I have an 06 2.4L that makes this rattling noise whenever i accelerate (not when I coast). I just noticed it today. It doesn't seem to be affecting the performance.

Any thoughts on what it could be?

 

is it coming from the engine? what area can u tell its coming from? ive been battleing the same issue with my 2.4 for over a year now. my engine makes a rattle/tick noise when u tap on the gas really lightly or driving threw a drive threw u can hear it echoing off the walls. the dealer has tried everything and still no luck. so far oil pressure is great, timing chain, tensioner, cam gears, and cam phaser have been replaced and after all that it went away until i changed my oil and it came right back.

 

if its the little tick that echo's its either a small exhaust leak or the its the same tick that you hear when you turn the car off from the exhaust. now the OP may be experiencing the same noise i'm hearing upon heavy acceleration there's a growling type noise that happens for about 2 seconds then goes away. i dunno what it is, i assumed it was due to my CAI

 

its not a exhaust leak atleast not in my case. when i say i hear it echoing off the wall in a drive threw i just mean u can hear it more clearly and more pronounced. they've had a scope all over my engine its defiantly internally. but it comes and goes its hard for them to know exactly where its at because they wont tear back in to my engine again after replacing what they did and it still not fix it. sorry for stealing ur thread but EVERY TIME i change my oil is when it starts ticking/rattleing alot more noticiable and alot more frequent. is this the case for your 2.4 benzer? For instance the last time i took it to the dealer for this issue they thought it was a rod bearing but they also checked my cam bearings/caps for wear or scaring and they said after checking them and reinstalling them and torquing them back to spec the noise was gone completly and has been for 3 months until this sunday when i changed my oil and 40 miles later its back... doesnt make sense. unless there adding something to my oil and just saying there fixing it.. my car only has 38k and i baught it with 12k this time last year and this is when it started and on top of that all my miles are highway.. i dont beat on it and i change my oil faithfully every 4k with mobil one since the day i baught it.

 

mine does the exact same thing. bet you don't notice it when the car is still cold eh. its the exhaust metals expanding and contracting. you get the same tick noise when you shut the car off after driving for a while

 

i know what your talking about, the exhaust making a tick noise when its hot and cooling back down. yes i do hear that, and when the car shuts off. But the tick my engine is making will speed up and will stick with the rpm of my engine. where as the exhaust tick from expanding and contracting will not speed up exactly with the rpms. i tinted a cobalt with a 2.4 and only 35k also today. didnt make any sound compared to mine

 

all i know is i have the same tick, i know which one your talking about. the one that you can only hear when next to a wall or in a drive - thru and changes with rpm speed. i get it, i've just learned to ignore it but then again i do have a small exhaust leak at the dp/resonator flange which i'm thinking is what that is.

 

Thanks for the insights. I'll definitely look for leaks, but it only makes the noise when I accelerate, and it's the same wether it is hot or cold.