Hey All,

I have been hearing a clunking noise every 5-10 seconds when my 01 4.2L is at idle. It doesn't matter if it is in gear or in park. It also isn't a very loud noise but its not quiet either. I've searched the forums but it seems like most people have a ticking noise as well, I don't have that. What could be causing this problem?

Thanks!

 

Have you opened the hood and listened to see what part of the engine its coming from? Is it the top, bottom, left, right, front, or back? Check to see if its internal or external.

 

Old school trick is to get a peice of wood, hold one end to different parts of the motor, the other right up to your ear. It looks goofy put you can isolate where your nock is, the louder the closer. They sell stethoscopes too with long metal tubes. But who wants to look like a doctor?

 

Turn off the heat/AC system and see if it goes away. It may just be your compressor cycling.

 

Thanks for the replies! No, I haven't listened under the hood yet but I will do that either today or tomorrow and try to isolate the noises. And if that is too hard to do I'll try the piece of wood trick . Will post back if I find anything out.

 

Didn't get a chance, my truck died in a turn lane today . It started up a few minutes later and I took it to a shop. Strange because the noise had just started and there were no warning lights . Thanks for the help anyways!