Hi - possibly a paranoid new owner here, but I noticed the engine making a new much louder 'ticking' noise during my commute this morning. It kicks in when the car is idling or slowing down for a stop - does this sound like something to worry about?

http://teamouse.net/carnoise.wav

All relevant information I can think of... this is a 2015 EXL, bought new a couple of weeks ago. This was taken by passing a phone over the bonnet to see if I could identify exactly where the noise was coming from (I couldn't), inside a garage, on a wet day(?) with about 1/8th of a tank of fuel left.

Thanks for any help!

 

Welcome to having an engine with Direct Injected fuel. Since the fuel is injected directly into the cylinders it is done at a higher pressure than port fuel injected engines. It also will be a bit louder when the car is cold as it is attempting to warm the engine fast.

 

Thanks for your response, that makes a lot of sense and eases my mind I took a look around online and saw people comparing direct fuel engine noises to a diesel engine, which was exactly what I was thinking it sounded like. That would also explain the subtle buzzing noise that I thought I was hearing while accelerating this morning, I thought I was just being paranoid.

I'm not totally sure why I only heard it starting this morning, but maybe I was just hypersensitive to it after noticing it the first time!

 

It's louder when decelerating because fuel is shut off to the injectors and is simply being pumped back to the tank (sounds a little different). My diesel truck does the same thing.

es

 

When I traded in my 2012 civic, I asked the dealer if the ticking noise is normal before I took the car off the lot. Sales told me he drove a few 2015's and they all tick like that. Normal operation.