96redformula7

Well the car has been making this ticking noise for about 2 months since before I had the current mods done (gears, tq, tranny cooler, etc...). The ticking noise can be best heard from underneath the car and is constant, it will sometimes be louder or softer but not that much of a difference, it is pretty soft. With the hood poped and under listening above the engine you can ebarly bearly hear it. I can hear the ticking when I am next to a wall or next to a car or some object. The ticking noise accelerates with the engine and gets louder with the air conditioner on. The shop checked it out for a while said it wasnt an exhaust leak but a bad lifter on the drivers side. My car has 75000 miles and they said that it would not be a problem soon and should still go past 100,000 miles. I have no performance problems just the annoying ticking. What do you all think, that all sound right or could they be wrong.

RobZ

Hi ok here heres my .02 cents.First I would check the pushrods and check them on a glass type surface and see if the roll straight and have no wabble.If thats ok then Yeah you might want to replace these lifters.Upgrade to some Aftermarket ones.Did you over reved the engine or banged the limiter?I had a similiar problem back then When I had my 97 Ta.I accidently mishifted and banged the Rev Limiter once and the Result was 3 bad pushrods.I had that tick,tick,tick,tick....Swap them with some stronger ones and it was OTAY.....Hope that might help a bit.

Don 97 SS

They may be correct. They have examined your engine, we have not. One cheap remedy maybe to use some Seafoam in the crank case to fix the sticking lifter (assuming that it is stuck). FOllow the directions and change your oil afterwards.

If that doesn't fix the noise, I wouldn't stop there and let it tick. When I had a tick that I could not localize after adjusting valves, and using a stethescope, I decided to replace the cam and lifters. I'm glad I did because the cam lobes and lifters had gauled and were wearing down!!

More damage and to other componets would have occured had I not addressed the tick.

LT1Noob

I'm having the same problem...how long can I leave it for? I'm getting a h/c package some time this winter, so I don't want to spend $$ to fix it now when I can just do it later. I'm probably gonna put on another 7k miles on it before I pop the valve covers. Also, how hard would it be for a novice to swap out the lifters? My dad would be albe to help me, and he knows alot about older small-blocks. Thanks.

I burn rice too

I'll back up the trashed cam and lifter story. I had the exact same thing happen to mine. I kept adjusting rockers and it would go away for about a day and then come right back. Eventually no matter how I adjusted the rockers I would still get the click. Double check the exhaust leak, check your plugs to make sure that they are all tight, then check your push rods with the instuctions stated above, then if it's not any of those things, off comes the intake. Look at your lifters and check to see if any of the rollers are flat (even a little flat spot is bad). If you have one bad lifter you should probally change every one. If you had a flat lifter then more than likely your cam is shot. I know that sucks, but you get to throw a cam in your car. Autozone sells the Mellings for $11 each if you don't want to go with something that costs more. I hope this works for you and don't keep driving it around. I would definetly check the other thingk mentioned seeing how the mechanic said that you'll be fine with a bad lifter. That and I don't trust alot of these guys.

96redformula7

Well, If you all could take a guess to how much it would be in labor for a shop to do a LT4 kit conversion and new lifters? As well I have used seafoam in the crankcase and I think that might have started the noise if not made it noticable to me.

Don 97 SS

I highly doubt that Seafoam is the source of your problems.

BTW, You need to find a reputable shop in your area that works on LT1s and get an estimate.

I burn rice too

Each shop has different prices, but most of the time the higher priced shops are the better. But not always! Ask someone in your area about good shops in your area. If you have a place to do it just do it yourself. It's not that hard and you'll learn alot. Just take your time.

LT1Noob

How simple of a fix is it? I've really never taken the intake manifold/valve covers off, just the basics (brakes, oil, rear end fluid changes, trans filter.) Is it pretty straight foward, and do you think a novice with some guidance can pull it off?

I burn rice too

Go get a manual and go step by step and try not to get pissed off. I'm pretty sure you could do it, just remember how everything came off and refer to the manual when things start to confuse you. If the cam is still good and you don't want to swap it out (your already more than half way there) then you don't even need to mess with the timing chain and cam. But since your saving money by doing it youself you might as well go for the cam at least.

ibanez6rg

Make sure it's not a plug wire arcing... That was a ticking that was driving me nuts!