[tdauria]

I have noticed two noises... I have had my car for about 6 months and it has 10K miles on it.

1). When I start the car in the morning it ticks noticeably for a few minutes. Once the car is warm it quites down.

2). When I am on the highway there is a whining noise that goes away when I let off the gas. I am guessing that means it's transmission not tires.

Are these two problems common?

I have a bad feeling about the quality of this car. I didn't buy the extended warranty. Has anyone bought it after the fact? Wondering if that is even possible.

Tom

 

[rich00es]

The ticking sound when you start the car is valves. It's "supposedly" caused by the oil filter. I'm not sure technically why, but I think it has something to do with the "drain back" of oil when you shut off the engine. Fram oil filters have a history of this. This doesn't cause any harm/damage that I've read or am aware of. To stop this, try purchasing a different oil filter.
Some oil filters without the Fram name are made by Fram, including some Mopar, so check the manufacturer when you purchase the filter.
As far as your whine...My car doesn't do it. My advice is to take it to the dealer, maybe when you do an oil change, and have them check it out, especially with a road test if the noise is consistant. Best of course to have it "fixed" under warranty.
HTH.

 

[btc909]

I get the same thing, start it cold & you hear a high speed ticking sound, it goes away pretty quickly.

 

[Marcus]

As for the warranty question, I bought my warranty from WarrantyGold.Com just days before the 3-year warranty was to expire. You can still buy it after the warranty has expired but it costs somewhat more. I got their 6-year/100,000-mile Platinum plan which is bumper-to-bumper by-exclusion warranty (meaning they cover everything except what's on a short exclusion list (belts, hoses, brake rotors, brake pads, etc.). They also had zero-deductible option for only $100, which was very worthwhile compared to paying $50 for each dealer visit -- now I know I'll literally pay nothing to repair nearly anything on the car. It cost me about $1150 for the zero-deductible Platinum warranty which was pretty decent, and financing was free so I went with that too.

Marcus
'98 3.2L Intrepid ES

 

[MoparPerformance]

Probably not the tranny. Chrysler has actually issued TSB's (Technicial Service Bullitens) for this. I am assuming the TSB was to aleart dealers that the noise is normal, hopefully. A lot of these Chrysler engines do that. I remember my 99 3.2L ES did that as well. If the ticking is really bad then have the engine checked out and possibly have the timing checked and/or adjusted but hopefully it's normal.

If the noise is just at idle and it goes away after the engine is warmed up it is probably cool. If not then you want to have that checked. If the noise increases when accelerating you have a problem!

As to the whinning some Ultradrive 42LE's make a slight whining noise during accel, my 02' Intrepid does this. It almost sounds like the whining of a turbo or something, I wish.... These engines also sometimes make a slight whining noise on accel, I know my 02' 2.7 does.

Now back to the ticking noise.... You want to watch this and regularly check your engine Oil level and make sure it is a light honeyish color. I remember my Oil seemed to get dark really quick when I unknowingly had engine problems with my 3.2L.

My mother in law's Chrysler Town and Country makes a ticking noise now after the Oil had almost completely dissappeard for some unknown reason, (Had the Oil pan and plug replaced even)

I remember my 99ES 3.2L was making a ticking noise and intermittently idling rough. I also noticed that the Oil level kept dropping with no visual signs of leakage. It didn't seem to burning Oil, exhaust looked as if the engine was running lean.

I took it to the dealer and they told me my engine was fine. At about 33,000 miles (Bought it with 28,000 miles) the engine blew up and they tried to somehow blame me then reluctantly replaced the block and heads.

These are great cars, but watch that thing bro!

Take care......

[ January 30, 2002: Message edited by: MoparPerformance ]

 

[Djnrg]

A whining sound while you drive could be your water pump. Thats usually the simptom of one going bad, and was exactly what happened to mine. If you say it dissappears when you let off the gas, its probably engine related, since the tranny is still spinning at relatively the same speed if you are cruising on the highway. When you let off the gas, the engine RPM's go down, and so again, if the whine dissappears, then its most likely engine related. Now, if you slow DOWN and it stops, it could be tranny related, or other mechanics. But if all your doing is letting off the gas a bit, I'd go for the water pump. Just my 2 cents. Hope that helps...

 

[tdauria]

There is no doubt in my mind that it is the transmission... it's definitely not the engine. It doesn't make any sound no matter what the RPM's unless you are going 60+MPH. At 80MPH it's pretty noticeable.

The ticking when I start it isn't really a concern. It quiets down pretty quick.

Does anyone else notice that these cars blow white smoke a lot longer than other cars. Seems like a lot of water collects in the exhaust system...

 

[MoparPerformance]

I know what you are talking about......

My 3.2L did this as well, moisture accumulation from the exhaust, I thought it was comming from my engine. I didn't think that much moisture/water could accumulate in the exhaust. Then I did a test and came to the conclusion it was not.

