Questions and Answers

GMC Tacoma Ticking Away Q. I recently purchased a used 1998 GMC Tacoma 4x4 with a 2.7 liter four cylinder in it. It has 42,000 miles on it. The truck has a manual transmission in it also. I have read some of the other Tacoma tech questions you answered and saw one similar to mine, but I'm not sure if it is.

I notice a sort of ticking noise coming from the front passenger side of the truck while its running, almost like a rock is getting thrown around but the noise sounds somewhat similar to the loud ticking noise the catalytic converter makes when cooling? Do you think it's a different problem or could it be one of the heat shields you mentioned in another questions? On another note I noticed a whirling noise when I let the clutch out at idle and in neutral. Is this a problem or sign of wear or is it normal?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

A. Both sounds are probably normal. The throw out bearing will make some noise when clutch is let out. Also some gears are turning inside the transmission when it's running in neutral. As for the tick noise, try to isolate it. Crawl under there and see if you can see where it's coming from.