Ticking noise from the engine

[petervivian]

Hi, guys. Recently I noticed some ticking noise from the engine. So I recorded this sound clip:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/50qeag6bsbhne ... 2.m4a?dl=0
The ticking noise seems to come from the driver side of the engine.
My vibe is a 05 with 170k miles. Recent events related to the engine include new Denso spark plugs, synthetic blend oil change. I haven't changed the timing belt or tensioner yet.
Thank you.

[ColonelPanic]

I would say start with the simplest thing first... Since it's coming from the driver's side, remove the oil cap and look into the fill hole. Check if the baffle in there is bent down too far - it can be bent to the point where it contacts the cam, causing a bit of a racket.

Good luck!

[sideshowalan]

Pretty sure they all do this, it must be some kind of vacuum line in that area.
All the vibes I've driven make a noise around there that you can easily here with the hood up.

Vibe does not have a tensioner belt, uses a chain instead that should be good for the life of the vehicle.

Ticking around the passenger side would be a concern due to the belt and tensioner.

[BenWA]

Mine is probably going to need a serpentine tensioner sooner or later. The Toyota dealer that did my coolant flush noted that it was making noise. It's just a little noisy at idle, but nothing too bad yet. But it foes have 150k miles on it. I'll have to keep an eye on it, and keep in mind that I may want to just nip it in the bud before it actually goes bad. It's no fun having to wait on a tow truck. It could potentially cause a wreck too if it suddenly goes and takes out my power steering and all.

[petervivian]

Thank you for the input. I haven't got a chance to look under the oil cap. But I hope the baffle is not as bad as this one I found by googling.

[petervivian]

Here is the picture of the baffle in my engine. What should I do now? Thank you.

[petervivian]

So I just pulled the bent baffle up.

[BenWA]

So I just pulled the bent baffle up.

Presumably it solved the problem?

[petervivian]

I'm not sure. Here's a new sound clip after the fix.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/rweooatx9ghoz ... 3.m4a?dl=0

[ImUrOBGYN]

Holy crap. I tore a Toyota dealership a new one for scratching the baffle in our RAV. They have a tendency to just jam that f'n oil pump spigot in there because they cannot secure it properly or are just too damn lazy to hold it. (I generally do my own oil changes, but at the time it was a deal that couldn't be passed up - not to mention the extended drivetrain warranty.)

Who do you generally have do your oil changes? I would be in their faces.