I have a 2008 Honda Accord with a V6. From 25-50 mph there is an audible ticking sound. I can't tell if it's coming from the front or back. It stops at speeds over 50 mph and stops when you apply the brakes. I replaced the brake pads all around and it is still ticking. The speed of the ticking also increasing with increasing speed and visa versa. Any ideas?

 

Noises are tough to diagnose over the web.

Does the ticking increase when you go faster? What happens if you use the emergency brake to stop the car?

Have you checked for stones in the treads of the tires?

 

I checked all the tires and found nothing. I haven't tried the e brake yet, but the noise definitely increases in when you go faster and decreases when you slow down.

 

Shift into neutral & coast. Does the noise drop off with engine RPM or does it stay with road-speed?

 

The noise stays constant with the transmission in neutral at speed. At speeds over 25mph when I turn hard left or right the noise stops for a second. I jacked the car up and jerked on the wheel to look for play. I didn't find any play in either front wheel so I don't think it's a bearing. Maybe a ball joint?

Thanks for the help!

 

Seems like ball joints would knock in a non-rhythmic manner. Something that's regular rhythmic ought to be rotating along with the wheels.

Don't rule out wheel bearings just yet; they can fail in a few different ways. Couple weeks ago daughter's car had a bad wheel bearing. It was not loose at all - in fact it was tight. There was no play in the wheel, it just made bad noises. Once I removed the bearing THEN I could tell it was very rough when I spin it.