring with a ball check valve that gets plugged. Mine quieted down considerably with the Marvels Mystery Oil, and gain some power too.

yes I always thought That products like MMO was a snake charm, but when I learned they used it in tanks, boats, and planes during WW2, and we won. That was good enough for me. Those planes are still flying.
 
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