Hey guys need a little help.
I have a PSD E350 but figure it might be a common issue. I did a search but nobody has really had the same problem.

I have a rapid ticking sound that I would best be described as a vacuum leak or exhaust manifold leak. But it's coming from up under the dash around where the brake booster is. Not sure how well sound travels on this thing but I'm fairly confident that it is NOT coming from somewhere else on the vehicle.

Is there anything up under there that could be ticking away? Pretty sure it increased in frequency with increase in RPM... but randomly goes away for a few seconds here and there.

Any ideas?
I'll do some more troubleshooting and post up any more details, I haven't checked the torque on my rockers, but like I said, I'm fairly sure it's NOT coming from the engine.

Thanks in advance.

 

Sounds like a possible exhaust leak issue. Might need new donuts or have broken studs on the exhaust connections as they are prone to ticking once they warm up and would increase with speed. Could also be a cracked exhaust manifold. I'm more familiar with this problem on gas trucks, but it shouldn't be much different with the diesel.

 

Think I isolated the noise, or at least where it's coming through.
If I manipulate the steering shaft grommet in the firewall it goes away... don't know if that helps.

 

Okay, status update.. it shuts up when I turn left... but not right.
Think it might just be the grommet letting in noise, and when I turn the wheel left it just plugs up whereas when I turn right it doesn't.

Any other input would be appreciated.