Hey Guys,

I've been searching for a ticking noise in my engine and I can't find or pinpoint what it is.
I've ruled out most of the basic stuff I think, tried removing the alternator belt. But still have the tick.

It sounds a lot like a lifter tick, same rhythm and "harshness". But it doesnt behave like one.

When I start the engine, the first 20-30 seconds I don't hear any noises, even now when it's freezing.
After 30 seconds I hear the tick appearing and it gets louder. Once the coolant temp reaches around 40° celsius (100°F) the tick dissapears and I won't hear it again till I start the car next morning or let it cool down enough.

So, to me, it sounds like a kind of lifter tick, but then it should start ticking immediately I think.

The engine only has 50 miles on it, roller cam with retro roller lifters, aluminium heads, floating piston pins (eagle conrods) with KB hyper dome pistons.

I'll post a video in a few minutes too.
The winner gets a coupon for a good Belgian beer...

 

Video 1 is when it starts.
video 2 is when it's getting hot enough to stop. Taking off the spark plug leads doesnt change the noise.
yes, garage is messy. I know..

 

sounds like retro roller lifters to me. They are noisy compared to flat tappet lifters. mine makes the same sounds.
I would double check your rocker arm adjustments though.

https://www.chevelles.com/threads/hy...-noise.252731/

https://www.camaros.net/threads/hydr...-noise.367329/

you can hear the sound in this linked video from the thread above.


I retore my labrum carrying a very heavy bag of Belgian beers back through an airport from a work visit there... awesome beers. I own a small brewpub and have one of my own Belgian dark strong ales on tap now inspired from that trip.

 

Rare problems

......distributor rotor is slightly hitting contact electrodes in distributor cap because cap is not seated properly?
PVC valve stickng?
Loose choke plate in carb body?
Starter gear not retracting all the way and is slightly tapping on teeth of flywheel?
Spark plug wire arcing slightly?

Use a section of rubber hose...hold one end to your ear...use other end to probe all areas of engine until you narrow down the location of the noise.

 

Looks to me like you #1 plug wire is lying on the valve cover/ intake manifold, probably snapping away. Or is there something else going on there?

 

So in the second part of your first video the ticking is pretty loud.. I seem to remember mine being loud and having a slower rhythm tick like that shortly after replacing my heads and finding one of my rockers was incorrectly adjusted and too loose. You might also have a sticking lifter.

 

When I rebuilt my 427 I installed new full Roller Rockers, stock style lifters and heavy duty push-rods. We started up the engine and it was broken in (@2000 rpm for 15-20 minutes) as you normally do for flat tappet lifters and everything was great. About 50 miles into driving the Corvette with the new engine I was cruising on the highway and I noticed a "tick" that progressively got louder. The next morning I pulled the Valve cover and that is when I found that one of my (Gold) roller rocker arms was all black and obviously damaged/cooked. It turned out that something plugged the Push-rod's Oil Passage and it did not let any oil to get to the rocker arm. The Roller Rocker arm bearings were damaged/cooked but it was not the cause of the problem. I was surprised because the push-rod had been clear when we inspected the parts prior to building the engine. While adjusting the rockers I had seen plenty of oil coming up and never would have guessed that one push-rod was blocked.

I replaced the push-rod and the roller Rocker and everything went back to normal. Fortunately the parts were replaced under warranty and they were easy to access. I was lucky that nothing broke and released any loose metal parts into the valve area, the oil was changed and the old filter opened for inspection of the oil filter magnet's inner surface only to find it clean and free of any metal.

 

great videos.. and that camaro has my old dealership Berger in grand rapids mi!
my only advice it to stethoscope the engine and really narrow down noise to an area or to an overall area.. those cheap mechanic stethoscopes work great!! and or a hose to the ear. check the fuel pump as well..

 

I do that to deceive people.
I replaced that one with a thinner wire to use my timing light. You can see there is a light Grey one on there


Thanks for all the answers so far.
I'll readjust the rockers again too

 

When I built my 496, the engine builder suggested coating the pistons to prevent piston slap when the engine is cold.
He said it’s common with most stroked or over bored engines, and some new piston designs.
The slapping won’t damage anything you just need to accept it or have the pistons coated prior to installation.
I contacted the piston manufacturer and they agreed.
If you don’t find any other issues this may just be something you will have to accept.

 

I thought piston slap was more of a thing with forged pistons and not hypers?

 

They're coated pistons as well.
I'm sick in bed so havent really been able to take a look at the car.
I've been contemplating roller rockers though. Maybe with a stud girdle, because I'm still on 3/8 rocker studs.

 

I've been an automachinst for 38 years. I wanted to say exhaust leak, because it's always missed. There is pretty good chance that's a piston slap. Sometimes an incorrect balance can cause a piston to wear unevenly to the rest. This is an issue with the new coatings. Most people think of wobble and broken flex plates when you say out of balance. It's not doomsday if it's the cause which it probably not.
I'd say it's just a run of the mill slap. How's it over 2500 and as soon as you get of the highway? That will tell you if it's in the valvetrain.

 

hey,

When I look up piston slap it indeed has that same symptoms the people on the LS forum seem to have, ticking after 30 seconds and stopping after a few minutes.
would it be visible with an endoscope?
iirc it just ticks through the rev range when cold, have never been able to get the car on the highway yet because it isn't registered.
The engine should be balanced quite well, paid 500$ to get it balanced

 

So with just 50 miles on the engine, post #1, how did you seat the rings if you haven’t been able to drive it on the highway, post #14, and put the engine under a load?

 

They're probably not seated yet, only did the cam break in twice. Although ive had people telling me the ring shoukd be seated already during cam break-in..
I can only say it doesnt have any blowby. Would unseated rings cause noise?

 

I’m just thinking you may be jumping the gun a little on this new engine.
Without knowing what has been seated or broke in you may want to put a little time on it before you start tearing into it for a slight tick.
Is there anyone in your area with a chassis dyno so you can get some time, tune and load on the engine?

 

I-think I- found it.
bad spark plug (gasket).
With a hose in my ear I could hear it a lot clearer. Removed plugs, replaced the plugs and didnt hear the tick on cold start ( freezing here).
So I think I can relax again...

 

Nice trouble shooting!