Engine Ticking sound

I have an 08 Suburban 1500 4wd with flexfuel. (I have never run it on e85). I am located in upper lower Michigan. It has 19,000 miles on it. Recently, I noticed on a cold start, the engine is making what sounds like a "ticking" sound or as I would have called it years ago, a "tappet" sound.

It just started doing this and usually disappears after the vehicle has been driven for a few miles. Letting is it sit idling for 10 minutes does not seem to stop the noise. It's only after it is driven that it seems to disappear.

Any ideas what may be causing this and what the fix might be? Is it even a cause for concern?

Any thoughts are appreciated.

How loud is it? Have you noticed it on the vehicle before? The fuel injectors on the 2000 and newer Suburbans seem to make ticking noises. More so than my 96'. Our 04' Suburban, with the 5.3 liter Vortec, makes a slight ticking noise, which is the fuel injectors doing their job. I notice they are a little more defined in the cold, and I don't know whether that's just my mind playing tricks on me or just a sound it makes when it's cold. I'm assuming it's still under warranty? If it concerns you much, or it gets worse, it might be worth taking it in to get it checked. I would guess it is fine though. :2cents:

1993Suburban

It's loud enough that I noticed it for the first time a couple weeks ago. I don't believe it was doing that prior to this. I know it can be caused by a lot of different things, mostly harmless I hope. It is still under warranty and I plan on taking it in next week to a Chevy dealer. For what it's worth, this is my 5th burb. My first one was a 99 and 4 of them prior to this have been great. None ever made this sound though. I will post what I find out from the dealer.

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah let us know what you find out from the dealer. Hopefully it won't be a big deal.

I had noticed the same slight ticking noise from a couple of the last late model Chevy trucks I've had and read somewhere that the lifters have a high bleeddown rate to cut down on emissions at idle. I don't know if that's true, but I put many miles on them and the noise never got any louder or went away.

[quote=chevygolfguy]I have an 08 Suburban 1500 4wd with flexfuel. (I have never run it on e85). I am located in upper lower Michigan. It has 19,000 miles on it. Recently, I noticed on a cold start, the engine is making what sounds like a "ticking" sound or as I would have called it years ago, a "tappet" sound.[QUOTE]

It is possible with cold weather and IF you don't drive very far excessive moisture has bulit up in the crankcase...this would interfere with proper lubrication...check engine oil for condition..with 19,ooomi it should be difficult to see the oil level on the dip stick...check fill cap inside for water/condensation build up..