Okay I have been getting this pretty loud ticking from the passenger side head for about 3 weeks. so far replaced new lifters, adj. rockers properly w/stethascope while running. new plug wires/plugs. Im at a loss, sounds like it is coming down from inside the head? any ideas....

 

Exhaust leak at the header gasket?

 

Go away as it warms up? Down on power?

 

My couple of guesses would involve an exhaust leak as already mentioned, or possibly the header is slightly touching the k-member.

 

brand new aluminum dead soft. 40.00 dollar header gaskets put on today, did not make a difference.... could it be a burnt valve, does not feel down on power... cannot feel a header gasket leaking, could my flange be warped? still cant find anything wrong? it dosent go away when warmed up, stays the same...

 

Have you tried the ear-to-the-screwdriver trick to pinpoint the source?

 

Thought he said he used a stethoscope on it?

 

He said he used a stethoscope to adjust the rockers.

Did you also use it to help find the sound? "Down inside the head" is a pretty big area. Can you be more specific at all? Is the sound coming from the full length of the head?

You said the sound started three weeks ago -- had you done any recent mods?

I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you've checked the oil level and pressure...

 

oil level full, great pressure, put stethascope all around head in by rockers even couldn't pinpoint it, sounds like either down below head. or on outside down low, towards middle or front. but cannot find it...

 

Have you tried running it with the valve cover off?

I know it can be messy, but sometimes you can see stuff. I've never done that on an LT1, so I can't promise it's not going to throw oil all over the place, but in my experience on other engines, it'll hardly throw a drop.

Does it make the sound only at idle?

 

I had a bad tick on the passenger side and it ended up being an exhaust leak, where the EGR pipe connected to the header. The EGR flex pipe would never seat well on the header and leaked pretty bad and got worse as the emgine got hot.

 

running pacesetter longtubes, no egr/smog... just took a stethascope again to find it, cannot locate it... sounds like middle to front of the head... either inside or the header,,, man this sucks... do not feel any exhaust leaks. and brand new dead soft gaskets as of today... so a burnt valve will not make a ticking noise right?

 

if it goes away when it warms up what may it be?

i am not trying to high jack the thread but i am curious.

 

I had a exhaust leak on my collectors ( Pace Setter ) that you could hear a bit at cold idle. As it got hot, I guess the metals expand a bit, and it got significantly quieter.

Also, not pertaining to him since he removed his AIR pump, but ... Them little one way flapper valves in them, that bolt to the header/exhaust manifold. They can stick and make a ticking noise. I have had to clean mine on the driver side twice now. It would only make noise while the air pump was on ( Mostly when its cold ) and would go away once it got up to temp. Then I could periodically hear it. It was kinda wierd.

 

Check for a loose spark plug