What's this part? mecanic question !
 

Hello everyone, yesterday we got our best weather temp in a while and I went out to clean my motor compartment. After I cleaned all I started the car and looked that since winter is over I'm getting an annoying noise comming from this part (red arrow in the pic). So if anyone can tell me if it would be easy to fix or expensive, any idea would be welcomed. Sound is like a fast tictictictictictic but it's not THAT loud. I think lot of old car makes this sound but in a louder version but if it can be fixed, would be nice.

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3636/1000377a.png

Thanks for your suggestions !

Thats your intake manifold (plenum)

Could be time for valve adjustment ?

op, u r 22 and dont know what a intake manifold is?

as gs4 fiend said you might need a valve adjustment.

is it me or is it because he isn't running any belts? j/k ;) Cover them pulleys up!

i've been noticing the ticking as well but only when the engine is cold. it goes away after i've been driving around for awhile.

That's piston slap which occurs in early morning startups. As it warms up the noise goes away. Completely normal.

Yah well I could be 22 or 40, I just never worked on the motor itself. I do most of everything else myself for what is brake, suspension, lights, body repair... anyway, I just never touched to the motor itself but I would of loved to know more about it. I would like to know if a valve adjust would be easy to do for someone who never did that or if I could break something while I undo the part, maybe springs of whatever would be hard to re-assemble. Like jspecdan said too, it occurs while the motor is cold.

So I would just like to know if it's ok to take the right part on the picture off, or if I might break something, or have bad time to re-assemble cause of oil, spring, airtighness or whatever, I don't know what's in the part. If it's ok to play with it I'll have fun to take it off and see what it's like. Thanks for helping,

(the picture was taken on internet, my car has the belts hehe)

How did you know how old he is? Doesn't say it...

And I don't think it would hurt anything to take the plenum off, since the noise is not coming from that - it doesn't have moving parts. The pistons and valves are what could be making the noise, and those are under the heads. This is one of those things where you should simply leave it alone - it's normal.

Big Mack

There are moving parts in the intake, ACIS system is in there.

Valve adjustments on this motor is very difficult with the head in place, each valve has different size shims. Most just have the machine shop do it.

Sounds like the OP wants to do some practice wrenching...be careful.

Alright thanks for helping, if the sound gets louder or whatever I'll take it off and see if I can replace these valve, just found a site selling these valve for like 20 bucks. For now I'll let it go then.

Thanks to everyone !!!

Haha! Yeah, bud, you're not gonna wanna yank the intake to throw on a few new $20 valves.

Most experienced engine builders don't go into an engine's internals. Taking off the intake plenum is vastly different from removing the head to install new valves.

Bottom line, if the ticking gets really loud or just really drives you nuts, take the car to a machine shop for a quote. I would imagine several hundred to $1000 to have 'em adjusted. You shouldn't need new valves.

i checked his profile........

There are problem with acis valve mount afaik. It could tear away from mounts and fall into engine block. So, it would be reasonable to check mount of acis valve.

That's funny! Because your trader score is ALSO 22!
woot woot!