My new crate 350 ticks, its not real noticable at low rpm but gets loud with acceleration. The motor has alittle over 100 miles on it so...I'm guessing loose lifters? Exactly how would you adjust/tighten them?


Thanks~

 

you would need to adjust the rockers.the procedure is different depending on what style of lifters your using and what rockers you have best thing to do is get a haynes or chiltons or some kind of service manual for the procedure,it is simple to do. the rockers pivot on a fulcrum pushed by the pushrods and open the valve springs. if the rockers are loose they will tap. in the middle of the rocker is a nut it is used for tightening the lash(the amount of gap between the pushrod and rocker and the lifter)your goal is to find "zero lash" rotate the pushrod in your fingers while tightening the nut on the rocker until there is a slight drag ,slight, and then you turn the nut a 1\2 to 3\4 turn more to preload the lifter,(if you have roller lifters some of them need up to 1 1\2 turns) do this following the firing order. turn the motor over by hand on the crank watching the valves open #1 intake open then close then adjust the lifter, turn the motor over until the exhaust opens and closes then adjust the lifter. firing order is 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2

 

To do the valve adjustment you will need to crank the engine over in the same direction it would turn if it were running. If the engine is not in the vehicle you can turn the flywheel, or if it is in the vehicle you can use a remote starter button.
You will do the intake valve adjustment as the exhaust valve is just opening and you do the exhaust valve adjustment as the intake valve is almost closed. You might need to say that quite a few times to memorize it.
Here are step by step instructions:

1. Remove the valve cover.
2. Identify the number one cylinder. Turn the engine over until you see the number one cylinder exhaust valve rocker arm JUST START to move from the closed position to open. You may need to turn the motor over a couple of times to reach this point, but do not turn any further.
3. Locate the intake valve.
4. Loosen the rocker arm adjustment nut until you feel some obvious lash or clearance in the adjustment.
5. Using the thumb and index finger of one hand, grasp the intake push rod below the rocker arm, and rotate it back and forth (clock-wise and counter clock-wise successively to be sure there is no remaining pressure on the push rod from the rocker arm as you loosen the rocker arm adjusting nut.
6. Using the other hand, while continuously performing step 6, with a 5/8 socket and ratchet, tighten the rocker arm adjustment nut slowly until you feel a resistance of motion on the push rod.
7. This will be the zero lash adjustment point. For hydraulic lifters, tighten the rocker arm adjustment nut 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn. For solid lifters, back off the rocker arm adjustment nut until your feeler gauge just fits under the contact point between the valve stem and the rocker arm. Fine tune the adjustment by checking it with a feeler gauge just slightly thicker than the preferred clearance to be sure the clearance is not greater than it should be. If the larger feeler gauge will fit, it needs to be re-adjusted. A lash tolerance of 1-2 thousandths of an inch in the valve adjustment for solid lifters would be acceptable since it may be difficult for someone who is in-experienced to be more precise than that.
8. Turn the engine over until the intake valve opens and then is almost closed.
9. On the exhaust valve, repeat steps 5 through 8 for the exhaust valve adjustment.
10. Repeat this procedure for each cylinder. Be sure to do each cylinder sequentially, either following the firing order, following the cylinders numerically, or one side at a time

 

Check exhaust before attempting valves - might just be a leak, especially if you have headers.

 

x2.

if you have to replace i recommend the dead soft aluminum.

if it comes down to the valves needing adjusted, i've had good luck with the engine running method.

 

Good answer!
Maybe one or two distinctive ticks I would check exhaust. But if there is so many I would also thing lifters.
Can also pull the oil fill cap and listen or put a screw driver tip to the valve cover and your ear to the handle. The noise will travel through the valve cover through the screw driver to your ear..... if you have no brain it will also travel through your head

 

What crate do you have?
My ZZ4 has always been noisy and it's due to the Aluminum heads. You hear the valve train more.
Now that it has almost 40K on it, it is starting to tick and I am still tracing the problem.
When it was new it was an even clacking, but now there is an obvious issue that I have been trying to trace for months.
I was told by a race shop that the GM crates they work on show the best performance on the dyno when they set the rockers at 1/4 turn, with my kind of cam.
Take it with a grain of salt. It did improve my power, which leads all of us to believe that maybe the GM springs are weak and they leave the valves open.
I still have not totally solved my problem, so do not take my 1/4 turn as a solution, but I have seen a difference.
I have run all the cleaners through and will next check my 1 year old plugs (5K Miles) and my 4 year old wires (18K miles).
I'll report back with results

 

Yeah. I'm saying Exhaust!