Acouple weeks ago when at the track; it felt as if the car stopped pulling for the last couple 100 ft before the traps (1/8 mile). Didn't fall on it's face or anything just more like "ok we are here lets just cruse now." Looking over the datalogs, pulling plugs and everything else nothing seemed to be amiss, so back out for another pass. Next was the same type of deal, get after the 330, and "cruse" mode was locked in. We couldn't find anything out of place after the second atemp so we packed it up and came home, jokeing about how "it's not fast enough" again.

Sunday morning we put the full exh. back on the car to drive it on the street. (open dp's exit both sides of bellhousing at track) Right when I started the car, there was a noticeble tick-edy tick tick comeing from the driverside bank, around #5-6. First thought was a broken spring, and an explination for the "I'm not going to pull anymore" I was experencing.

Pulled the valve cover off and inspected the best we could. Nothing looked out of place or broken from the best I could tell. Pulled all the rockers out, check all the cam lobs, looked at springs the best I could. I switched # 7-8 rockers with 5-6 figureing that there could be some wear on 5 or 6 and maybe this would tell something. Got it buttoned back up hit the switch and everything was singing like a sweet little song bird. The tick was gone and everything was ready to rock. The next day driving the car to work I start to hear this intermittent tick........tick tick.................tick....tick................................tick.......tick tick tick tick.. When I pull up to work the tick is gone, after work driving home no tick at all.

Next morning same type of deal, no tick then starts the tick very speratick the it's gets tickn. I noticed that when I got to work and shut the car off that I head the tick till the engine stopped turning, so now I think ok I got a tapped thats got trash/failed. Lucky me I have a set of soild tappets for the motor, I put those in startup everything is fine no tick just the lovely clatter of a solid valve train. Drove the car and evrything was good to go I was pig happy, driving the car to work yet again I get the dreaded tick, thinking I lashed one wrong I get up a fresh set of 16 stock hydro tappets and throw those in. Once all were pumped up everything was rock solid, drive the car for two days with no problems, third day thy bringith the tick.

The tick is very come/go as it pleases, even without changing parts.
It is for sure at #5 #6 cylinders, more 5 I think

I've done everything minus pulling the head off, and looking at the valve itself. I've changed rockers, and tappets.

I haven't taken the springs off and inspected them, on the heads they seem ok, even when you compress them.

Does this kinda sound like a broken spring, broken something, it's about to drive me up the wall because I can't stand this tinny lill tick tick ticky ticky.


please help. If I have to pull this motor out to snatch a head I'm probably gonna put some nasty pushrod in it lol

 

here is a vid from the other weekend

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Maybe a few of the valve springs are getting weak and not letting the valve seat all of the way before the lobe on the cam comes back around and is making the racket. Just a guess.

Possibly the back pressure from the turbos are causing the valves to float earlier than they would have in n/a trim causing it to lay down once the boost is in.

 

Im voting for valve float... double check all of your valve train tolerances after one or two heat cycles.

 

This valve train tick has me about baffled. I agree that the springs could be weak. They have been in for a whole season, plus they seem kinda soft when I compress them to get the rockers in an out .

But what is getting me is that the tick is only there when you are free reving/ under a no load situtation or ridding down the road at a neutral state.. At idle it is a very slight tick tick, but as you bring it up in neutral the tick gets louder.. If you put the car in gear and bring it up under a load with the transbrake there is no tick tick.

Also today I got the car ready for the track, I switched out the 93octane for some C16, started the car, and right before my ears the motor started to get quiter and quiter. Now I know that rac gas has lead in it, and the lead was used to quiet them down. I'm not sure what valve guides and the like my motor has in it, but the motor was broken in on 93 before we ever dynoed it. During the whole breaking period and various other times it never made any sound. The builder never said hey you've got blah blah you need to run leaded fuel to keep it quit.

But now at the end of the season I develop a valve train tick outta no where. That I'm gonna go on a limb and say was cured by leaded gas? I'm going to drive it in the morning so will know for sure I hope.

If it is my springs starting to give up, which company do I need to look to for the new hot ticket valve springs?

 

cam journal. This is common.

 

please explain more?


I was figureing that the leaded gas was keeping the valve from slapping the seat somehow takeing the tick out. maybe I've got a slight bent or knicked valve that is rotateing and causeing the tick to come and go as it does??

Morning wake the world up joy ride will hopefully tell if the tick is gone or not with the gas swap


My father told me today that there is a mark on the driverside compressor wheel from where something went threw it. I will also investigate that before the joy ride. From the way he was telling me made it sound like a blade is about to fly off.

 

Are you sure it isn't a header leak? Just looking out for the basics.

