Well i pretty much have a problem with my Isuzu Rodeo 94' well the thing is the Rodeo is making a loud ticking noise, constantly ticking and very loud... very disturbeding when you drive it and when the vehicle is in netural when the engin running... however when you drive it after it reaches the 2000 rpm mark the noise stops and goes back to running smoothly... when you come to a stop or if the idle bar drops under 2000rpm it starts ticking again. It does this also when i switch gears but after it goes above the 2000rpm mark the ticking stops... i was hoping you could give me advice on where to start or what to do. This would me very helpfully to me if i could get some suggestions so i am able to fix it myself. Thank you for taking the time to read this bulletin

start with a compression check of the cylinders. If it is as loud as you say you should be able to isolate the cylinder making the noise rather easily. THen you will need a valve job as well. sounds like you have some slop in the vavles or it is possible the crank shaft.

Could be the timing belt slapping on its cover. When the tensioner starts to fail it's common for this to happen. The noise going away as rpms increase seems to be the key.

When was the last time you had the timng belt and tensioner replaced? You don't mention your Rodeo's mileage but if it's never been done and you're over 100K miles it could be that you're due and the timing belt is telling you so.

I'll second the timing belt tensioner. Mine sounded just like that. It took my mechanic a while to diagnose it. That was before I found this place <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" /> You've got a 3.2L, right?

It sounds a lot worse than it is, but that's no reason to neglect it.

HIH,
<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cheers.gif" alt="" />Andre

I third that......... timing belt tensioner. Sometimes (like Andre said) it will break a tooth off and click <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/kewl.gif" alt="" />

Man, what's with all the timing belt tensioner pushrods going bad around here lately?

I just replaced mine about 200-300 miles ago. What happens is the piston in the tensioner pushrod starts leaking, loses compression, and fails to keep the belt tensioned properly. This CAN lead to the belt jumping a tooth if it gets bad enough, and you can wear through your timing belt covers as well.

Get it fixed ASAP. It's fairly tedious work, and it's all in the front of the engine, but pulling an engine because you bent a valve is something you probably don't want to do.

Call St. Charles Isuzu, ask for Merlin: 1-800-727-8066

You will need at the very least:
- Timing Belt
- Timing belt tensioner pushrod

While you're in there, I'd replace the water pump as well.

My '94 Isuzu Rodeo was making the same noise. My regular mechanic (who is usually very good) diagnosed it as a rod bearing which was outside their scope to repair. I took it to a local guy who has a good rep for a second opinion who made the noise go away by *surprise* replacing the hydraulic belt tensioner. The total job was around $680 and the local guy is my new regular mechanic.

Yup, tbelt tension adjuster, cost 70 bucks takes 3.5 hours to install. Degree of dificulty for the mechanicaly inclined, (2)The only special tools needed outside of an impact to break the harmonic loose is a small puller to remove it.If you can replace the drive belts yourself, you can do do this one in the driveway to.

Scott

T-belt tensioner will require replacement sooner or later is what I'm hearing everywhere. I recently replaced mine. I still have a ticking noise that goes away upon acceleration though. After awhile the 3.2 SOHC ticks due to build up in the lash adjusters (some people call them hyd lifters). The point is the only thing you can do about it is changing them. I don't remember how much it was going to cost but it made me want to just put a 95 DOHC in later on down the road. So until then I have been using Lucas @ every oil change and that seems to at least curb the noise, although not everyone agrees that you should use Lucas. I'm not sure if that is what your problem is but if after you change the t-belt+tensioner and you still tick, that's probably it.