Why would a 1996 Pontiac Grand Am with 123K miles make a ticking sound when accelerating and at an idle?

Answer 1

Make sure the oil is filled to the right amount, make sure that the oil is not black or burned, if that's not the problem you have a clicking lifter that will eventually have to be serviced. a valve job.

AnswerI had the exact same problem on a 97. When your oil gets really dirty it acts like sand paper on your lifters, tie rods and tie rod swing arms, they need to be replaced. The parts aren't terribly expensive, but labor will be about $1000. Get yourself Grand Am fix-it manual and get to work! Also, after you get it fixed make sure you change your oil more often. AnswerI have to disagree with the first guy, Dirty oil? Oil dirty enough to make your car tick would be the least of your problems as it would probably have alreay locked up at this point. Ticking at idle and increasing during accelloration is an exahst leak. Any muffler shop and weld the crack for under 200 bucks or less. AnswerIt could be a noisey lifter but, it could be a couple of other things as well. the clicking your are hearing could be a fuel injector or it could be something in the belt driven accessories such as a an alternator, Power Steering pump, or water pump, or the belt itself. AnswerI have a 94 Gand Am, but your problem sounds like it could be one of a couple that I just had fixed. I heard a strange clicking sound, had it checked out. It was the glides from the timing chain. After I had that fixed, bout 4 months later, i started hearing another clicking sound. Had that checked out, it was the water pump. 3 of the 5 blades inside had broken off. AnswerI have a 1996 Grand Am GT with the 2.4 and when i bought it it had a ticking at an idle that increased with acceleration ( yes i knew this when i bought it) and it turned out that it had spun a connecting rod bearing, the ticking was the connecting rod hitting the crandkshaft. also found out the reason it happpend was because the fuel pressure regulator went out and instead of sending the unused fuel back to the fuel tank it was dumping it in the block i had about a quart of fuel mixed in with the oil.