If your vehicle is showing ticking or puffing noise from the engine bay that gets louder with acceleration, here are the most likely causes and the parts you'll need to fix each one.
A failed gasket, broken stud, or cracked manifold allows hot exhaust gases to escape. This creates a ticking or puffing noise that is especially noticeable under load or hard acceleration, and often quiets down as the engine warms up and the metal expands.
If a spark plug is not torqued properly during installation, engine compression can escape past the threads. This causes a distinct rhythmic puffing or ticking sound, and if ignored, the plug can blow out entirely and destroy the cylinder head threads.
Low oil pressure, dirty oil, or a worn hydraulic lifter can cause a sharp metallic ticking noise from the top of the engine. While it speeds up with acceleration, it usually lacks the 'puffing' air sound associated with exhaust or compression leaks.
In rare cases, a cylinder head gasket can fail on the outer edge of the engine block. This allows high-pressure combustion gases to 'puff' out into the engine bay during each power stroke, mimicking a severe exhaust leak.