Hey all

Ever since I got the car, it had a ticking problem - just go tick tick tick. So i decided to change the header gasket - and i did, with copperseal, still tick tick tick. Then I decided to adjust my rockers, which I also did, and no luck. So, I used an old paper towel tube, stick that up my ear, and found out that the ticking noise comes from the timing cover. i have timing gear - and the ticking noise is barely noticable at idle, but once i touch the throttle, it goes tick tick tick and crap. If anyone wants a soundclip, i will gladly record one for you.

Any ideas on what I should do? Throw in timing chains to replace the timing gear, timing gear again, or just leave it?

thanks!

Check your fuel pump for the sound. The spring that holds the pump arm against the rod may be broke or weak and the sound is the pump rod hittig the pump arm each stroke.

lifter maybe?

I second the fuel pump. Check the pin holding the arm in the pump too. I scored a car one time that had "a rod knock" that turned out to be the fuel pump. I love when stuff like that happens. smile.gif

One possibility is that the timing set itself may be the culprit. My mother had a 73 el camino that at 265,000 miles wore a hole in the timing cover because the chain had enough slack to rub on it. If you still have a stock nylon coated cam gear, this is where I would start lookin.

Instead of using a tube. Try a yard stick, and put it agaisnt the flap at the front of your ear. Then you can muffle out the rest of the engine noise by pushing your ear flap over your ear canal. But the sounds of the ticking will still travel through the yard stick. I use this when trying to find noisy lifters. It's scary how accurate it is.

thank you all for the advise - ill check if its the fuel pump over the weekend - and maybe pick myself up a new one. I'll be sure to use the yard stick idea.

I would'nt throw money at it, and replace parts chasing a tick,but I would have gone for the exaust leak as you did,. you need to narrow down where the noise is coming from, be nice to have a good scrap small block about now, run a few tests, labor but no parts.

FUEL PUMP

damn, just picked up a stock replacement but couldnt find anything that screws in - guess itll have to wait till next week. :(

This may sound dumb, but it happened to me. I had a similar problem. No ticking at idle, but as soon as the RPM's came up, the engine started ticking. It sounded like it was coming from the timing chain so I tore into it and put a new timing chain on it. Started the engine and tick-tick-tick. To make a long story short, I took the car to a performance auto shop, the head mechanic listened to it for about 5 seconds and pulled out my dipstick. Binga-botta-boom, the ticking stopped. Seems the windage from the crank had slowly formed my dipstick just enough, so that when the RPM's came up the windage would pull it over and it would contact the crank. The sound telegraphed fwd and seamed to be coming from the timeing chain cover. I bent the stick back and problem solved.
Anyway, before you do anything else, check that.
Jim

If you haven't isolated where the sounds is coming from, why are you starting to throw parts at it?

i did the dip stick thing - and unfortunately - it wasnt it. :(

i also returned my stock fuel pump

guess its time to find me a holley 100gph mech pump - ill let you know if that fixes it or not

You can see if it's the fuel pump by removing the pump push rod and running it from the fuel in the bowl.

hmm, ill see fi i can try it this week or next week.

think it would work to just unbolt the fuel pump and run the car?

You'll dump all your oil if you unbolt the pump and run the car.

You'll either have to install the pump without the pushrod, or use a block-off plate.

Have you checked your exhaust further down the headers? A small leak in a primary or even a small collector gasket leak will make it tick.

Exhaust leaks tend to get louder when you put a load on the engine.

Originally posted by cjlandry:
You'll dump all your oil if you unbolt the pump and run the car.

You'll either have to install the pump without the pushrod, or use a block-off plate.

Have you checked your exhaust further down the headers? A small leak in a primary or even a small collector gasket leak will make it tick.

Exhaust leaks tend to get louder when you put a load on the engine. i think i narrowed down that its not a leak because i can let off of the gas, the tick would be the same loudness as when i step on the gas.

i guess i have to buy a block off plate

how long do you think i can run without the fuel pump with a 4150HP 750cfm mechnical secondary carb?

nope :/ isnt fuel pump.

any other ideas? ill try and get a movie up.

i will disconnect my belt and see if it goes away when i get back home from school today

disconnected the belts and tried it, still tick tick tick, so i know it isnt my waterpump and fan. :/

Let me get a couple things straight. Do you hear it more on one bank than the other? What happened when you used the yardstick, it will tell you alot. If you have no sound coming through it at all, then I'd look for an exhaust leak.
Also it's entirely possible that the ticking sound can becoming through the exhaust port and and you're hearing it through the header. If that's the case then maybe it's a lifter or valve is sticking a little.