I started up my car on a warm day, kept reving it, watching the water sputter out, let it run for a while then drove it a few miles, came back, revved it again and made sure that it didn't keep doin' it and it didn't so I assumed it was just major moisture accumulation. My 2002 SE doesn't do that but the usual white heavy exhaust usually when it's cold, yeah my 2002 SE does that too so I assume it's an indication of the engine running lean.

 

[tdauria]

At first I thought there might be water leaking into my engine but then I noticed on the highway that all the other Intrepids are blowing white smoke too...

Kind of weird once you notice it... all the other cars have no smoke and all the Intrepids are pumping white smoke.

Tom

 

[rich00es]

Originally posted by Tom:
There is no doubt in my mind that it is the transmission... it's definitely not the engine. It doesn't make any sound no matter what the RPM's unless you are going 60+MPH. At 80MPH it's pretty noticeable.

The ticking when I start it isn't really a concern. It quiets down pretty quick.

Does anyone else notice that these cars blow white smoke a lot longer than other cars. Seems like a lot of water collects in the exhaust system...

I'd get your car to the dealer ASAP for your transmission problem. Hopefully they'll be able to duplicate it and fix it. Keep us posted.

White smoke...none on mine, but then it's pretty hard to notice here in Texas. I think it's probably a function of how cold it is out, esp. there in Boston. Note it on a "warmer" day. I wouldn't worry about it.

HTH

 

[TrepHippy]

Me three....

This is an old thread, but what the hell. I have a ticking sound too. It developed at about 60k. At 66k now, and there's ZERO noticeable impairment to the driveability or performance of the car. I am still worried about it and am taking it to my mechanic next week. He says it sounds like it 's coming from the valve train. My 'trep makes the sound LOUDLY cold or hot, and only "goes away" when you rev the engine (basically whatever's ticking is just ticking too fast to distiguish at that point.) Other than that I have really loved this car and was excited as hell to buy it. I first noticed the Intrepids back in the early 90's when I was younger and broke and always thought they were cool. I bought my '99 brand new and fell in love with it immediately! A few minor problems here and there, mostly while it was still under warranty, so no big deal. This one though, I can't figure out because I have religiously changed the oil in it and have taken it in for all manufacturer's suggested servicing. I'll let you all know what my mechanic finds. Might as well have as many people as possible benefit from the cash I am sure to haveto fork over to him. :blush:

 

[alderran]

I'd get your car to the dealer ASAP for your transmission problem. Hopefully they'll be able to duplicate it and fix it. Keep us posted.

Actually I did bring it to two different dealers.. the second one at least admitted that they heard the noise but then gave me some bullshit about it being normal for the car.

I actually think it's drive related but maybe not the transmission. I say that because it makes the same noise at 65mph whether it's in 4th or 3rd. I tried autosticking down to 3rd one day and the noise stays the same.

It's definitely drive related because if I let off the gas the noise goes away but if I maintain my speed it's constant.

 

[alderran]

Re: Me three....

This is an old thread, but what the hell. I have a ticking sound too. It developed at about 60k. At 66k now, and there's ZERO noticeable impairment to the driveability or performance of the car. I am still worried about it and am taking it to my mechanic next week. He says it sounds like it 's coming from the valve train. My 'trep makes the sound LOUDLY cold or hot, and only "goes away" when you rev the engine (basically whatever's ticking is just ticking too fast to distiguish at that point.) Other than that I have really loved this car and was excited as hell to buy it. I first noticed the Intrepids back in the early 90's when I was younger and broke and always thought they were cool. I bought my '99 brand new and fell in love with it immediately! A few minor problems here and there, mostly while it was still under warranty, so no big deal. This one though, I can't figure out because I have religiously changed the oil in it and have taken it in for all manufacturer's suggested servicing. I'll let you all know what my mechanic finds. Might as well have as many people as possible benefit from the cash I am sure to haveto fork over to him. :blush:

Yes there are some people on this site who like to blame the owner whenever there is a Intrepid related problem but sometimes no matter how well you maintain the car things go wrong.

What engine do you have is it 2.7, 3.2 or 3.5? My 3.2L makes a ticking when I first start it on a cold morning but it goes away after a few seconds.

 

[TrepHippy]

Re: Re: Me three....

What engine do you have is it 2.7, 3.2 or 3.5? My 3.2L makes a ticking when I first start it on a cold morning but it goes away after a few seconds.

I have the 2.7. Mine is really loud, I've never heard a car make this sound before. It reminds me of one of those kid's push-toys with the little balls that pop up and down! :tongue:

Seriously though, hearing that sound it's hard to believe that there's no indication of a problem from a driveability/power standpoint. No 'missing' or anything. Whatever it is, I just hope it's nothing too expensive.

