Today I did an idle relearn on my car and now it idles at 900 rpm but i noticed that at idle it has a slight ticking. Could it be a lifter? I think i might pick up some marvel mystery oil to see if it will help. My dad told me it has had that ticking for as long as he can remember but I just want to make sure its nothing major.

 

FYI, 88s don't require an idle relearn, and your idle seems a bit high (unless it's at 700 RPM with the transmission in a drive range). The noise could be a lifter, yes. The next time you get the valve covers off (not really necessary at the moment), check to make sure there is no slop in the valve train. If the noise goes away when the engine is accelerated and as the engine warms up, you should be fine.

 

I did not know that. Thanks for the info, It idles at a bit below 700 in drive and i had the valve covers off last week and adjusted the valves and the noise remained the same.

 

Does it go away once hot???

could just be exhaust, parts expand n seal up better, I get it sometimes but it goes away.

Could also be a leaky AIR system, those tube that connect to the headers, they can rust through.

Also though run the car in the dark with the hood up and look for any spark leak / flashes, it will sound like a tick.

 

My timing was off a little and it had a ticking sound almost like a rod knocking.Adjusted the timing and no more noise