87bluebird

this car has had one issue after another, since i bought it. i have been trying to baby this car till i get the money for another vehicle to drive while i rebuild this car. but it keeps breaking faster than i can save money. last Friday afternoon i was headed to the fair for the tractor pulls and as got over the top of the one hill i let off the throttle and shifted back up into overdrive. i was going about 40 mph so i hit the throttle to accelerate and as the speedometer reached about fifty i started hearing this ticking noise. thats the first time i heard that and it has been there since. what could it be? i was thinking a stuck lifter? also how long will the engine survive with this?

it doesn't do it at idle just when you give it a little gas.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

If you can, check the oil pressure, and then check the ignition timing.

K-slice

iTrader: (2)

Does it sound anything like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEJRMtm0xAA

FireInMe17

Mine has ticking sounds too in the top end but it doesn't sound like the video. I thought it was my EGR valve, so I got a new one and it made it quieter for a while but now its back. It sounds like a lifter or something near the plenum like the fuel injectors but do fuel injectors click and tick?

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Yes, the fuel injectors click because they are solenoids just like the one on the starter.

Both of you may want to check your valve lash...

K-slice

iTrader: (2)

Normaly though injectors shouldnt make a ticking loud enough to hear...
You can adjust your lash but if all your rods feel tight there's really no need. These have hydraulic lifters which self adjust to eliminate lash. My guess is it's a lifter that wont stay pumped up. Run seafoam in your oil, if that doesnt work try adding a little Lucas to your next oil change, I use like 1/3 bottle, so not much.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Yes, you should be able to hear our ancient injectors. At least, I can with all 3 sets I have with the hood open. And that's over the exhaust leaks.

And yes, it's possible for the valve lash to be loose with the rods still being tight. Had to readjust mine earlier in the year after having done the head gaskets and a valve adjustment the summer before I swapped my T5 in 5 years ago. Found that out through a low compression test in all 6 cylinders.

87bluebird

i lost my job and had to get rid of my internet and a few other bills. and sold my 454 and 6 speed to keep a place to live and right after i did that the auto tranny blew in my good 87 but the engine still runs she ticks but she still runs. my other 87 parts car i tried driving for a while and the engine ran good at first then quickly developed the same tick and it got a lot louder than in my good 87 and 5 hours later she made a wicked loud bang and seazed up. so i put its tranny into my good 87 and got her running again finnaly this last weekend. but the motor still makes that tick and she bucks like crazy going uphill now. i have put about 2000 miles onto this engine since she started ticking so i know it aint as bad as my other one. but i still don't trust it. the tick on this one sounds the same as the dead ones tick but not as loud yet. the intake manifold on the one that blew was filled with oil. i already towed that car to the scrapyard saturday to pay my phone and electric so i cant tear it apart to see exactly what happened to it. but hopefully one of you guys will be able to tell me something. i cant aford another engine right now . i dont have audio on this computer so i dont know about the you tube video.

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

Well, now that you know what may happen since the other engine blew, it would be a good time to check the oil pressure and make sure the valve lash is properly done. When you get the money for the gaskets, that is.

:edit: I'm willing to bet that if it's the same as the other engine, and you blew a connecting rod (I'm betting on the #4 cylinder), you will need a rotating assembly or even a short block before too long. It's not a tick you hear but a rod knock... Same way my 2.8 died in 04.

FireInMe17

Mines starting to sound a little bit like the video. Whats going on with the engine in that video?

87bluebird

thats what i was afraid of Maverick. how long can i make this engine last? its been just under 3000 miles now. and it hasn't gotten worse. the other one made it 75 miles and died. it sounds like the same noise to me but this one is quieter.

K-slice

iTrader: (2)

Haha, that's my engine! The "bubbling" is just an exhaust leak. But the other sound is definitley in the valvetrain. I adjusted the rockers, ran engine cleaner, a lil power steering fluid, and started adding 1/3 bottle of Lucan with my oil changes. The ticking has gone away, except for on cold mornings when I first start it. But that happens with most cars I have/ had.
I figured it was a lifter that wasnt pumping up...

FireInMe17

Thats what I always thought it was...well good to know!

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

There's only one way to be sure if the noise is valvetrain, and that's to pull the engine and examine the lower end to rule out a rod knock. However, like I've said, check the oil pressure and the valve lash first to see if you have any loose valves. May also want to pull the plugs and make sure you're not getting any spark knock as well. What you described in the post above with the blown engine isn't a tick, but an all-out rod knock, caused by a spun bearing, caused by low oil pressure or debris in that particular oil gallery. If your current engine is quieter, it may be a rod knock starting to creep up, or it could be a noisy valve lifter. Either way, you need to check to make sure you have adequate oil pressure and then proper valve lash.

You can also use a screwdriver held to the valve covers to listen for valve noise as the engine is running. You just need to hold the end of the screwdriver or whatever it is against your ear, so you'll probably want it relatively clean.

FireInMe17

The whole engines getting pulled here this winter soon anyway, and I'm going to check everything while I'm there. You can only hear the sound on idle really though, once you hit the gas it goes away. But if you have the hood popped and give it some gas you can hear that chatter a little bit, just ever so slightly. It seems to come and go sometimes though too. I don't think its anything serious, because the car is running great. And the plugs look good, a little white so its running a bit lean, but good all the same.

cj92firebird

The #4 lifter in my engine is what failed and caused me to have to rebuild my whole motor... What's wrong with the #4?

firebird904

Mine has a weird rattle like noise at 2k rpm or so and I can hear a lifter tap slightly at that same rpm when I let off the throttle but you can only hear it if you have the hood open and you rev it. I'm going to be putting a delta 260 grind cam in my car but Id still like to find out where the heck that rattle like noise is coming from I thought it was the dizzy but after replacing it i still had the same noise...

Maverick H1L

iTrader: (8)

IIRC, cylinder #4 is the closest one to the oil pump and is the first to get oil starved in the event of a lube problem. I'd have to look it up to check this, however. It's usually the closest cylinder to the pump that gets affected the most in the event of an oiling problem.

To the others, I'd check the valve lash... Like I said, I hadn't had to touch the lifters since I did the head gasket job in 06, and they were rattling like mad until this spring, when I went through and corrected the valve lash (not half turn, between half and 3/4 turn).