80LS1T Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Now Im not 100% sure if I actually am hearing some thing but I am going to try to find out if there is something wrong with my engine or if its just the injectors that I am hearing. I can hear a ticking sound when the engine is idling(800-900rpms ) and once I give it more throttle it seems to go away. Now Im not sure if its still there and I just cant hear it over the exhaust? How can I check for... 1.) bad rod bearings 2.) bad lifters/collapsed lifters 3.) bad rocker arms What else could cause a ticking sound? I know its not an exhaust leak. It is coming from the drivers side(I think). I pulled the valve cover off tonight and all the rocker arms are moving and look normal? I also pulled the injector harness off the drivers side 4 injectors one at a time to see if the ticking would go away, but it didnt(would this be the same as pulling off a spark plug wire to see if a rod bearing is bad?) Oh yeah and Im not feeling any lose of power either? I just want to make sure that Im not doing any damage internally. I say better safe than sorry! Its going up on jack stands tommorow for some things that need to be done so I will try to pin point the ticking noise if I can. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest zfan Posted August 25, 2003 Share Posted August 25, 2003 Solid lifters making noise? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 25, 2003 Author Share Posted August 25, 2003 No I have hydraulic roller lifters / tappets. Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 Well I have it up on stands now. I tried to pin point the noise and I "think" its coming from the bottom end? Man I really hope its not my rod bearings! I would be very pi$$ed off! Oh and my rear main seal is not leaking its the oil pan gasket. So atleast I dont have to pull the tranny! I am going to pull the pan tommorow night to further investigate the ticking noise. Oh and this noise just started when I switched over to Mobile 1 Synthetic? I think I might dump that oil and put some mineral based back in to see if it changes it all. Heck Im dumping the oil anyway I might as well try it! There goes $25 worth of 50 miles old oil! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rick458 Posted August 27, 2003 Share Posted August 27, 2003 the Mobile 1 may have knocked so garbage loose and that plugged a hydraulic lifter, hopefully its not a rod Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 27, 2003 Author Share Posted August 27, 2003 If it was a lifter though wouldnt that stop it from moving up and down like a normal lifter. All the lifters seem to be moving the same amount? Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darius Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 it's the injectors, they make ticking noises. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 28, 2003 Author Share Posted August 28, 2003 Well I know the injectors make a ticking noise but Im just not 100% sure that's the noise that Im hearing though. I have to drop the pan anyways to change my pan gasket because its leaking so I wll just check over the rod bearings to make sure they are all there! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMortensen Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Go get a mechanics stethoscope (sp?). Then you can place the probe around the block and head and maybe figure it out. Alternatively get a broom handle and put that up to your ear to listen. Jon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tom sixbey Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 I know that you've dismissed the notion of an exhaust leak, but my friend's mustang was the same way - and it turned out to be exactly that - even after double checking the exhaust system. If the noise is from a rod bearing, it wont tick so much at idle, but it'll start to chatter/knock loudly at about 2500-3000 RPM on up... - when rod bearings first start to go, they tend to stay quiet until the oil get slung from the crank (at least in all of my experience ). A wrist pin would make more of a ticking noise, so give the motor some running time and then check the oil for metal at your next oil change... Also - could it be possible that you've got a dry rocker arm? - i've had that happen once before on my 240... If you suspect a single noisy injector, you might want to unplug their harnesses one at a time if you can and check for a change in the sound they make while it runs. Also - what grade oil were you using? - don't abandon mobil 1 for a mineral oil - depending on the miles that are on your bottom end, i'd step up the weight. I use a 15W-50 in the summer and 10W-40 (SYNTHETIC ONLY) in the dead of winter here in Memphis TN with my 150K+ bottom ends. If you have a collapsed lifter, ive been told that it might need a couple chances to prime, so be patient for a little while... keep us posted Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 28, 2003 Author Share Posted August 28, 2003 Well I am 100% sure its not an exhaust leak. It seems to be coming from the top of the engine and not the side. I have already tried unplugging each injector but that doesnt seem to make any change in the noise. The noise does not get any louder with RPMS...that I can notice anyways? I was using 10W-30 Mobile 1.