 

[adaptabl]

My 3.5 purrs like a kitten at idle and roars like a tiger when you hit the gas. Oh but I don't drive a Chrysler anymore.

 

[00ChryslerIntrepid]

My 3.5 purrs like a kitten at idle and roars like a tiger when you hit the gas. Oh but I don't drive a Chrysler anymore.

You must be very proud.

I think LHSer was wrong about you. He doesn't have any problem with you, but I know of other members who do. You can think what you want and believe what you want and even say what you want.

That's not the issue. The issue is simple: why would someone come to a forum for Intrepid enthusiasts if he doesn't own one or like them? It's not about injecting reality into the forum, as LHSer has purported, but instead it's about this self-gesticulated belief you have that the rest of us are stupid or suffering from some form of mass-delusion for being fans of the car and/or the company that produces it.

Clearly, the only reason you still post on this forum is to either A.) belittle us for owning "inferior" Chrysler products, B.) laugh at us for liking what we like, or C.) just stir up trouble. Or, perhaps, your motives are a combination of things.

You own stock in DC and that's great. I have one question: Why are you keeping it? If you have faith in the company, why do we not see it in your posts? To date, all of your posts have been two-bit soundbites with an inflammatory tone directed at Mopar fans.... many of which belong to this site.

It all doesn't make sense. But, on the other hand, I'll say this. Good luck with your car... whatever it is.


P.S. I am not in a good mood today.

 

[adaptabl]

I guess an invitation to the Christmas party is not going to be in the mail.

I do have problems with the direction DC is going. They had the oportunity to take a company that had great design and a great understanding of what north americans wanted in a car company and add the one missing item, reliability. What did they do? They killed any design that had the Chrysler look, Maybe they have some magic up there sleeve. Lets hope. DC needs to get that design magic back. Add a little Mecedes quality and customers will be fighting for cars and trucks in the dealer lots. The Intrepid is a great example. The design still looks good even after 6 years. DC needs a PT Cruiser every year of two. I don't think DC can do it. Imagine Toyota or Honda with a design team like Chrysler had. Thats what Chrysler could be.

 

[00ChryslerIntrepid]

I think such a merger of Chrysler design/engineering and reliability would have been possible with any other car company except Mercedes.

Mercedes is too stuck-up and too snobby. The new Maybach is a prime example. A "normal" Mercedes reeks of snobbery enough as it is, but the Maybach is like a whole continent of that snobbery smell.

However, since more and more people are becoming rich and selfish snobs, I'd expect a rise in Mercedes sales.

I'm sorry for being so harsh, but as I said, I am not in a good mood... and your comment that I quoted in my last remark set me off.

Who knows... maybe they will pull it off and prove me wrong. At any rate, the new LX line will be the test.

 

[TrepHippy]

My 3.5 purrs like a kitten at idle and roars like a tiger when you hit the gas. Oh but I don't drive a Chrysler anymore.

Congratulations, chief, and thanks for sharing.

 

[peva]

The whining could very well be a wheel bearing going bad. If the noise changes (gets louder or quieter, or goes away and comes back) when you shift the weight of the car from one side to the other by turning the steering wheel slightly with the car moving, then it's definitely wheel bearing.

Regarding oil filters: What rich00es was getting at was the silicone anti-drainback valve. The stuff about Fram is not quite correct. There's some information floating around the internet about Fram oil filters being bad, and people assume that anything bad about Fram filters is true.

Here's the skinny on that: Typically (not always), the bottom-of-the-line filter in any filter manufacturer's line does not have the anti-drainback valve. If you move up one level in their line, it will have the silicone anti-drainback valve. Fram puts that in their Tough Guard™ filter. Purolator puts it in their Pure One™ filter. You generally get better construction and better filter medium in that one-step-up-from-bottom filter for very little increase in price. I highly recommend the Pure One™. Don't bother spending upwards of $8 or $10 for the next level above that - you get bogus benefits, like Teflon™ particles in the filter - marketing hype - questionable benefit, and some experts even claim possibly harmful to your engine. The sweet spot in oil filters is generally one notch above bottom (as long as it has the silicone anti-drainback valve).

What does the anti-drainback valve do? It's just a check valve - let's the oil flow up (from the pump with the engine running) but not down (from gravity with the engine off). When you turn your engine off and let it sit overnight, the valve keeps the engine oil galleys and filter full of oil so when you start the engine in the morning, the oil immediately moves to the bearings, lifters, cams, etc. Without the valve, the galleys (and filter if it is not straight up and down) drain from gravity on the oil - so when you first start it up, the galleys (and filter if it's not straight up and down) have to first fill with oil before the bearings see the first drop - so your engine is running for a second or two without any oil - called dry start-up. Definitely make sure the filter you use has the silicone anti-drainback valve. (I say "silicone" because some of the valves are made of lesser materials that don't seal as well in the closed (engine off) state - if it has it, the packaging will definitely say it - look for it.)