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Light knocking noise from engine P and N ?

13K views 13 replies 7 participants last post by  shipo 
#1 ·
Hi to you all,

I am Michel from Holland and i own my first Chrysler Voyager 3.3 V6 build in 2004. A great car !
There is one thing were i am worry about.

My engine has a light knocking noise by normal engine-temperature when it's running about 800 RMP waiting in traffic, or whe i put the gear in natural or parking.

I read some things about the timing chain and tensioner.
Do i need to repair the tensioner ?
Does anyone has a drawing or drawings of the 3.3 V6 engine ?

Thanks from Holland :thumb:
 
#2 ·
Is it a knock or a light ticking?

Ticking is quite common from the 3.3/3.8's and is not a huge deal unless it starts to get worse over time.

How many miles, or kms?
 
#5 ·
Completely normal for the 3.3 and 3.8 liter engines. FWIW, I first heard the light knock in the engine in our 1998 DGC back when it had 50,000 km on it, by the time I traded the van in with 275,000 km on the clock the knocking was still there, no better or no worse, and the engine ran as well as it did the day I drove it off the showroom floor.
 
#4 ·
If it's the "known lifter noise", a can of SeaFoam into the oil will usually remedy that, however, If it's a lower sounding noise, you may have a rocker problem and want to have a mechanic look at it.

When you do your next oil change, get the larger filter, similar to the MotorCraft FL1 in size and quality (yes, even though it's a FORD filter, it fits perfectly and is superb on the Chrysler).
 
#10 ·
I know this is slightly off the original topic, but how long is the FL1? I run an oversize filter (8A -which is a Ford V8 filter) on my '01 Dodge Intrepid R/T which has the same OEM filter as the 05 T&C. but the oil filter sits much lower on the 3.8L engine in the T&C, practically at the bottom of the engine. I've been hesitant to put a longer filter on there for fear of road debris hitting the bottom.
 
#6 ·
You say it is not symmetric, I understand that to mean erratic, not regular. If it is a clatter, "klik,...klikkity, klack,.. klick" at irregular times, and it is coming from the belt side of the engine, I would suspect you are describing the noise that comes from the timing chain slapping on the guide, which can get more noticeable with age. My 90 3.3 did it for it's entire life and never was a problem for 15 yrs. A knock, as you are saying, is usually used to describe valve ping or clatter on acceleration or a connecting rod knock, and it usually most noticeable when you let up on acceleration, when load is off the pistons and they are more free to knock around. Hope this helps.
By the way, you did not say if this started suddenly or has been there all along, could make a difference in diagnosing the problem. Anything that starts suddenly is always of more concern.
 
#7 ·
Neither of our 3.3 or 3.8 engines have had a "knocking" noise. The 3.8L was louder on certain brands of oil, with more valvetrain noise. On Pennzoil Platinum 5W-20, it's absolutely quiet as a mouse.

If it's a louder knocking noise, it may be a cracked flexplate. We've seen that happen before on these engines as well.
 
#8 ·
As far as I know, the random knocking is a "problem" only for the Gen 3 and prior vans. Our 2003 with 135,000 miles on it has no such noise, so apparently Chrysler "fixed" this problem with the Gen 4 engine update.
 
#13 ·
I just put my first FL 1A on my 05 3.8 and it worked great, clearance is no problem. It will take about a half a quart more oil, which is a good thing.
 
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