ever since i put the headers in ive noticed a ticking that sounds mechanical, but goes away after 1200rpm or so. itll tick when the engine warms up, even at 40psi of oil pressure. i just replaced the gaskets with carbon xxx ones, and my bandclamps have copper sealant all over them on the inside. compared to my dad's 4.8 and LS engines my engine sounds kind of loud on idle. plugs are tight, EGR tube has a new gasket on it, unless that could be the problem i dont know of any exhaust leaks there could be.

 

One easy way to find out if it's an exhaust leak is while moving, put your car in a high gear that will put a good load on the engine and press down on the gas pedal. If it's an auto, just stab the gas at a low speed. If the tick gets louder then it's an exhaust leak. If not then it's mechanical.

 

its quiet when its not idling. under any load you cant hear it

 

you were probably looking for exhaust leaks and now you hearing your rockers, just a thought

 

well my old MLS gaskets blew out 1 week after i did the LTs.

its a weird thing, itll go away when you rev it anything above the set idle speed.

id say after 1-2 min from cold start itll tick and from then on itll still do it.

 

I'd go through and adjust the valves then... or at least get an automotive stethascope and pinpoint the origin of the noise.

 

last time i had the covers off, a few pushrods spun a little easy with the lifters pumped up still, that was way after this started too.

 

It'd be much more accurate to check end play rather than spinning the pushrods. Wiggle the pushrods up and down next time.

 

Sure its not your injectors ticking? The PCM will have adjusted their flow because of the headers. Just something to think about.

 

ok i checked the lash, and went through them and turned the nuts 1/8th of a turn since the pushrods didnt move up or down, but spun easy as hell, and i still have the ticking. i bought a stethoscope, and it sounds pretty good under the VCs, but in the passenger rear of the intake manifold you can hear a louder tick than normal and is consistant with the ticking i hear coming from under the car. looks like LS7 lifters are in my future

 

Forgot to tell you to check to see your spark plugs are tight as well. They too can emit a tick much like loose rocker.

 

its done it through 3 sets so it wouldnt be that, checked that way back too.

 

To my experience, all cars with headers have a "ringing" or "ticking" sound, as they don't deaden the sound of the exhaust pulses as well as cast iron manifolds.

If your rockers are properly adjusted, and you're not hearing the lifers "tick", you're probably just hearing the headers. Leaking header gaskets seem to have more of a "whoosh", if that's an accurate way to describe the sound....

 

im gonna take 2 videos 1 of it quiet at cold start and one of the ticking. its more pronounced then the exhaust pulses, seems like its only coming from the passenger side.

 

Mine has a light ticking. I think its normal when you have headers they are alot thinner than the stock manifolds so the valve train noise is easier to hear. Just my OP.

 

i have videos coming soon give it a few min.

 

*waiting* since I have the same annoying ticking sound

 

Rear passenger side of intake is near EGR tube fitting, you said in OP that you installed new EGR gasket, ... is everything tight back there ?

 

you have a cam though haha.

yea i torqued the sob down even at the header flange i put a new gasket and tightened it.

 

ok heres video 1. its that choppy ticking you hear. this is the best area i can hear it, and the loudest from the sound deflecting off of the wood.

oh yea and im on my girlfriend's youtube account dont mind the name

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1Nj8fbSCtY

under the front
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u29Gzzk9USU&feature=user