69RSer

Had a "similar" sound on a 09 5.3. We found a loose spark plug that was causing it.

My son recently got a 2009 Silverado 1500 with a 5.3. It developed a tick which he first thought was lifter, or possibly rod. I finally got to his place and took a listen. It was more prominent on the driver side and from the wheel well area. I told him that it really didn't sound mechanical, more like exhaust, but not really. I was just standing there, leaning on the fender, staring at the motor and thought i saw the #7 plug wire twitching ever so slightly. I wasn't sure if I was actually seeing that (with my 65 year old welders eyes) so I told him to watch it. He agreed. Loose spark plug. The noise went away and never came back! Not saying that this is your issue. I'm just saying that was OUR cause of an issue that many of you have. Good Luck! Hoping your solution is as simple as ours was! Note to 13chevy.121212...This also cleared up some performance/drivability issues, as it was probably drawing air and messing with the air/fuel ratio.