Hi, I am getting a ticking during the first minute or so of cold startup. It sounds to be coming from the cambelt/alternator belt area. It cannot be heard inside the car and seems to be louder when listening under the car

I replaced the alternator belt hoping that would fix the problem, no luck.
cambelt is 40,000k old.
Spark Plugs are tight.

I dont think its from the exhaust manifold either as it sounds very mechanical.
Doesnt sound to be coming from inside the engine.

Could it be a cambelt or alternator belt tensioner?
What else could possibly tick over on that side of the engine?

This one has got me stumped

Thanks

would an injector stop ticking when it warmed up?

btw, Its quite a loud tick and you could probably hear it from 20 meters away on a quiet morning
But as I said, the ticking is gone within a minute of driving.

I doubt its anything inside the engine to be honest.

I had a few friends suggest a manifold crack as well.

I got under and had another good listen today. Used the old screw driver against the ear and it definately sounds like the ticking is coming from the crank pulley or close to it.

It seems I also have a oil leak around the valve cover as the top of my sparkplugs are covered in oil. Could oil be leaking into the cambelt area and cause the ticking?

thanks for your help