Hi I just did a cam swap on my 98 trans am. Ms3 cam new comp lifters new comp 7.400 pushrods ls6 intake and pacesetter longtube headers. The care runs awesome. But every once in a while you can start to hear a tick from the mid drivers side of the motor. It comes and goes. Not very loud at all but noticable. I did the preload on the lifters correctly but I don't know exactly what's up. Any suggestions??

 

If you didn't get the car tuned it won't run right. My guess is the car is running lean.

 

There's tons of fuel smoke coming from the exhaust. So I wouldent think she's running lean.

 

Did you change out the lifter trays?

 

Your supposed to? They looked fine the motor only has 55000 mi on it

 

ls cars have a small tick to them everynow and again...

 

but this one is constant.. its quieter when the motor is cold and then when is warm it can be loud at times then not there hardly at all

 

Any other ideas? I'm scared to even run the car

 

What is the oil pressure like?

 

did you measure pushrod length?

 

oil pressure cold at idle is 40psi warm 30psi, at 2500 rpm cold around 50 psi warm 40psi.
and yes i measured, but if it was pushrods wouldent it be on all valves? this is one tick sounds like from the #4cyl area. other then that the valvetrain is quiet

 

Pull the valve covers off and recheck the torque specs on the rockers. Could be a lifter not pumping up???

 

ah okay, didnt know it was just the one area. do like the others say. pull the valve covers and see if there are any rockers that are messed up or springs.

 

OK later today ill do that. I Just replaced the springs too with duals.

 

ok so i pulled the valve cover and everything seems ok. nothing loose at all i took all the rockers loose and inspected the pushrods for wear and all looked normal. so then i cranked it up (yes it ran off 4 cyls) and checked it all out is was noisy for a sec then wasnt so bad, oil was flowing out of all the pushrods and onto the rockers so that means that they are all pumping up right?
so i put the valve cover on and hook it all up and the noise is almost gone. so i take it for a ride and once the oil got really hot it came back, so what im going to do today is change the oil, the other day i put some marvel mistery oil in there in case a lifter wouldent pump up.
so any other ideas?

 

Too bad there is no conclusion to this thread. what happened after the Marvel Mystery was was replaced and was it a full quart MM oil?