ok so after the head swap, theres a ticking...all the valves are seating correctly. compression is at 150....valve is adjusted properly....what could be ticking?? i have no exhaust leak, ..the ticking is definatly comming from the #8 cyl / head.

 

Did you lash the valve hot and running? That is usually the best, more reliable method, and can reveal any alignment problems or other strange things going on with the valve train.

Push rods straight?

Valve springs intact?

Sure there are no exhaust leaks? AIR tubes, maybe? 'Y' pipe?

What else happened with the heads while they were being prepped?

Aftermarket heads?

Did you check push rod length and guide / seal clearance?

 

Are you sure theres no exhaust leak? Sounds like one, especially if it ticks harder under acceleration.

 

yeah i put my ear almost on the rocker arm and its definatly ticking....the valves were adjusted at operating temp. these are lb9 heads, 86 style that i ported and polished then had then milled/shaved whatever ...just enough to make sure they were flat....i lapped the valves made VERY sure there were no leaks....compression test would have showed it if it were a valve...

New push rods were used. stock lb9 springs were used....stock everything basicly from the lb9s, i added nothing cept the push rods.

all springs and everything looked perfect when i pulled them off the heads to port and polish.

i heard this may be the cam causeing this, but that wouldnt be likely that the cam throw a fit when better heads were put on.

all the info you need is in my sig basicly.

no its not an exhaust leak, i took the headers on and off 4 times since the head install , ..no leaks...plus you can visually see the header leak...lil blue flame....

i just hope its nothing major like the cam, even though the ticking only came after the head install, before it, no ticking...

ticking isnt loud by all means....just noticable when your ear is near the valve cover. for now im just gonna let it struggle and drive it.

if any of you have been keeping up with my problematic posts about the ecm..you would kno ive been at this for about a month now...now that i switched to carb, it runs FINE..its crazy...i spent a month tracking down some weird ecm problem and never found it....glad i went carb anyways....screw the tbi.....tbi would onyl handle so much anyways....and at this point....it was time to switch to mpi, tpi or carb. i had a carb in my garage, had the dist, all i had to buy was the afpr, some hoses, a electric choke, ..and a day to slap it on.

 

Slow,

I'm glad you got it all sorted out by using a carb. A lot of us use carbs. I use a QJet and get 19.5 mpg around town with my built 305

 

yeah , car idles great, ...runs a lil rough from 700 to 2 k , ..acts like aburnt wire honestly...after 2k rpm it smooths out and rides perfect....wires are brand spanking new, ..but i DID assemble the wires, so i may have messed one up lol.....ill check tomarrow....im just glad it idles correctly, and actually runs.

so it was definatly some ecm bs after all....go figure....screw tbi anyways.....

 

I had the same ticking after I replaced the valve seals on my 88IROC 305. I had a mechanics stethascope that confirmed the cylinder. I removed the valve cover and it was a loose rocker. A quarter turn or so, no noise.

 

Could the use of a rocker from a set of LO3 heads make this tick on the LB9's?