Let's play the "What's that sound" game Options

[corsepervita]

Alright. I have 2 things I'm concerned about. One thing I have been told "Is normal."

Upon any different rpm of any sort is a slight tick, it's not horrific, it's not menacing, but it's there. Seems better once the car is warmed up, but it's there, 3krpms and above it doesn't seem really all that audible. I'd relate it to the valve noise of my ninja 250 (little kawasaki motorcycle) which has a reputation for being "the world's loudest sewing machine" since they just make valve train noise. This tick/tap varies with rpm, making me believe this is a valve train sound as it does change with rpm.

Sometimes it makes it slightly more than other times. It doesn't really seem to be super loud at any given time. But especially when cold... i hear it. My wife is telling me "Sounds like a normal part of the running to me since it does it all the time and hasn't got worse." well maybe she's right.

However, to sooth my nerves.... can anyone here tell me, are these 1.7L engines just particularly noisy? I will note that this sound has been here since I bought the car. It does not seem to be horrific, again, it's "Just there" - and after the car runs on the highway at normal speed and warms up the sound is more of just background noise and I barely notice it. But during traffic, just normal running, lower rpms, colder, it's there and I go "IS that normal?"







Part 2... tonight.. I'm coming home. I'm in 2nd gear having just come from a stop going from 1st to 2nd. Something just "didn't sound right", best I can describe is that when I pushed in the clutch to get into 3rd I heard a whining noise (sounded similar to if you shifted into the gear wrong and it was grinding a synchro) - I brought the rpms back up and went into gear... sounded weird. Pushed in the clutch again, sound was there again. Finally I put it into neutral. Brought the rpms back up and let it drop, sound was GONE. I put it into 3rd, tried to reproduce the issue... nothing. Put it back into 2nd, did it again... NOTHING. Could not reproduce it.

My question is - is it possible to shift in these lazy transmissions at such a point that it is in gear and working but entered the gate wrong and something wasn't working right? And upon shifting into another gear or getting back "in place" it was a quirk?

The car is now parked in the garage and not going anywhere till I am able to determine if everything is okay.

Not been a great week for me mechanically.

- Thank you for all your time and at least reading over this.