I have a few silly quesitons to ask before i go to the dealer for repair.

1) when i hit medium sized bumps the suspnsion sounds like loose change. It more a jingle then a rattle. is this normal?

2) At idle when outside the front of the car i hear what sounds likk valve tick but it is too new for that to be the sound. Does the sc make a sound like this at idle, or an idler pully maby?

thanks,
Jonathan

 

In answer to your second question regarding the ticking sound, try pushing the clutch pedal in to see if the ticking changes. My '03 has been ticking for 30,000 miles. It goes quiet when the clutch pedal is pushed. I understand this is the throwout bearing, and will be verified if I ever change my clutch.

 

Well if you're going to ask silly questions, then I'll give silly answers.

1. If it's more jingle than rattle, you're hearing Santa Claus, and not Ebeneezer Scrooge - good on ya!

2. If you can't hear the tick when you're in the car, you should stay in the car. If you can hear the tick in the car, turn up the stereo.


That said,
1. No rattling or jingling is expected from the suspension. You might want to try going one wheel at a time over a speed bump to see if you can isolate the source. Have you verified it's not something loose inside the car?

2. Try a low tech stethoscope (aka long screwdriver) and place it against various parts (with ear against the other end) to see if you can identify the issue. Be VERY careful if trying this in the area of any belts or pulleys. As blueflash said, don't forget to try engaging the clutch.

 

If yours is an '06, the ticking sound my be a precursor to the timing chain tensioner going bad. It was most obvious right after the morning cold start. My timing system was just replace a couple of months ago. Since then, I don't here the ticking sound anymore.