Okay so I have a 99 jeep Cherokee xj . I’ve had it since August but I haven’t been home in a while to drive it since I work in California and it’s not the easiest to just come home. Ever since I got home I have noticed when I’m on the throttle going down the road their is a tic coming from my engine, I’ve heard it could be the lifters but it’s not a very loud tic so I need some peoples input and help, it would be greatly appreciated thank you

 

Only ON the throttle would not be a lifter.
Does it ever go away?

 

Yes it goes away when I’m not on the throttle

 

Most likely cracked exhaust manifold.

 

Its a jeep thing. If you fix it something else will rear its head that's worse

 

Could be a sticky lifter, thats what it sounds like to me. A lot of XJ's sound like that because the lifters sit vertically in the block and contaminants are prone to getting trapped in there. I have heard of ticking injectors, ticking from exhaust manifold cracks. A good mechanic with one of those sound pin-pointing devices can diagnose that pretty quick. But, bottom line is that as long as you're not hearing anything scrapping, grinding or clunking and your oil pressure is between 20-25 at idle, and you're not blowing smoke, then you're good to go.

I also add a zinc additive to the oil (Lucas ZDDP Plus) because the jeep was designed for the older oils that had more zinc back in the day. The new oils have a different composition and are made for newer engines. I find it helps a little with the light ticking.

 

I was able to take a flash light and find the crack in my exhaust header that was making the ticking sound. Just be careful not to get burned.