BlackSVT03

iTrader: (1)

Sooo... since installing my cam, Ive had this strange ticking noise that comes and goes. At some points in very loud and at others you can only hear it if you stick your head under the car. It sounds very "tinny" like a rocker slapping the valve cover shroud, but my lift isnt big enough to cause that.

When I put my car on the rack at my friends shop, it seemed to be louder underneath the car and also sounded MAYBE like it was coming from where the tranny and engine meet (i.e. bellhousing area)

I cant figure this problem out though and its annoying as hell. Doesnt seem to affect performance in any way though.

222.224.112 566.568 camshaft, longtubes and bolt ons are all I have done.

Any ideas?

BLKWS.6

Exhaust leak?

SPDEMON

Yeah, maybe a collector leak or a crack in the weld at the point wherre the primaries merge.

What brand headers? Coated/stainless/painted?

BlackSVT03

iTrader: (1)

Everyone whose heard it says its an exhaust leak, but would an exhaust leak come and go like my noise is?

My headers are Jethot longtubes (ceramic coated of course)

SPDEMON

collector leaks tend to come and go based on heat. So it is possible/worth checking. JetHots are very good, but its worth checking.

THE ONLY OTHER THING I can think of is a sticky lifter. They tend to come and go as well. Did you re-use your stock lifters?

How many miles on them? If you did reuse them, double check your valve adjustment, and then you may have to change them out if you can't get rid of it.

BlackSVT03

iTrader: (1)

Hmmm thanks meng.

I went under my hood with a torque wrench yesterday and re-torqued the header bolts to the heads to the proper specs, and they werent lose, but I got a few good cranks off of almost everybolt.

Havent driven it again yet, but we'll see what happens.

This may sound dumb, but is there anyway to free a sticking lifter without pulling heads? (i.e. running different oil or anything?)

30th droptop

iTrader: (-1)

If you've still got the noise, try a mechanic's stethoscope to try to isolate it (you can get them cheap at auto parts stores). If it's from inside the engine, you can often isolate it by how much louder it gets when you move the stethoscope near the problem area.

And exhaust leaks can definitely get worse/better depending on rpm and throttle position.

If it's a stuck lifter, make sure you've got plenty of clean, high-quality oil in the engine. I've seen stuck lifters go away after an oil change or when additives are added. I'm not a big fan of oil additives, but sometimes they work for stuck lifters. Some chemical companies make special additives specifically for stuck lifters. It might be worth a shot before you take the engine apart (this assumes you verify a stuck lifter).

BlackSVT03

iTrader: (1)

Thanks for the help man. Im gonna change my oil soon anyways. I believe Lucas Oil has an additive that is supposed to be FTW, so Ill give it a whirl.