I posted up a youtube vid with the info:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDXWFuO0Rms
What do you guys think? And I'd prefer you to post your responses on this thread. Thanks!

 

it could be a exhaust leak, or possibly a stuck lifter.

 

get a long flat blade screw driver, place it on the injector and then put your ear up to the handle, that should tell you what injector it is, you can also stick it on the valve cover every few inches and may be able to tell if its an internal tick.....IMO it dont sound like an exhaust leak, they seem to have a deeper tick to them and get louder and faster with RPM's

im leaning toward an injector, maybe a lifter thats not pumping up fully, does it stop ticking after a minute or does it keep up

 

Hmm I'm pretty sure that it doesn't stop ticking, I haven't been driving the car lately so I can't remember lol. I'll double check tomorrow since it's kinda late now. I'll let the car sit and idle for a few minutes and I'll report back. And sorry if this is a stupid question, but what's a lifter? and if it's a stuck lifter then is it a serious problem?

 

lifter is what pushes up the push rod that pushs the rocker arm that then pushes the valve open

how stuff works is a good site if you still dont understand

anyway a stuck lifter can be solved with a valve medic or valve un stick crap you pour into the oil, i dont think its a stuck lifer, most stuck lifters i have delt with makes it almost sound like a diesel in a way

they do "pump up" with oil PSI, if one is not pumping up it will tick, its a easy fix for someone who is good with engines

 

Oh gotcha. I dunno why I didn't think of that website lol.

 

Doesnt sound like an exhaust leak to me.If it gets worse when the engines under a load,like when its in gear and your accelerating it could be an exhaust leak.Sounds like mine.Either injectors or some normal valve train noise.If it clatters on cold start up for a few seconds and then goes away once oil pressure comes up it could be a lifter.Mine does that a little and Im not sure if its normal or a lifter issue.Lifters for stockish engines are pretty cheap and if your going to swap them or have someone do it you may as well do a little work opening up your stock intake if you cant afford to upgrade the intake.

 

OK so I decided to check it again today. I noticed that it doesn't start ticking until at least a minute after being cold started (sat since yesterday) after the rpms drop a little. And once it starts it doesn't seem to stop. Oil pressure jumps up right between the 30 and 60 mark almost instantly when I start it. I also noticed that it shakes a little when it warms up a bit. Is it skipping at all? I posted up another vid just to take out some guesswork for you guys. I got the exhaust note too, maybe somebody has an ear for these things and can say whether it's firing properly or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5igrxZPW6c

 

bump... anything?

 

OK well I went to check on the car again and this time I tried the "stethoscope" trick with a long screwdriver (I actually used a long remote controller antenna from my r/c cars) and I put them to various parts of the engine. I was barely able to hear anything when I put it to the valve covers, and they did NOT resemble the ticking sound. I put the thing to the injectors and mmaaaannn, they were clear as daylight. I'm surprised that they could make so much noise. I heard a pretty strong clicking which seemed to have matched the clicking in the videos. So with an injector clicking like that x 8 I don't doubt the fact that you'd get some noise.

So here's my analysis:
The car wouldn't start clicking that loudly until it's been idling for a little while and starts to warm up (after a cold start). Also, the idle rpms have to drop to start making significant noise.
With my ear on the rod, I lightly revved the engine and they became much quieter, most likely explaining why you could barely hear the noise when you rev it. At first I thought it was just the engine noise drowning it out. I disconnected 1 injector wire to see what difference that'll make but strangely, I could've sworn that it got slightly louder. Maybe because rpms dropped even more with only 7 cylinders getting fuel? The injectors seem to get louder with lower rpm.

So I'm saying injectors. Does the info above seem to make sense to you guys? Oh and one more thing, I had all 8 new injectors (brand new Bosch 3's) put in a couple months ago because the old ones went sour from sitting (the car sat for a year before I bought it in august). On top of that, I don't remember the car making those ticking sounds with the old injectors (the car ran, but barely and not more than 10 minutes at a time). I'm sure I would've remembered if it was as significant as this.

 

It's normal for the injectors to click when they open and close, some may click louder than others. I'd try a can of fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank and see if that makes a difference. You say the car sat for a while, they may be a little stickey.

 

Yes but I also said they they were replaced a couple months ago with brand new ones. And the car has been driven during that period.

 

one was probably louder that all the others, so that would be the one that prob causing the tick you are hearing all the time

 

My motor makes the same noise and I've just decided to just pull out the 305 for a 383.

 

Oh sure! Cause I have enough cash to just swap an engine because it sounds funny!

 

Really? I though everyone had that kind of money laying around... that's odd. To be honest, there is more to it then just the noise. It is leaking by the timing chain cover (or looks like it is), it's burning oil, I realized how incredibly crappy my stock cam is, I can only run a best of 15.5xx in the 1/4, and I'll be getting a complete 350 motor for free. It's just logical for me to rebuild the 350 as a 383 right away. Really, though... I don't have much money either. I'm a full time college student with a part time job and a large tuition bill to pay. My cash flow is probably just as low as yours.

 

Oh well your engine seems like its on its last legs anyway! Mine's still running strong. I wanna keep it stock and if it doesn't need a rebuild, it's not getting one. Thanks for the tips though.

 

i have efi on my 305 and just did a tune up (coil rotor plugs wires cap)
it making a clicking now dont remember from before sound like its coming from the intake
screw driver tells me so intake

 

my l98 does this it seems like it does when its low on fuel or has sat a few days... i held a stethoscope to the fpr and it was ticking very loud....it goes away after a while tho....