It's an annoying little tick.

[Her Jeep]

Here is what happened to my wife's 05 with a 2.4l and 6sp trans. About 2 months ago I changed the oil, before oil change everything is fine then after what sounded like an upper end lifter tick. I checked everything I could with out opening it up. Additives were next, helped for a day then the tick returns. Well as you know no lifters just lash adjusters. The same basic operational principle so if one sticks you get a tick. Changed all the adjusters put it all back together. fire it up and the @#*^'n tick is still there. The tick is an ornry little sucker, it is the worst when the engine is under just a very light load. You step on it no tick untill you get to cruising speed and then there it is in all it's splendor and glory. If I don't figure this thing out the wife is going to divorce me because to kill me would mean she has no one to complain too. HELP to soon to be pushin up crabgrass!!!!!!!!!

 

[tjkj2002]

Pull head,have rebuilt,install head,but check oil pressure with mechanical guage 1st.

Cheaper way tell her to turn up the radio.

 

[keeponjeepin]

I'm in the proccess of rebuilding the same engine in an 04 Wrangler for a customer. Has on 86k with a "tick". He said the prior owner did an engine flush, went to synthetic trying to clear it up. Nothing worked. I chamfered the cam bearing caps per a TSB, still there. When I placed a scope on the front of engine, very smooth sound, when placed on rear, slight noise. After teardown it was #4 piston - was carboned bad, ring's were burnt with cylinder scarring causing piston slap. My guess is these engines are so under powered they "lug" pretty bad, causing this to occur.

 

[Her Jeep]

Keep on I can atest to the fact that this combination gives you an extremly under powered vehicle. This thing can't get out of it's own way. I told her when she bought it it was a mistake. But in her world small engine and manual trans meant good mileage. You can guess about the rest of the conversation, and it has had crap mileage from the very beginning. I would just love to drop a 3.7 in front of that trans and get her some better mpg but from my investigating I would need an entire front end almost with the difference in engine geography and so forth. Thanks for the input, I might just buy a used head and see what that does.