Please help with ticking noise

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UOP

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Ok so here's the deal. My buddy and I've been trying to figure this ticking noise out for over a year, on and off as we get frustrated. For the life of us we just can't figure out what it is. We upgraded the top-end and have had this problem since first start-up. The engine specs are as follows:

-69 383, bottom-end has about 10k miles on it. We did not touch rotating assembly.
-440 Source heads installed out of the box
-Hughes adjustable rockers
-Hughes pushrods
-Comp XE275 cam
-Comp flat tappet hydraulic lifters
-Comp timing set
-MP oil pump
-MP fuel pump (reused old pump rod)
-MP windage tray
-Eddy Airgap intake

Is that enough info? If not I'll be happy to elaborate on anything about this combo.

This is what we've done so far.

-Checked, double checked, and triple checked the rocker adjustments.
-Pulled intake manifold and inspected for a wiped cam lobe. Not saying there is no way, but we didn't see any signs of scarring or anything like that on the lobes or lifters. Though neither of us have seen a wiped cam.
-Replaced lifters with new Comp units.
-Replaced header gaskets.

Both of us have gone over this engine high and low with a stethescope trying to locate the problem. We've isolated the tick to cylinder #6, or atleast that's where our best guess it. We did not hear anything on the side of the block. The intake port for cylinder #6 is the spot where we can hear the tick the loudest. Here is a pic of the location where we believe the tick is originating. Or atleast as close as we can get.

stethescope.jpg


Do you guys have any ideas of where we need to go from here? This tick is so loud you can hear it from several feet away with the hood closed and it's driving us crazy! Any help will be greatly appreciated.
 
Put a vacuum gauge on it at idle, and tell us if it fluctuates; run an unlit propane torch around #6 when running.
 
Checked the vacuum. We connected it to a port on the base of the carb and got a steady reading of 5.5 in at idle.

We'll pull the valve cover tomorrow and check to see if the rockers are rubbing. Also check the pushrods while we're at it.

Thanks for the quick reply. Will keep you posted.
 
Did you use the Hughes directions for determining the required length of the pushrods then have them make the push rods up. Also did you do the final check (with the new push rods) of the rocker "roller to valve stem face" contact pattern as you rolled the engine over slowly on all 16 valves?
 
Beat me to it Demonseed. May be the roller clicking the edge of the valve tip face if geometrys not right.
 
Yes, they are custom length pushrods. When we installed them (the new ones) we marked the valve stems with permenant marker to verify that the roller tips were in the center of the valve. It's not 100% perfect, but VERY close to dead center. However, we didn't mark ALL of the valve stems, including the ones in the area in question. I'll put that on the list for tomorrow.

Thanks
 
Well, I'm in kind of the same situation, 383 with ticking niose but only when the engine is cold.
Got the ticking noise when I bought the car, totaly stock 383, I then changed the 516 heads to a reworked 915 heads, new Lunati cam kit with lifters (701/301LK if it matters) new pushrods to get the right preload, new cam drive kit from Summit and so on...
Now when I start the engine cold I get a ticking noise that almost disappear when the engine get hot/warm, just like before I changed the cam etc.
I run 20/50 oil and here in Sweden the temperature is about 60-70F, should I use a thinner oil, maybe 10/30?
I've isolated the tick to cylinder 1-3 and I can hear it slightly even when the engine is hot but not as much as when the engine is cold.

Any thoughts?
 
I have experienced similar ticking after engine overhaul. Usually it is a lifter that isn't fully bled. It usually resolves it self.
 
Wait, this thread was started int 2010. Should'a checked before I posted!
 
Yes, thread started in 2010 but still 2017 I got this issue.

Dartswinger70 said:
I have experienced similar ticking after engine overhaul. Usually it is a lifter that isn't fully bled. It usually resolves it self.
Click to expand...

Forgot to mention that after about 800 miles of driving the ticking is still there, the engine also have new stamped rockers.
The bottom is untouched.
 
Zwap said:
Yes, thread started in 2010 but still 2017 I got this issue.



