Update; got about 50 miles on the seafoam treatment and now i am leaking oil the noise is still there and not any quieter yet not to mention i've already leaked out a full quart of oil. I am not happy grrrrrrr!!!

 

Change it. Sorry about that.

 

my rebuild doesnt have 2500 miles on it and i have the same ticking noise. i attribute it to low oil pressure at idle, so the lifters tend to tick, especially when cold. i dont pay any attention to it because i know nothings wrong, but only because i rebuilt the block about a month ago. once it warms up it ticks slightly (i think i hear it more because i have an aluminum valve cover) but still sounds like a beast, but has a slight whirring sound, like when you get an engine perfectly tuned.

 

TRS, no worries man i new this could happen but it was worth a shot ( i appreciate the input).

Tanner, I'm really not worried about engine damage ( i know most 4.0s make this noise) but its effing annoying! Its just driving me nuts. I've actually been thinking about putting underhood insulation ( thought jeeps came factory with it? ) as mine has none: just to stop the noise from echoing and maybe tone it down a bit. I do agree with you on the low oil pressure at idle tnats exactly how it seems; but i have between 30 -40 lbs at idle or so says my factory gauge. i did pull the valve cover and oil was flowing pretty good so, i guess i'm gonna keep the seafoam in a lil longer and switch to 5w30 with Lucas and see. Thanks guys, keep ya posted..................

 

agreed. i wish my brand NEW engine didnt do it, annoys the **** outta me. and most XJ's came with underhood insulation but most owners removed this due to the high operating temp of the 4.0L to help cool the engine bay...so thats really up to you. and i dont trust the factory gauge much, but its better than nothing. the Lucas might help quiet the ticking some cause it'll keep more oil on the lifters/cam on startup. try running 10w30 instead w/ the Lucas especially since the hot summer months are coming, it'll help keep the viscosity of the oil at high temps which might also help with the lifter tick, thats what i run....

 

That sounds like a valve train issue. If you one of the guys that like to see the tac go to 5000 alot it could be a bent push rod. If its high mileage it could be just a worn rocker. If you have a miss along with the noise it could be a lifter collapsed. If you get boared remove the valve cover and fire it up. put your hand on each rocker untill you find the offender and replace.
Good Luck

 

^ good advice Duncan. This is whatd id do with my next day off just to be sure....

 

Duncan0668..........as far as finding the offender I have already replaced my rocker arms , pivots , bridges , and rods.still makes the same tick. can the lifters/tappets be replaced without removing the head? can they be fished out or does a tool exist to extract them?

 

magnet on a stick.

 

I have never seen a xj with under hood insulation....... I think these things run hot enough, my "piston slap" went away after plugs, wire, cap+ msd coil. Plus I lost my long cranks. The jeep dealer called it piston slap, the 80 year old man behind my house called it scattered combustion. Sometimes old people rule, sometimes he says that he saw a chicken in my back yard though.

 

Just an update, got about 120 miles with the seafoam and now it takes about 5 - 10 mins for the noise to begin after a cold start??? i'm running out of guesses for now. So I'm gonna do an oil change this weekend and maybe a tune up ( just b cuz ) and check my flywheel for cracks ? so lets see; still not worried about the motor tho cuz its runnin like a stuck pig ! I also have a temporary fix for the noise, I installed a 500 watt stereo system,

 

A chicken huh ? ! Not in Chicago, I did see a rooster once tho down by cicero ave and, well its a long story !

Tj40, whereabouts are you located?

 

So its been about a month now and after trying all of the above as well as trying many different weights of oil and checking my rod bearings I still have this noise? I have tried to locate it again and it seems to be coming from the front of the trans, its very hard to locate because the sound travels like crazy.I checked the flywheel and didnt see any cracks, What else could it be? The front pump? This thing is driving me nuts! Help please!

 

Torque converter bolts are loose.

It's the converter...I'd bet on it. It clanks away until you spool up, sounds like piston slap or a rod knock but it is way, way better...because you can fix it for free.

Tighten the bolts.

 

dang it you beat me, I had it on my last one and all the bolts where loose. Tighten them up then it was quiet