alright i bought a 1987 camaro for 500 dollar about two weeks ago the person who sold me the car told me there was a clicking in the engine.. Well i checked it out and sure enough there was a clicking in the engine. It's a 5 speed manual car anyways i was told the clicking was a lifter spring. I'v been talking to alot of people mechanics and such that have never heard of a lifter spring. then i was told that it may be a lifter rod witch could be but idk for sure this camaro is my first project car and im hopeing to learn a thing or to about mechanics from it cause i don't know much at all. Anyways what im asking is what is the clicking it is really loud can be heard from a good 100 feet away it has some what of a pattern to it. When ever i give the car gas the clicking speeds up to an almost unnoticable speed. It's still there it just makes it sound like the motor cause the pattern is almost in perfect harmony with it. Anyways what im getting at is could you please give me a few opinion on what it is. Also a price to get it fixed or a price on the part and how to get to it.. Thank you DOVER

They knew what you meant but decided to pull on your leg.

It would be a valve spring, not a lifter spring, and a push rod, not a lifter rod.

could be just and exhaust leak.

Could be an cracked bolt in your exhaust manifold, I have the same problem. Until its nice and warm.

Engines noise you can hear 100ft away, are noisy that don't last long till it blow.

Cept for a bent rod, had a 28? olds with a bent rod, knocked like heck, wouldn't go over 40, but would not blow. Drove it all over.

With that much noise it could be a few things. None of them are good but all are fixable at early stages. The clicking could be caused by a lifter being "flat" meaning that the lifter is stuck in the deflated position or leaking around the hydraulic seal. The flaw in this assumption is that ticking from 100 feet is unlikely with the hood closed but could still be a possibility. All other issues I would say are lower end problems or exhaust. First check all your gaskets and bolts on your manifolds for tightness. If this doesn't fix it check all your plugs to be sure they are tight and unbroken. Also check your timing. If none of that fixes it your going to have to pull the oil pan and check for slop in the rod bearings and visually inspect the rods for being bent. I know some of this was already stated above but check it all. and if everything checks out to this point it would have to be a lifter. To free a stuck lifter sometimes a product called "marvels mystery oil" will work when added to your oil, and is available at most parts stores.

How many miles are on the engine? It could also be a worn lobe on the cam shaft.

I doubt it would be a whole in the exhaust,but from 100 feet away to hear that? its gotta be something else.

I worked on a friends car with a cracked gasket and it could be heard from a ways off.

Grab some rubber hose, put on end on the valve coves and take a listen. My guess is a sticking lifter or rocker. Check out your valvetrain, could just be gunk building up causing problems. Crack the valve cover off and take a look and see if theres any large buildup of junk.