HELP!! Tapping/Clicking sound from engine (Video)
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
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From: Newport News VA
HELP!! Tapping/Clicking sound from engine (Video)
Hello again,
Sorry it seems like I make a new thread every other day but I'm getting some good advice here frequently.
My car is making a very noticeable tapping/clicking sound.
It's louder at cold start ups but is still there after warmed up at idle.
Sometimes the clicking comes and goes at idle once warmed up but is always there when you give it some gas.
The clicking gets faster with the rpms.
It's coming from the passenger side and seems to be from somewhere on top.
You can hear it amplified through the longtube headers if you listen from under the car.
It's definitely not an exhaust leak, I just finished taking care of that with some GM gaskets so I know what that sounded like.
I don't have any codes or anything.
Oh and the car is cammed.
This is a video of it here, you can hear the tapping from :22 seconds on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr9gtsxfDfQ
and another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgjRIO0VXDY
Thanks for the help,
Adham
Sorry it seems like I make a new thread every other day but I'm getting some good advice here frequently.
My car is making a very noticeable tapping/clicking sound.
It's louder at cold start ups but is still there after warmed up at idle.
Sometimes the clicking comes and goes at idle once warmed up but is always there when you give it some gas.
The clicking gets faster with the rpms.
It's coming from the passenger side and seems to be from somewhere on top.
You can hear it amplified through the longtube headers if you listen from under the car.
It's definitely not an exhaust leak, I just finished taking care of that with some GM gaskets so I know what that sounded like.
I don't have any codes or anything.
Oh and the car is cammed.
This is a video of it here, you can hear the tapping from :22 seconds on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tr9gtsxfDfQ
and another:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgjRIO0VXDY
Thanks for the help,
Adham
Last edited by adham; Sep 2, 2011 at 08:27 PM.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,983
Likes: 393
From: Stoney Creek Ontario
Hmmmm..... Sounds familiar like when a lifter went south on mine...but hard to hear it here on my boat on my IPad...pull the valve cover on the noisy side, and check your springs and pushrods etc....mine was an easy fix....just pulled the heads, cam, etc, and threw in some new LS7 litters, big cam since I was in there anyway, big heads, long tubes, intake, throttle body, UD pulley, CAI, shaft mounted rockers, 3.42 gears, 3000 stall, trans Cooler, plus plus etc etc. Now the lifter noise is all gone! 
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
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From: Newport News VA
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Newport News VA
Hmmmm..... Sounds familiar like when a lifter went south on mine...but hard to hear it here on my boat on my IPad...pull the valve cover on the noisy side, and check your springs and pushrods etc....mine was an easy fix....just pulled the heads, cam, etc, and threw in some new LS7 litters, big cam since I was in there anyway, big heads, long tubes, intake, throttle body, UD pulley, CAI, shaft mounted rockers, 3.42 gears, 3000 stall, trans Cooler, plus plus etc etc. Now the lifter noise is all gone!
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,983
Likes: 393
From: Stoney Creek Ontario
My buddy has a similar problem 2 years ago, sounded pretty loud, worse than mine was, he did a couple of oil change flushes with some kind of lifter flush stuff he bought at the auto parts store, and hasn't had a problem since! Most SBC litters have a tiny bleed hole in them that can get plugged up, for whatever reason, causing the lifter to not pump up completely.......good luck and let us know what you find out...
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Newport News VA
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Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Newport News VA
Intermediate
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 37
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From: Shawnee Kansas
Pull both valve covers. We had an 03 ZO6 at work with a tapping noise. Sounded like it was coming from the right side but everything looked good. Then we pulled the left side and found a broken spring.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 4,983
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From: Stoney Creek Ontario
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
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From: Newport News VA
Springs look fine. To inspect the rods I would have to unbolt the rockers obviously so my question is do I have to do any special adjusting to the rockers when I put them back on?
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,423
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
No, but you do need to rotate the engine, so you do not torque down the rocker.....on an open valve.
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Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
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From: Newport News VA
I'm not sure I follow. I'm mechanically inclined but sounds like a job not cut for me. I don't want to make things worse, I'd rather have someone take a look at it. How would you rotate the engine?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
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From: Newport News VA
Tech Contributor
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 19,423
Likes: 1,146
From: Dyer, IN
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 105
Likes: 0
From: Newport News VA
Thanks for the help everyone, keep it coming.
Adham