would this have been causing the ticking noise? use stethoscope method with a wooden dowel. pinpointed to #4 cylinder. pulled the pushrod and it is bent, the rocker did have oil sitting on it and is not dry. re inserted and tried to spin push rod and felt like it was getting stuck at one spot in the hole. noticed shiny area where poss rubbing. try to attach pic. should i just replace them all while i have the cover off? what would cause to be bent?

 

Is the engine completely stock?

 

yes, as far as i know

 

I have always heard that if you replace one to replace every one of the pushrods.... it's not like they are expensive really

 

i just hope that this is what was causing the tapping noise.

 

Since everything is stock, you can rule out any valvetrain problems from mismatched parts. There is however a good chance you either have a collapsed lifter which could have allowed the pushrod to fall out or the cam lobe is worn out which shouldn't cause the pushrod to fall out. Is the rocker nut still on the stud roughly the same distance as all the other ones?

Factory pushrods are cheap as are new factory rockers and rocker nuts. Put a new pushrod in and replace the rocker/nut.