It has been getting pretty cold at night lately and my car has started ticking when I start it after it has got cold. It will smooth out after the car has been running for a few minutes (2-3). It is coming from the drivers side valve cover. Has anyone had any problems with the stock rockers backing off? Or since it is smoothing back out do you think it is a lifter or bent pushrod?
I have a set of longtubes, hotcam kit, otvc wires, plugs, new water pump, all ready to be installed on the car but I drive it everyday and need to make sure I have all my parts before I tear it down. Do you think I should go ahead and get new pushrods and lifters and if so who has the best price? I am trying to do this on a budget so if it is not needed I don't want to buy it.
zack

 

TTT, anyone?

 

It has happened to me about 4 times in the past 3 months. Two days ago I was doing some MAF testing... I cranked her up with the hood open and I got the ticking noise on the Driver side and it sounded like the last cylinder inside the cowl. I got my mechanics sthetoscope and the sound was gone by the time I put it on the valve cover... I do hear valve train noise (light) so I turn her off and proceed to remove the valve cover.

This is the first time I ever remove the valve cover and I check the last 4 pushrods and they are firm... you can rotate them by hand but there wasnt any play... Today I got me a break bar from Sears... I was gunna rotate the crank the check them all but I want to do roller rockers so I will wait to buy springs and all that crap... I am begining to think one of my lifters bleeds all the fluid overnite and only everynow and then...


I wonder what are good replacement lifters...


Marvin

 

Well my situation got alot worse last night. It was ticking like it has been and then it went away. I got about 1/2 mile from my house and it came back and the car started running really rough (probably timing retard due to false knock, SES was flashing on and off). I am going to tear the car down this week and see what the problem is. I am thinking either a lifter is bleeding off or the stock manifold gasket was leaking and as the metal heated up resealed and now it is blown out. Either way I have plenty of new parts that were waiting to be installed, so I will install my headers and hotcam kit and if the gasket was not blown I will go ahead and do lifters too.