(After 1500 miles of break in mineral oil) I changed back over to Quaker State 10W-30 to see if the noise would change but it didnt do a thing. There wasnt any metal in the oil when I changed that was noticable. Now about a collapsed lifter...what would cause it to collapse? The motor seems to be running fine but theres just this ticking noise that I am worried about. I am not going to drive it until I find out what it is. I cant afford to build another motor! Thanks for the help guys and keep the help coming! Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldZguy Posted August 28, 2003 Share Posted August 28, 2003 Rods don't tick they bang, and real quick if you have a bearing going out they don't last long. Readjust your valves, you have one that for what ever reason isn't seated anymore. Even though they are hydralic they still need to be set, perhaps the lifter is broke in a bit and now it isn't pumping up to the same level giving some clearance causing the tick since they usually have 0 clearance when set correctly. Even though you have the pan off I wouldn't pull any caps, too much of a chance of introducing dirt and it's tough to torque them right laying on your back. Before you change the pan gasket adjust the valves, if that dosen't fix the tick then maybe start looking further. Lance Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tom sixbey Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 dont worry about it too much.. - its probably just the valve lash - like oldZguy said (especially if it seems to be coming from the top of the motor)... - and i didnt know you had JUST built a new bottom end for it either. - in that case, 10-30 is great, but stick with the synthetic for sure! Once you start using a synthetic, its not good to switch back and forth to a mineral oil (forgive me - i'm sure i've just insulted your intelligence with these last couple of posts!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 29, 2003 Author Share Posted August 29, 2003 Dont worry Tom I didnt take them as insults! I appreciate all the help I can get! I will adjust them tommorow night before I pull the pan. I wasnt going to pull any of the caps, I was just going to see if there were large amounts of bearing in the pan and if any of the rods were loose. So how do I adjust the rocker arms with it running? Guy PS.....This is my 1000th post! I am now a "HybridZ Master"!!! 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldZguy Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 Been forever since I adjusted hydralics but if I remember right, with the engine running at idle and hot loosen the rocker until it starts to clack then tighten it down slowly until it is quiet then either another 1/2 or full turn of the nut, don't remember for sure, I think 1/2. To keep the oil mess to a minumum take an old valve cover and cut the top off of it, that will allow the oil to run back in the galley instead of down the side of the motor. Oh and don't rev the engine with the cover off unless you want to paint the ceiling with oil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tom sixbey Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 thats sounds about right to me also.. - if you want to, you can order cut valve covers that are made just or the purpose of adjusting the lash... - i hope this fixes the problem... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 30, 2003 Author Share Posted August 30, 2003 Well I adjusted my valve lash but the noise is still there? I am beginning to wonder if its just normal. I wouldnt have been able to hear it before when I had my "high idle problem" when it ran at like 1200-1500rpms! I guess I will just have to drive it to see if it gets worse or if it just stays the same. If it was a rod would the noise get louder with RPMS? I would think it would, right? Heres the deal.... All my lifters are pumping oil up the pushrods, they all seem to be moving the same amount and they are all adjusted properly. When I pulled the pan everything seemed to be alright. No big chunks of metal in the pan. That was a relief! So what do you guys think...runner see what happens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 As was mentioned before....if it was a bearing knock, it would not be a 'ticking' sound, it would be a banging sound, like knocking 2 hammers together. Have you ruled out the injectors or spark arcing? Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
80LS1T Posted August 31, 2003 Author Share Posted August 31, 2003 It could be the injectors but Im not 100% sure if it is or not. What is "spark arcing"? Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim240z Posted August 31, 2003 Share Posted August 31, 2003 It's when the spark jumps from teh wires to the block or body, or if a plug wire isn't pushed all the way onto the spark plug and it's jumping there. Run the car at night in the pitch dark, you should be able to see if any spark is jumping around. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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