 

I had a simlilar noise issue that defied explanation (4 cyl diesel though) untill I pulled the head and found a damaged guide, no noise at all at times and a pronouced tick at other times, had no access to the spring/valve/retainer due to bucket and shim setup. so a 'wobble' test was out.

 

At this point after yesterday and today, thats the only thing I have left. The leaded gas does make the motor that silent at best , but the tick is still come go.

I also uncovered some other issues jst now, that I've got a temp difference in my driver and passenger side banks of about 20*. Also the tick seems to be silent when the motor is cold , and comes on as the heat builds the tick is also on the hotter side of the motor. Going to rearange some hoses see if I can fix it (it's from a resent intake swap).

If this motor last till end of Nov. I will be happy, needs to come out anyway just trying to make it last.

 

Do you have the coolant mod done?

 

We did have the mod done but when going back some hoses got T'ed into different places, to try something different. didn't seem to work. All it seemed to do was cause the driverside bank to recerculate itself

 

perhaps a partiallt burnt valve, not too likely but i've seen it b4.

 

This might be a longshot but.. Years ago I had a 355 chevy I rebuilt it had a problem similar to yours. Damn thing had a intermitent tick I couldnt figure out for nothing! One of the mechanics I worked with walked up and listened to it said it was ignition noise. Sure enough tried cap rotor and wires it was fixed. I know you have coil on plug but try changing plugs and inspect the boot's. good luck!

 

have you tryed the trany fluid test yet?

 

What test would that be? acouple of months ago when I had the motor apart doing rings. I filled the heads with karocien? (sp) no leaks everything was "seep" proof.

I've also been threw this many many times. The car is FAST with 98 coil packs, I've been threw about 5 sets of wires dealing with "spark arc" and the like. We have a set of wires on there now that we are using to eliminate the same "arc" typ deal you are speaking of. The new wires should be here this week along with fresh plugs.


At one time I was thinking that I was getting a weird spark knock or fuel knock out of the cyclinder that is tapping, reasoning behind was I was running 25* timming out of boost. I pulled it back to 20* samething 18 same 16 same, welp there went that idea. Also put C16 back in the car and the tap quit for about 2 days, then back again. This time it is very very subtle, but I'm thinking the only reason it isn't as loud this time is due to the lead (whole motor is silent with the lead).

but good news is, that I got my coolent straightned back out, and both banks are now the same temp again. I'm waiting on Friday now to see if it blows or goes.

 

add about half a quart of transmission fluid to the oil. if its a mechanical rattle, lifter, rocker, pushrod it will silence it almost instantly after you apply it. if it takes say 10 minutes its something you dont want to have to fix, ie, piston pin, valve guide, bearing etc...

 

Welp we ran the car tonight and it did a whole lota nada. The tick is still come and go but the car just wont go. Car drives around fine does a burn out fine, but when the tree drops and the peddle goes down nothing happens.

It jumps up to abour 5300-5400rpm and feels like it hits the wierd wall and wont pull past it, then everything drops off. It feels like some really wierd 2-step or flame blow out, or just like somebody all out pulled the plug. We worked at it all night getting it better and better, but still not right by no means. Last atemp of the night resulted in coming off the transbrake, and the car acted like it was a light bulb and somebody was switching the power on and off.

We are going to check everything over again reall good, do leak downs and the like to see where we stand with this motor.


If anybody has and ideas, feel free.

 

Did you ever mention what kind of cams your running ? It probably doesn't matter .....anyway I was thinking about your tick problem and I remember a few years ago I had a similar noise in my lightning....this was after some head work. The engine ran great, its just that it was a little noisy on the top end, I pulled it apart and started doing some checking and found some interesting stuff but to this day I'm not sure if it was the actual problem because I changed combo's and well.....anyway.
What I found was first of all the stock cams had a bit of lobe taper to them...and the rocker tips as they hang over the valve stem had something like .013 clearance side to side. If you grabbed onto a rocker and wiggled it you could here it clack on the valve stem. So here is my theory.....the taper on the cam lobe was kicking the rocker arm side ways as it came around and the tip of the rocker was slapping the side of the valve stem.

How's that for a far reaching....out there....kind of theory.
Its late its the best I could do.
Dale

 

My car also started to lay down and tick after a 1/4 mile pass about 4 months ago. A setup like yours, but twin 46's. I didn't drive it any more after hearing the tick. I pulled the engine and took it to my engine builder. We did a leak down test and #5 and #6 were leaking badly. We pulled the heads and had them checked out and they found that some of the valve guides were bad and the valve seat on 5 and 6 was screwed up. I then had Steen racing port, polish, new larger valves and new valve springs with a seat pressure of around 105lbs. My engine now makes no noise.

Have you done a leak down test yet?
What does your car run at the track?