ATTENTION: A Cure for ticking
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TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 653
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From: Mannheim, Germany
ATTENTION: A Cure for ticking I had a nasty ticking show up after my cam install. It would start after the car warmed up and it sounded just like a bent pushrod. It would come and go. My oil pressure was doing funny stuff too. It would come up to 40 on a cold start but once the oil warmed up and thinned out, it would drop to as low as 20 sometimes will at idle/cruise. I feared it was a spun bearing and hoped it was a lifter. There is a GM TSB that says a bad lifter sound can be caused by the infamous oil pump o-ring.
I figured that was the cheapest place to start so I ordered one and installed it and KAPOW! No more ticking!
I installed my original o-ring properly when I did my cam install. It was not cut or anything when I removed it. You can clearly see why it wasn't sealing. It has a squared off shape to it from being compressed for so long.
I did a crap load of searching and I made a post and it seems that most people don't believe that the o-ring can cause ticking if it's installed properly.
I know that there are a lot of other people who are just living with their ticking LS1's. Hopefully, this info can be made sticky for or something. I'm gonna try to email JMX and recommend that he add the o-ring to the list of install parts on ls1howto.com
From all my searches and personal experience, 35 psi of oil pressure at idle is the minimum for our LS1's. Sure, less my not destroy your engine or anything but it indicates you have a situation that needs attention.
HERE ARE PICS OF THE OLD AND NEW O-RINGS
I figured that was the cheapest place to start so I ordered one and installed it and KAPOW! No more ticking!
I installed my original o-ring properly when I did my cam install. It was not cut or anything when I removed it. You can clearly see why it wasn't sealing. It has a squared off shape to it from being compressed for so long.
I did a crap load of searching and I made a post and it seems that most people don't believe that the o-ring can cause ticking if it's installed properly.
I know that there are a lot of other people who are just living with their ticking LS1's. Hopefully, this info can be made sticky for or something. I'm gonna try to email JMX and recommend that he add the o-ring to the list of install parts on ls1howto.com
From all my searches and personal experience, 35 psi of oil pressure at idle is the minimum for our LS1's. Sure, less my not destroy your engine or anything but it indicates you have a situation that needs attention.
HERE ARE PICS OF THE OLD AND NEW O-RINGS
Last edited by kenkaru; Sep 25, 2004 at 12:03 PM.
OMG, you just described the EXACT thing I had happen to me recently down to the last detail. The 3rd time I took my car out after the cam install it started ticking so badly I thought I had spun a bearing or worse. Then the next day I started the car the noise was completely gone! A buddy and I inspected the rockers, springs, pushrods and also replaced the O ring as a last resort. We did not see any difference between the new O ring and old one but threw it in anyways. The car has been fine eversince. I still worry that maybe I have a bad lifter but plan on installing new stockers when I pull the heads sometime soon.
Teching In
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 39
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From: Dubai,U.A.E
Thanks for sharing this,i should try that,cause my car has VERY LOUD ticking wich comes now & then(after SLP LS6 ported oil pump install)hope this will cure it cause i didnt change the o-ring,i used the old one.
Has anyone confirmed this yet? I have the exact same symptoms and I will be replacing mine next week but I still wonder if that truly is my intermittent ticking sound. Ported LS6 pump reusing the stock oring and a double roller setup.
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actually the o-ring is supposed to be squared off like that...its the way it was designed.... but they do wear out and installing a new one will usually solve the problem... a round one is just a little larger at the edges and compresses differently and spreads a little more when you use it... anytime you change a part and it has a gasket that is not reuseable...you should replace it... most of the time rubber o-rings fall in the not reuseable file...especially since they are so cheap to replace 
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This is happening to me too , my oil pressure dropped and everything . The sound is coming from the top of the engine though . I dont hear anything in the front of the motor . It could be echoing around and I just think it is coming from the top , I dont know . Where is this O-ring you guys are talking about ? Do I have to take the front of the motor apart ? Is it on the oil pump
? The ticking used to come and go , but now it is here to stay , along with the drop in oil pressure . Any help will be MUCH appreciated !