Originally posted by Gary_E:
Let me get a couple things straight. Do you hear it more on one bank than the other? What happened when you used the yardstick, it will tell you alot. If you have no sound coming through it at all, then I'd look for an exhaust leak.
Also it's entirely possible that the ticking sound can becoming through the exhaust port and and you're hearing it through the header. If that's the case then maybe it's a lifter or valve is sticking a little. im not sure which bank i hear it from, they both sounds the same to me. it seems to be coming from the front of the engine. ill try the yard stick, do i push it there and feel for vibration or what?

thanks!

Instead of a yardstick, I use a 3 ft length of heater hose. Hold one end to your ear and the other at the "listening" location. Works better than the mechanic's stethoscope I have IMO.

Removing the fuel pump and running the car might isolate the fuel pump but is guaranteed to make a mess.
Fuel pump is a good guess. I have personnally had that happen to me at ~6000 RPM in a small block and I thought I had broke a valve spring. Turned out the fuel pump spring broke.
Go to your local car parts house and pickup a stethescope (sp?) for a few bucks. An invaluable tool for problems like this.

i will try and listen to the sound tomorrow.

hmm - the last owner jacked the car up from the oil pan and its a little bent inside - think that could be the reason?

caved in oil pans tend to cause problems for sure.also I have seen and heard timing chains that are about to fail slap the timing cover.also if it has the plastic top gear one tooth or more could be gone and make noise . :D

I got the ticking noise after I changed out my camshaft, springs, lfters and rocker arms on a newly rebuilt 402...turned out to be the inside edge of the replacement rocker arms were knocking against the valve cover. I had to dimple the valve cover in a couple of places and the ticking went away. I guess I have lousy valve covers!
Steve g.
----------------
70 El Camino SS 396
51 Chev 3100 1/2T PU

Originally posted by sg08807:
I got the ticking noise after I changed out my camshaft, springs, lfters and rocker arms on a newly rebuilt 402...turned out to be the inside edge of the replacement rocker arms were knocking against the valve cover. I had to dimple the valve cover in a couple of places and the ticking went away. I guess I have lousy valve covers!
Steve g.
----------------
70 El Camino SS 396
51 Chev 3100 1/2T PU hmm, guess i should try that - never ran the engine with two valve covers off..

Have the same problem with my '72!!!!!! check the lifters that are below the pushrods, mine was broke and thats where the ticking was coming from.. just my $.02
graemlins/thumbsup.gif

Originally posted by ChevelleSS7D2:
Have the same problem with my '72!!!!!! check the lifters that are below the pushrods, mine was broke and thats where the ticking was coming from.. just my $.02
graemlins/thumbsup.gif alright - ill see if any of my lifter refuses to move the valve.

Originally posted by slpin:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by ChevelleSS7D2:
Have the same problem with my '72!!!!!! check the lifters that are below the pushrods, mine was broke and thats where the ticking was coming from.. just my $.02
graemlins/thumbsup.gif alright - ill see if any of my lifter refuses to move the valve. </font>[/QUOTE]This is a long shot, but try and check out your crank shaft pulleys.

On my Camaro, it was making the same ticking noise from the front of my engine and was driving me crazy. I tried everything except paint the engine green. A mechanic checked it and found the pulleys had cracked around their centers.

It wouldn't hurt, but take the crank pulleys off and check them for cracks. If they are the originals, they have alot of wear on them.

:rolleyes:

I had sound like that it turn out to be the heat riser valve when they get old the bi metal spring starts to give out start the car and try to move the counter weight to see if the sound stops?

Without isolating what area it's coming from.....it could be a number of things.

I will agree with sg08807 on the valve cover/rocker arm interference. I had a cheap set of "Summit" short valve covers. The rockers were rubbing in a few spots. Easy to see by the marks they left. A dimple here and there fixed it (also had to smack a baffle in)

GOod luck

ok you've tried taking off the belts, that elimanates the pulleys and all related parts. you stated early that it sounds like it's coming from the timing chain cover, so take off all the belts again, put a manual trans car in neutral or in park if auto and use a socket and breaker bar to turn the engine[using the harmonic balancer bolt] to line up the timing marks. then using the bar and socket move the balancer back and forth and you can actually feel the timing chain slack and measure it on the timing marks, over 6 degrees and it's time for a new gear and chain. i have seen them worst than 25 degrees and yes they do sound like a lifter when they hit the timing cover and i have seen holes worn into a cover.

Do you have solid or hydraulic lifters? It took me a while to get used to my solid-lifter 454, I thought I had exhaust leaks and everything too.

Yes it will run long enough to tell if the noise has gone away or not. I have done it a couple times before and this is a good test.