Q: Engine tick and check engine light.
My 2011 GMC Sierra 1500 has the check engine light on. A few days before the light came on, I noticed my engine had a tick which sounded like a lifter, but didn't seem loud enough to be a lifter. So I called OnStar yesterday and they said my truck was experiencing problems with the fuel system and that the code was PQ19A, the light remains on and I have to commute a long ways to and from college. Could it be my injector going out? It is a tick not a knock
My car has 118200 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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Hello, thanks for writing in. It is possible that you have a fuel injection issue, but that is not that common on this vehicle. Most of the time when this occurs with a ticking noise also it is due to a problem with the valve train. The variable valve timing on this vehicle tends to have issues causing the timing valve body to fail. In some cases this can be as simple as the wrong oil being used or a dirty oil filter so I always change the oil first. If that does not help then further diagnostics will need to be done to determine if there is an internal issue with the valve timing control system. If you are planning on having this ticking noise and engine code checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose and repair this.
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