Forgot to mention that after about 800 miles of driving the ticking is still there, the engine also have new stamped rockers.
The bottom is untouched.
Click to expand...
I had the issue in a 318 I was running, and also in a 5.0 Ford that I overhauled for a customer. It went away in both engines. Hydraulic lifters. I have since pulled the 318 and installed my 340. I still have the 318 as a spare engine. If I were to chase down that noise, I would pinpoint it with a stethoscope, like the op. If it were in the valvetrain, I would pull the valve cover(s) and "wiggle" each rocker by hand. I am assuming you have the non adjustable valvetrain. I would also strt the engine and visually observe the valve train looking for the excessive lash. Then start eliminating things, if it isn't a lifter, it could be a bent/short pushrod, I am thinking anything other than that would present worse symptoms, for example, I once saw a pushrod break through a rocker on a high mileage Small block Chevy, but that engine symptom was bad idle and popping through the carb. If a cam lobe was worn or incorrectly machined, it should run bad, like a dead cylinder. If it is a tick in the valve train , it most likely is excessive valve lash.
 
I had a tick once, caused by the mechanical fuel pump going bad..... lever jumping off the cam. But dont think it went away when it warmed up. You all are running electric pumps ya?

.02
 
clementine said:
I had a tick once, caused by the mechanical fuel pump going bad..... lever jumping off the cam. But dont think it went away when it warmed up. You all are running electric pumps ya?

.02
Click to expand...

Did it tick at idle?
 
Did you try seeing if the tick changes tone by pulling plug wires one at a time.... while running of course. If there is something going on with the valve train (or rod knock) I think it changes tone....? Maybe someone can confirm or deny....looking for quick n dirty diagnostics.....
 
clementine said:
Did you try seeing if the tick changes tone by pulling plug wires one at a time.... while running of course. If there is something going on with the valve train (or rod knock) I think it changes tone....? Maybe someone can confirm or deny....looking for quick n dirty diagnostics.....
Click to expand...
I think that's more for a rod knock, if you remove spark, it eases the pressure on the rod hammering, changing the volume of the knock. I am not sure what effect it would have on excessive valve lash, but its worth a try i suppose.
 
My bet is with Dartswinger70. Start her up with valve cover off and a towel stuffed next to head to catch oil, when she is cold and check valve train stuff.

When I read back on this thread, I suppose that even if you replaced all the lifters, it's possible to still have one that pumps up slow. Seems unlikely, but possible. You are doing/ have done, the things necessary to track the tick down. I have had some luck with additives like Rislone or Hyperlube if not to fix problem but to at least confirm or deny one. (Rislone being a solvent, Hyperlube is super thick.....pretty sure I got that right)
 
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Well, it dont seem to be a rod knock, did the test with pulling plug wires one at a time, the ticking doesn't change or dissapear.
The strange thing is when I start the engine cold (over night) it's quiet, but after about 2-3 minutes on idle it begin with a couple of tick and after that it tick instantly, then after fully warmed up it tick but much quiter compared to under warm up. Exactly the same as before the top rebuild: (cold startup)Quiet->(under warmup)TICKING->(fully warmed up)ticking
But of course, if it had a worn out lifter before and one of the new one is crappy then it's no difference.
Non adjustable new stamped steel rockers.
New mechanical fuel pump.
I've always run this engine with 20/50 oil, maybe once it got 10/40 but no difference, I've tried Wynns Super Charge a couple of times before the top rebuild, but no difference, do you think I shoud go the other way with thinner oil?
Oil pressure about 45-50psi at idle.
I finally got the valve cover sealed without any leaks but I will pull them and start her up to see if I can figure out if there's something wrong.
 
Zwap said:
Yes, thread started in 2010 but still 2017 I got this issue.

Forgot to mention that after about 800 miles of driving the ticking is still there, the engine also have new stamped rockers.
The bottom is untouched.
Click to expand...

Stamped rockers... So you have adjusted lifter pre-load by buying the correct length pushrods, I assume? If you can kind of locate the area its coming from, you might want to check the pre-load on the suspect rockers.
 
Thats correct, but belive me, I spend a lot of time getting the correct pushrods to get the right pre-load on each valve/lifter before running in the camshaft.
 
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