So I start up my car and this ticking sound comes on. It was very pronounced upon first starting it and when it warmed up it went away a little. My GF was in the car and was asking "what is that noise". It was obviously valvetrain. What do you guys think. I haven't gotten on the car in like weeks. I have never taken the car past 5500rpm. I think a lifter is starting to fail, but who knows. I am planning on taking off the valvecovers tomorrow and go probbing around, but we'll see. Wish me luck.

 

Let me know what you find. Mine is ticking at start up and then it goes away in three to five seconds. Many are suggesting a bent pushrod

 

you mean valve covers, lol. It could be a bent pushrod, but its hard to know. If its just on start up, its probably a lifter.

 

If you have Comp 918's, you probably broke one. Mine made that ticking sound for a few seconds before the valve dropped

 

It is possible the ticking noise is simply a loose spark plug wire. I had this exact issue (ticking noise) and thought the worst, but it turned out to be a loose plug wire. As this is easy to check and very cheap (free) I'd rule this out first.

Install University's Spark Plug and Wire Installation how to guide shows this in the Troble shooting section:

"After this plug install if you hear a loud ticking sound when the engine is under load then you should check your gaskets between the AIR pipe and exhaust manifold.

Also, if you hear a ticking sound all the time then you probably have a loose spark plug wire boot on the spark plug".


UKCamaroSS

 

Exhaust leak. Trust me.

 

Classic GM Cold Start Knock. Search in here on "piston slap" or google "cold start knock". Don't worry, it's common and harmless in an LS1 A bent pushrod won't stop ticking.

 

but mine never did this until yesterday. when you start it up warm, it even does it. sorry, i'm not trying to steal the thread.

 

Piston Slap probably. My car has make a ticking noise since I bought the car. I have replaced all of the valvetrain and I still have the same ticking clattering knocking sound. I just don't worry about it. As hard as I run it sometimes that sound can't mean anything.


Aluminum heads, block= a noisy motor.

I am not saying that you shouldn't pull the valve covers and check for a broken spring and even pull the pushrods out to make sure they are straight. That would be a good thing to do from time to time. If all of that checks out don't worry about it unless the car starts to run bad or develops a miss.

 

You might consider checking your rockers. Mine made a ticking noise and it was one rocker where the needle bearings were going bad.

 

How loud is this ticking? I've never heard a GM OHV engine that didn't have a lot of valvetrain noise.

 

Yeah, he should definitely check out his valvetrain - especially since the noise is new, not "always there".

 

I just started it up during lunch when it was dead cold. No noise at all. Maybe it was just one of those one time things. I revved it up and around a bit, and it seems perfectly fine. I have no clue what this is or was. I am still gonna check everything out.

 

It wouldn't go away if it was valvetrain noise guys. I have been driving one of these (piston slap) motors almost 5 years. Mine doesn't knock every cold start either. By his description it sounds just like piston slap (CSK). This website has soundclips but don't let the rest scare you. www.pistonslap.com It's pure BS.

 

That is exactly what mine sounds like!!!! Thank you sooo much. My dad is so pissed he wont even talk to me right now, but now I have evidence. It is just a slight piston slap. It is no where near that loud but that it what it is. We have only had the car for a little over a week now and yesterday was the first time it did it. Then, today, dead cold, it is silent. I will still check out the valvetrain but this sounds like what it is doing

 

Haha. Yea. GM says it's "normal" for many engines Been runnin my truck almost 5 yrs and it's gotten no worse Maybe even a little bit better. Go over to chevytalk.com and search "CSK" or "cold start knock" on the 99 up truck section and you'll find lots of good reading. Put your right foot to the carpet and don't worry about it!!

 

Well, I don't think that its CSK anymore. I pulled off that mini A/C belt that my car had and now there is no ticking at all.