I followed your advice on the "Y" vacuum line and it works alot better, thanks also for the IAC cleaning advice as well.

Just 8 days ago, this car sounded, and ran like a lawnmower. Thanks to my wallet and your help, she sounds oh so fine now.

I got:

New SparkPlugs
New Air Valve
Cleaned IAC
New Air Filters
New Plug Wires
New Serpentine Belt + Tensioner
Oil Change and Filter
Coolant Flush and Change
Engine Cleaning
Exhaust Gasket Replacement (lawnmower sound)
New Oil Cap
New PCV Valve
A few More.

Now the questions!

1. Since my O2 sensor stuck closed and I had to cut the wire to the sensor to drive to work, just how important is it to have one?

2. Now that I can hear my engine (and every thing else) I can hgear a distinct "tick-tick-tick" from the right side of my motor, this is the last thing that i havent quieted down, I want quiet! My dad says my valves are good, and that's not them making the tick it's some kind of exhaust valve making it. Is this true? and if so can it be removed without a performance or idle drop?

thanks.

 

Ok, Yes, you need to fix the o2 sensor, surprised you dont have a ses (check engine) lite on. Tick tick could be a loose rocker, my s10 had that tell I redid the top of it, and no more tick tick. Could be if it has sat a while the oil passages just need cleaned out. Also on my camaro, on the mandifolds, the tube that goes to my emissions came loose and I got a diff tick tick, more defined as a exaust leak though. Let us know how it goes..

 

What do you mean by the o2 sensor is stuck closed? Do you mean it's stuck in the pipe? Or are you talking about another sensor? I don't understand why you had to cut the wire... ?

 

*sigh*

The O2 sensor was staying on 24/7 car would not even idle or halfway run. I got a code for it, put 2 and 2 together and realised I had a bad one. I knew if i cut the output wire the ECM would compnesate enough to at least drive properly. Before I cut I confirmed my idea with three diff. mechanics. They agreed, i cut, idle and engine went back to near normal, thats what I mean.

Thanks Dale, useful post.

 

the ticking is a bad lifter. how many miles are on the engine? if a lot then most lkely it's your lifter. cam wear and milage takes a beating on the lifters.

 

Lifters dont usually tick, they kinda thump. lol


Most likely it's a loose rocker as dale suggested.


anyone know how to adjust?

 

My car had that tick. Its a rocker for sure. I never fixed it. It was a cost effect sort of deal. I spend an afternoon doing this to an already worn out engine did not seem to exciting to me (160,000 miles)

But if you wanted to fix it, which I will admit I thought of several weekends, pull off the valve covers, which will suck if its on the passenger side, and reset all the rockers to zero lash. This should solve your problem.

 

The haynes and chiltons manual tells ya, or im sure tomp has posted how to. Its time consuming, but fairly cheap.

 

Yea, i've got that ticking sound coming from my drivers side. Guess I didin't set the leash properly when I had the covers off...

If you have taken the top end off once, it seems like very little if you do it again

 

Although it seems like most everyone is going with the rocker, I'm gonna say exhaust leak. I had a tick like that that some people said valve noise, some said it was an injector, but it turned out to be an exhaust leak. Had a gasket put in and the ticking stopped.

 

Or it could be the fuelinjectors.

 

How would you know if it was a fuel injector? I had taken them out an just visually inspected them, but they didin't seem cracked or anything.

 

ITs normal for the fuel injectors to go tick tick tick it just means they are working.

 

YA but the injectors make just a very low tick tick which I could only hear with a mechanics stethoscope on my 96 Impy.

 

I hear the injectors on my moms oldsmobile and i hear the injectors on my camaro

 

I think in order to actually check the injectors you have to remove the fuel rail and then crank the engine and watch for all the injectors firing. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong here, but that's how I've always been told to do it.

 

They have things that test them but if they are ticking its normal.

 

You must have some awsome hearing. Or your engine is super quiet. Weird. I guess it could be injectors, but I didn't think they could be that loud. I am still sticking with the rocker for the ticking noise though.

 

Could also be one hell of a spark leak; like an arc'd plug wire, or a plug wire that's not connected to the distributor cap all the way. Just don't reach back there with your hand- ouch.

Never heard anyone say their oxy sensor was closed before. Shorted or bad, maybe, but not closed. Make sure when you install the new one that you don't let the oxy sensor wire come near the exhaust pipes. If it melts on the exhaust, it can to ground, and your computer will throw a code for "lean exhaust". Strange though how cutting your wire helped. The computer isn't supposed to even look at the oxy sensor until the coolant temp is high enough. Oh; wait, it's summer; the coolant temp under a hot hood in the sun might be high enough to engage closed loop operation. Unless that's why you haven't seen a SES light.. the computer isn't entering closed loop yet. Ah, no, still doesn't make sense. Whichever. But yes you do need it. You might want to check your TPS setting while you're under the hood.

 

i had a ticking,it was an injector