# Ticking sound at idle



## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

Please help me identify this ticking sound. I usually only hear it at idle, and as you can hear in the video, and it seems to go away after the engine reaches a certain speed. Sound is once again audible shortly after engine returns to idle speed.


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## VaGPuncher (Jul 22, 2006)

im not sure what causes it..but i've had 2 TSi's and both did the same thing..guess its normal..


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## Krieger (May 5, 2009)

mine just started making the same noise at 103k miles. dunno. :laugh:


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## cpalomo (Jun 24, 2011)

mine does the same thing, asked a friend of mine about it who knows diagnostic and he told me it was normal to these engines so i stopped worrying about it


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## DasCC (Feb 24, 2009)

A woodpecker? 


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

lugubre3645 said:


> A woodpecker?


 No sign of external woodpecker damage, although that's the first thing I thought of.


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## ViRtUaLheretic (Aug 17, 2008)

normal


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## Bullitt_TDI (Dec 12, 2006)

*FV-QR*

fuel injectors tis the ticking


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

Everyone says "normal"... and I really don't think it's injector noise, as this seems to be a different sound than the normal direct injection sound. I do thank you all for chiming in, but I am still waiting for someone to come along and be able to describe why something is making this sound, and why it goes away when the engine speeds up and why it comes back when the engine returns to idle.


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## DasCC (Feb 24, 2009)

It's more of a deliberate tapping noise. It seem diff that the injector noise. 


Typos courtesy of iPhone 4 using Tapatalk


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

lugubre3645 said:


> It's more of a deliberate tapping noise. It seem diff that the injector noise.


 Yes, agree, thank you! I don't want to hear "normal" or "injector" anymore in this thread.


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## Krieger (May 5, 2009)

SB_GLI said:


> Yes, agree, thank you! I don't want to hear "normal" or "injector" anymore in this thread.


 normal injector noise. :laugh:


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

damn you! broke both of my rules.


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## Krieger (May 5, 2009)

I was pulling through my local pharmacy and when I was right up against the wall, the sound stood out like no tomorrow. Almost like a metallic clacking/shaking sound completely independent of the injectors. It would happen after I idled for maybe 45 seconds to a minute and then just go away randomly.


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

Describes the same thing that I am experiencing. It'll come and go as it pleases.


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## dominik_12 (Nov 25, 2009)

*Ticking*

I'm guessing that's your "tappets" ... valve noise. As your engine speed increases, the oil will pump up the tappets so you won't hear that noise until it comes back down to idle and your oil pressure subsides.


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## John Y (Apr 27, 1999)

mine does exactly that, too, at certain times when idling. 2 years+ in, no problems, certainly not anything engine-related so I'm not concerned by that sound.


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## spicymustard (Feb 7, 2012)

It is the N80 valve (evap canister purge valve). If you hear that noise, its working and thats good. The N80 is on the side of the intake manifold and has 2 vacuum lines and an electrical connector coming off of it. If you put your hand on the valve while the car is running you will feel that "ticking" in sync with the noise.


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## SB_GLI (Oct 17, 2005)

spicymustard said:


> It is the N80 valve (evap canister purge valve). If you hear that noise, its working and thats good. The N80 is on the side of the intake manifold and has 2 vacuum lines and an electrical connector coming off of it. If you put your hand on the valve while the car is running you will feel that "ticking" in sync with the noise.


Cool, I'll check that out. Thanks!


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## John Y (Apr 27, 1999)

spicymustard said:


> It is the N80 valve (evap canister purge valve). If you hear that noise, its working and thats good. The N80 is on the side of the intake manifold and has 2 vacuum lines and an electrical connector coming off of it. If you put your hand on the valve while the car is running you will feel that "ticking" in sync with the noise.


:thumbup:


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## rossiskiracer91 (Jan 26, 2008)

I have the same issue with my 2010 Jetta Wolfsburg. I took it into the dealer and they said it was normal also 


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## heimbachae (Apr 8, 2009)

It's normal. After I yanked the sound deadening junk from the hood I notice there is a VERY noticeable ticking coming from the upper right hand when accelerating. Oh well, it's a man tick :beer:


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## hummvee2134 (Sep 15, 2011)

As the other poster said, it's the evap purge solenoid. I heard it too on my new gti and i was like WTF, collapsed lifter! but nope, all normal


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## Jclare586 (Feb 16, 2012)

Jut sounds like a lifter tick...


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## Lossaran (Feb 12, 2013)

SB_GLI I know it was quite long ago, but have you found out what was that with this ticking sound. I have Tiguan 2.0 TSI 180 HP (Poland) 2012 edition and it seems I have same issue. Same ticking sound as you described. Visited a dealer but than a sound just gone and they couldnt find what was that. The sound now is back and Im planning to go back to the dealer again... but maybe you know already what was that and I just can give them a clue.
Many thanks in advance.


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## rossiskiracer91 (Jan 26, 2008)

I took mine into the dealership and they said its normal awhile ago. They said at first the injectors just pound hard. Not sure if we are having the same issue though 


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## ll Black Blurr ll (Sep 24, 2004)

Mine does this with 20k miles on it.


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## Lossaran (Feb 12, 2013)

Thank you for your answers. Mine has only 10k km and makes this tapping/ ticking sound. It's a little bit irritating cause its the second weird sound I'm checking at this car. First was whistling sound when car had just 800 km - was a water pump. Volkswagen engineers from Wolfsburg (technical question sent by a dealer) said that it was nothing wrong just the sound which should be gone when car reaches 2-5k km. Well, the whistling sound gone after 2,5k km and havent noticed it since. Tapping (like in the video) is a new thing for me... but well, could be normal foro TSIs than. I hope so.  Cheers


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## SuPeR GTi (Jan 13, 2011)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhd3poRClQ

It's not a fuel pressure relief valve.

