Bicycle Mechanics - Cant find noise

I have a clacking noise I believe its coming from crank arm area. It appears to happens when pedaling and the noise happens when the pedals are at 3 and 9 oclock position . I can feel it slightly in the pedals . Pedals are tight as well as crank arms . Anybody have any suggestions
Paul

Step one, eliminate the pedals for sure by replacing them with another pair. The odds of 2 pairs of pedals having having the same problem are prety high so if the noise persists, the pedals are cleared. Note, sometimes pedal threads themselves cause a click so make sure the the flat faces are clean, or add a washer.

After that life gets complicated, and the likely cause depends somewhat on the specifics of your BB and cranks. Old square taper, and spline drive cranks often click at the mounting even if they're tight.

Cartridge and the newer external BB systems can move in the shell. I test for this with a dab of brittle paint where they meet the shell, then ride hard for a few minutes. Any movement cracks the paint.

Also, if you have an external BB system where the spindle slips through the bearings, these are very prone to making noise at the spindle/bearing interface. pull out the spindle and inspect for telltale wear where the bearings sit, and reassemble with a thick grease there. Or try what I've found to work better. Build up the spindle with thin coat of paint so it's a tight fit at the bearing (I use a fairly pliable nylon paint).

That's just for starters, after that it could be anything. One hint is that you get the click at the moment of peak power, that means it could be chain tension related, either at a sprocket, or even the rear hub flexing forward at peak load.

Anyway, good luck, you may be for a long hunt.

It took me a while to find the same problem.

It was dirt trapped in the square. I cleaned it and reassmbled the parts with some never-seize and no more squeaking.

If that doesnt work FbinNY gave you more to work on.

-SP

Had the same issue a couple weeks ago. Even had a friend ride next to me to try to determine where the sound was coming from. We both swore it was the BB. Took it into the shop and it ended up being the headset. I couldn't believe it, but when I got the bike back, it was back in Ninja mode

A clacking sound has been caused by:
Stem
Loose cartridge bottom bracket
busted pedal
bad frame weld
out of spec skewer
loose crankarm
warped chainring
damage seat rail
loose headset
tools in seatbag
bottle cage bolt
chainring bolt
pedal cleat
loose cone in hub
kickstand
damaged chain link

Did I miss one?

A clacking sound has been caused by:

bunch of things

Did I miss one?

Yes.........sometimes when I ride I absentmindedly click my teeth together.