i know its rare for the 3800 engine to act up, but im hearing a strange tapping noise in the engine of my 01 SE.

its only happens when its around 1900 to 2200 rpms, and sometimes it does it, sometimes its not there.
anyone have any problems with that before?

just tuned up 3000k ago. and i feed it 87 octane. 89 never seems to make a difference to me, but im not a certified bonneville nut yet, i have a long way to go

Any other symptoms or information to go on?

Does it appear to be something like an exhaust leak?
Do you change the oil regularly?

Not to hijack but it may be helpful for him too. What does an exhaust leak sound like?

I spotted your problem. Your last tune up was 3,000,000 miles (3000k) ago.

Seriously, does it only do it under a load, or will it do it in neutral as well? Put the car on ramps and listen from the bottom. It could be a number of things.

the best i can describe it is when im at a low speed, occasionally i will hear the slight tap. almost the same sound as if you take a ball point pen and click it several times in a row.
I changed the gas to 89 octane to see if it really does do something.

As for the oil. its changed every 3500 miles. the next oil change in june, i will be putting Mobil 1 synthetic in. the car has 100k on it.
I just tuned it up in january.

IIRC (Oh Toasty) there'* an air pump that might click like that.

hmmm.. strange...

can you try to give us a really good idea of exactly WHEN this occurs? While coasting... while accelerating, while lightly accelerating.... can you replicate the problem in park/neutral by gently revving the engine? is the engine warm, or cold?

Thats the noise mine was making and it was the belt tensioner. If you watched it you could see it jumping and hear the clicking, just a thought, good luck !

you mentioned that you did a tune up recently.. did you change the PCV is part of the tune up?

alright, im still learning the business...
what is a bell tensioner?
what is the PCV?

The engine only does it on acceleration, light and heavy. i hear it better when im lightly pressing the gas, cause the roar of the engine drowns it out. it will do it hot or cold.

if im missing the boat here, shoot me an AIM message.
thanks everyone for the input so far

pete

Again, this is on my 2001 car