Thanks in Advance ,
Joe
? The ticking used to come and go , but now it is here to stay , along with the drop in oil pressure . Any help will be MUCH appreciated !
Thanks in Advance ,
Joe
Originally Posted by 1999T/A
This is happening to me too , my oil pressure dropped and everything . The sound is coming from the top of the engine though . I dont hear anything in the front of the motor . It could be echoing around and I just think it is coming from the top , I dont know . Where is this O-ring you guys are talking about ? Do I have to take the front of the motor apart ? Is it on the oil pump
? The ticking used to come and go , but now it is here to stay , along with the drop in oil pressure . Any help will be MUCH appreciated !
Thanks in Advance ,
Joe
? The ticking used to come and go , but now it is here to stay , along with the drop in oil pressure . Any help will be MUCH appreciated !
Thanks in Advance ,
Joe
The samething is happening to me but I believe it is my lifters. The ticking started right after my cam install and the tick comes and goes as it pleases. The reason I think it is my lifter is because my Oil pressure is fine. It does not dip below 40 psi ever and full throttle its at 70 psi, so when I swap my heads I am changing lifters if the tick persists I will go for a new O Ring.
I just replaced my oil pump and the o-ring at the same time because of my oil pressure issues, and my stocker was slightly squared, and had a slight "dip" on one side. Since replacing the pump and o-ring, my pressure is MUCH better and my engine runs a lot quieter too. I've still got stock internals, for the record.
-Mike
-Mike
I drove my car this morning not knowing that driving @ 20psi oil pressure could fry my bearings . Would it be ok to drive it home or should I have it towed ? I live about 30 miles from my work . . .
Staging Lane
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 93
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From: Elmira, NY
My car ticks so bad its not funny, when you guys hear this tick in your motor where does it sound like its coming from? Bottom end? Top End? Mine is from the bottom, I dont think its a spun bearing or I think the motor would of let go by now, it has ticked for the last 25,000 miles. I have the LS6 oil pump. I am so sick of this tick!
A really quick band-aid that I found was to use some MobilOne Full syn 15w-50. It will bump your oil pressure and quiet your motor immediately until you get a chance to tear the motor down again and fix it properly.
TECH Addict
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 2,620
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From: Central, MA
I'm up in the air about this... I installed a 220/220 cam on my 20K mile motor, with great pressure - so I didn't touch the oil pump, and I got a noisy valvetrain issue afterwards.
The tick was so loud, that it DID sound like it was coming from the bottom of the motor. It could be heard through the firewall, echoing off of surrounding cement walls, etc. etc.
It ended up going away on it's own.... maybe 4 weeks after I initially did the swap?
The tick was so loud, that it DID sound like it was coming from the bottom of the motor. It could be heard through the firewall, echoing off of surrounding cement walls, etc. etc.
It ended up going away on it's own.... maybe 4 weeks after I initially did the swap?
Originally Posted by 1999T/A
I drove my car this morning not knowing that driving @ 20psi oil pressure could fry my bearings . Would it be ok to drive it home or should I have it towed ? I live about 30 miles from my work . . .
Ok I made it home . I noticed when I was driving it home that when I give it throttle , the oil pressure goes down , and when I let off the throttle , it goes back up ! WTF ?!?!?! Could clogged cats pressurize the engine to the point that it fights the oil pressure ? I have very little exhaust coming out of the tailpipes , i have to put my hand right up to the tailpipes to feel the exhaust gases ( approx. 1 inch away ) . Also , when giving it gas while cruising , it acts like I didnt give it any gas ! Kinda bogs down . Weird . The cats dont get red hot and the car doesnt cut off . What do you guys think ?
TIA ,
Joe
TIA ,
Joe