As its been said that's the N80 valve. The gas tank and lines are all air tight so has vapors don't constantly vent to the atmosphere. But if it stayed air tight the tank would collapse on it self from vacuum forming in the tank. So basically the car pumps in outside air into the gas tank and slightly pressurized it, the evap lines run from the tank to that valve in the video and into te intake manifold. That ticking is the valve opening and closing to slowly let the engine suck the air and gas vapor from the tank into the engine to get burnt up. That valve only opens at idle and it always clicks on and off, since it's a solinoid the click is loud.

Your car is working how it's suppossed to.

from this thread

http://www.golfmk6.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33370


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## Randum311 (Feb 15, 2010)

SuPeR GTi said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhd3poRClQ
> 
> It's not a fuel pressure relief valve.
> 
> ...


Funny I remember after I did my instake install, I noticed it first and found the answer on the forums as well.


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## JGMKVI (Jan 13, 2013)

SuPeR GTi said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhd3poRClQ
> 
> It's not a fuel pressure relief valve.
> 
> ...


are there any solenoids that work on the car that come off a different car that are silent?


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## tbdodge (Apr 29, 2013)

*normal?*

I've been having the same issue with my '06 A3 2.0T. It seems weird that people are saying it's a "normal" sound when it didn't make that sound when I bought the car. Anybody come up with a solution yet? :banghead::banghead: 

Thanks


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## HeadwrapKiller (Jan 24, 2012)

tbdodge said:


> I've been having the same issue with my '06 A3 2.0T. It seems weird that people are saying it's a "normal" sound when it didn't make that sound when I bought the car. Anybody come up with a solution yet? :banghead::banghead:
> 
> Thanks


 Read quote below for the best info in this thread: 



SuPeR GTi said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQhd3poRClQ
> 
> It's not a fuel pressure relief valve.
> 
> ...


 :thumbup:


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## jet2 (Sep 5, 2012)

This ticking sound just started last week on my car.. It seemed so weird, so I confirmed that it is not normal by comparing it to my friends and families tsi engines. 

-2010 cc 2.0T 
-2012 GTI 2.0T 
-2011 EOS 2.0T 
-2012 GLI 2.0T 

None of these cars above have this ticking sound. How do you guys say that its normal? My 2012 GLI is making exact same ticking shown on the video of the tiguan. 

I'm wondering if the ticking will at least tick quieter if we change the n80 to a newer one? 

At 0:12 to 0:14 is how all the cars above sound. Mine used to sound like that as well, however the ticking that starts at 0:15 sec on the video is what is going on and that is not normal. 

A lot of people will say that its totally fine because everything is functional, but that sound is so irritating that I got to get a solution LOL... NOT NORMAL. won't hurt the car but sound is defenetly not NORMAL.


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## AZ_CC (May 25, 2012)

I have the same sound on my 2010 CC with 60k on it....i used to think it was a bad lifter or i was knocking bad....but found out it was completely normal....i learned to just tune it out after a while, plus my turbo has got alot louder now days....i came from a Trailblazer SS with LS2 in it and piston slap was normal in those


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## jet2 (Sep 5, 2012)

Well will take it in to the dealer lets see what my steelership says LOL.. 

THis is similar problem to what my previous car had. My passenger seat would squeak like there is no tomorrow and when I went to the dealer, they simply told me that the seat function is normal and there is nothing they could do about that! hahahahahahaa but that squeaking sound drove me nuts to the point that I had them swap out the whole seat (under warranty at another dealer.)


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## jet2 (Sep 5, 2012)

Well I took apart my intake manifold and found out that one of my injectors was missing the plastic spacer that goes under the injector! put the spacer on and the ticking disappeared. 

Good luck to all of you guys out there.. My car sounds normal now without any ticking.


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## SAUDIANO (Jan 14, 2014)

Does it sound like this from interior? I wonder what is it or is this normal?? It's like I'm driving a diesel truck .. It was not like this before!


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## dustinbaarck (Apr 27, 2015)

spicymustard said:


> It is the N80 valve (evap canister purge valve). If you hear that noise, its working and thats good. The N80 is on the side of the intake manifold and has 2 vacuum lines and an electrical connector coming off of it. If you put your hand on the valve while the car is running you will feel that "ticking" in sync with the noise.


My Fuel line was leaking between the high pressure fuel pump and Fuel Rail. The Vapor Canister Check Valve started clicking more than usual I'm assuming as a result of the leak. I wonder if that may have effected it. I can clearly isolate the noise by holding the valve. I mean I understand that it is suppose to click but that **** is annoying.


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## 1 Nation (Jan 5, 2021)

This thread is super old but I just read it and listened to tapping sound. It seemed clear to me that the sound is the belt tensioner. On my Vw Jetta tdi it used to make that sound and much louder. If it is not too noisy it is normal but It does need to be adjusted periodically or it will chatter too loudly and if not adjusted belt will brake. At 100k I had belt tensioner replaced and it sounded great. Previous to replacing it was tightened twice. I


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## Emmkay5 (Aug 16, 2021)

SB_GLI said:


> Please help me identify this ticking sound. I usually only hear it at idle, and as you can hear in the video, and it seems to go away after the engine reaches a certain speed. Sound is once again audible shortly after engine returns to idle speed.


In my opinion it's normal to an extent. I believe it's from the high pressure fuel pump and the cam follower. The rod on the hpfp could possibly be worn


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