Hey guys

I've noticed a fairly loud ticking noise that increases in frequency with engine speed. I can hear the ticking bouncing off nearby walls, parked cars, etc, as I'm driving by under about 35 mph. As I'm driving through my two-way residential, I can hear it bouncing off everything, so it's not just in very close proximity.

It sounds like a really noisy injector or valve. The car seems to run fine otherwise, but the sound is annoying. It really doesn't sound quite right. Is this a known issue?

Can you guys hear a similar sound when cruising slowly with your windows down?

 

Check your oil asap, hopefully you're not low. What brand do you use? I would suggest using Nissan Ester to see if it quiets it

 

Could also be an exhaust manifold leak...

 

I'm not trying to be a smartass, but it could be a large rock wedged in to your tire tread. It makes exactly the kind of sound you're talking about.

 

It's somewhat common. Mine does it as well, mostly when it's fully warmed up. I get some light metal glitter in the oil as well. Unfortunately, most research shows that the dealership will say it's normal. The other things they do is an ECU procedure, or recommend ester oil. I don't know if it's normal or not, but frankly if it's not it will likely involve a complete engine teardown which isn't worth it to me, I'd rather swap the engine.

At this point, I have 300 miles left on my warranty and the previous owner didn't keep oil change receipts so it doesn't seem like I can do anything. My G35 made similar noises, had slight amounts metal in the oil, but after a year it just went away on it's own and I sold it.

I plan on doing a Blackstone Labs Oil Analysis the next time around, but I heard from another G owner who sent in his oil with some glitter that Blackstone responded and said it had fairly normal levels of wear so I'm not losing any sleep over it. The engine still pulls very hard, and I take very good care of it but I bought it with 60k miles so there's only so much I can do.

My engine is not nearly as loud as the example below. I change the oil every 4,000 miles with premium oil, usually Pennzoil Ultra. The previous owner would consistently use Mobil 1, which I believe contributed due to consistent reports of Mobil 1 not being able to keep it's viscosity rating.

Example from another G owner:

 

When you say the noise is loud at 35mph.. would you say the ticking frequency increases with speed or engine rpm? Not trying to sound like a D-- just wondering though, mines a little noisy too but not to this degree... My oil is good and changed frequently and it pulls hard too.

 

I know what that sounds like to. That's not the case. I can hear it when I'm parked and rev the engine.

Yes. The sound increases with the engine speed. It does sound like some kind of valve ticking/injector tick/exhaust leak. I'm not throwing any codes, but as I'm cruising with the windows down I can hear it bouncing off nearby parked cars, etc. It just doesn't sound that great.

She's still young. 2010 with 44k miles.

 

Isn't your car still covered by factory warranty?

 

I seem to recall a re-flash for this particular issue -- noisy VVEL chatter. I believe there is a TSB for it.

http://www.infinitig37.com/TSB/1SB34.pdf

Yours is two years newer, but may have the same problem.

 

Thank you for the TSB, I was looking for that one.

 

Update on this:

Took it to Infiniti of Riverside. They checked fluids, etc, and said it was normal, even though every other Infiniti I've ever driven never sounded like it had an exhaust leak. For now, I guess I'll put in some new, high quality oil and see if that helps.

Very frustrating that my luxury sports car's engine sounds worse than the 1997 Maxima that it replaced, the latter of which has 170k miles.

 

Update as well, had the TSB done and noticed no improvement. Said the sound was normal. I'm planning on switching over to 5w-40 oil soon, Motul to be exact. A fellow HR owner had told me about good experience with it after being recommended to him by a reputable tuning shop.

 

I'm thinking about trying Motul as well, but I think this round I'm going to go with Redline. Expensive, but I've heard only good things. I'll see if it helps to quiet down the valvetrain a bit.

I have no idea what's currently in the car, but it could be cheapo garbage since I bought this car at a non-infiniti dealership.