I posted in Z06 for this noise and didn't get much help, maybe you guys in the tech section have more experience...

Sounds like my 03, 16k mile car has a ticking lifter or rocker arm, or ???
It is deffinately a light noise, not piston slap or piston pin, and absoulutely not a bearing noise.

It comes and goes, but is there more often than a couple of weeks ago when I first noticed it. The car has had the same noise when cold in the past, but now it's not going away some of the time. Seems to be coming from the rear of the driver's side valve cover area.

Is there some common thing that I should be looking for?
I have zero experience with LSx engines. In my older SBCs I'd just be tightening up a rocker arm. Is that possible with this engine? (sorry if that's a dumb question)


This is a distinct RPM related noise coming from only one side of the motor.

Are these lifter/rockers adjustable?
Are there any issues with the rockers like the LS7 had>

It's not normal, it's not related to the hoodliner (which one poster sugested), it's something different, that I'm sure is in the valve train.

Any thoughts?
I still have a GMPP extended warranty, but that's for disasters, not minor stuff. I'm not letting anyone touch my car until I know what it needs or doesn't need....

thanks,
mike

 

Hi, I have a 02 Z06 with 12K miles and I hear the same thing your describing. If there is a answer to this someone on
this forum will have it.

 

It's probably your injectors. They do tick.

 

I have had the same thing, a tick on the drivers side head.

Soon I will take the head off, replace them with 243's, LS7 lifters and hope it goes away.

Give me a few weeks and I'll tell you guys what I found

 

No is not...

 

Oh really??? Did you rush over to his house with a stethoscope?

I had the same worry when I got my BRAND new Z06? It was the injectors and I guessing that's probably your issue too.

 

ive heard injectors loud enough to fool me into thinking they were an exhaust leak or a valvetrain tick.. so dont be so positive of that. seriously they can click rather loudly. my 4runner has an injector that does this. 2nd one back drivers side bank. un plug it and the tick goes away and of course i lose a cylinder, but the tick is gone. considering the truck is 22 years old, i'd say thats pretty normal, but in your case who knows.

if my car sits for2+ weeks (only happened twice, once for a vacation and once due to foot surgery)i get a little noise when i first crank it up but it quickly fades. even though it should be a bled down lifter, it certainly doesnt sound like it in my case.. the sound has more *****. actually sounds exactly like piston slap.. which just flat out doesnt make sense but whatever.. its not persistent so i dont care.

it had a slight noise to it when i first got it that came and went, but after i changed the oil and put miles on it (my car still only has 11K miles) it has dissapeared. im running rotella 15W-40, as i do in every engine that i give a damn about. so in my case it just needed a little attention.

 

The injectors have been swaped to the passenger side when the LS6 intake went on, and different oils and brands have been used, same tick same side. Changed rockers, changed pushrods, same tick. Thats why lifters are next, I'm just waiting for the CNC heads to changed them, like I said a few weeks it will be done.

 

You may need to get a stethoscope to verify where the sound is coming from. You could have a valve train issue, a loud injector or an exhaust leak.

My new Z happened to have VERY loud Injectors (it still does). The dealer swapped them out and they where quiet for a week or two and then got very loud again. I can feel the tick in the injector, Yes I touch my injectors

My 08 Silverado has loud injectors. I give up

 

It sounds like you're on the right path.

I hope the lifters serve you well

 

Mike,

I had a ZO6 in the shop about two weeks ago that the driver was complaining of a noise. It sounded like a very bad lifter or bent pushrod. I traced the noise to the right bank. With the engine still idling I pulled the plastic valve cover cover and the source of the noise was quiet apparent. The #4 cylinder spark plug wire at the coil was loose and backed off from the coil. There was a good inch arc going from the coil to the inside of the wire cap. Shut the engine down, reinstalled the the wire and the ticking noise was gone.

This might not be your problem, but checking the spark plug wires are worth checking. Pretty easy to do.

 

How closely did you inspect the valve springs. It's not like the LS6 springs don't have a history of cracking.

 

I just listened to my engine with a stethoscope. The valve train sounds very smooth and quite, but when I listen to the injectors there is a very loud metal to metal tapping sound! They all sound like that but the drives rear is louder than the rest. Is this normal for a 02 Z06 with only 12K miles on it? It runs good.

 

He has a good point. Check those springs, the '02's had a lot of failures.

 

I forgot to mention, that when I replced the rockers and pushrods I also put on a set of new yellow LS6 springs, still same tick on the driver side head.

In my case is not an injector.


before somebody says something about it, the valves were not adjusted on this picture

 

 

I checked the injectors and it's not that.
It's also not a normal noise as I can hear it over my exhaust as speed sometimes.

I don't have LTs, so I don't think it's an exhaust leak, plus, when the sound is persistant, it happens regularly whether at idle or when loading and unloading the engine.

Do you need to pull the heads off to replace a lifter on the LS engines?

 

yes!

 

Did you listen to the injectors with a stethoscope? Your symptoms sound exactly like mine. I could even hear it at a cruz speed. I listened with the
stethoscope and it diffidently sounds like the injector to me. Valve train is very quite and smooth sounding.

 

sure hope someone finds an answer to this problem. Just got mine out of the shop for a 3rd time (3 different tuners) for the same ticking noise - mine gets a little louder when the engine is fully warmed up though. Shop just removed valve covers and thoroughly inspected everything and found no problems - he feels like cam cars often have such noises but still seems strange to me. Have checked and replaced both header gaskets with no change. I even put some heavy (STP) oil in just before last oil change and that made No difference either. The a.i.r tubes were cracked where they weld onto the headers so I had that repaired - still the same tick. Have not had the heads off to check lifters - guess thats next but the shop does not think they are bad. Those who have had noisy injectors..do they make noise at idle - or only when revved up? ..my tick is loudest btwn 1300-1700rpm.