As I posted previous

The manuals procedure states to slowly ramp the throttle to 3k rpm, hold for 10 sec, lift throttle, then repeat. Do this 10 times or so


FSM=Factory service manual

 

so did you end up fixing the problem?

 

Humm... I had my cams done about 40k miles ago. The tick has always been around. It sure would be nice to be able to eliminate it. I just dont want to have to go through the whole cam removal process and re-assemble to find the tick is still there.

 

I'm having the same kind of issue. I didn't just get new cams though. I bought my car in July and it GSC 272 cams in it already. I think it had an occasional tick until about a month ago, when it started ticking constantly. It becomes most noticeable around 2500 RPMS.

I've tried Rislone, went with slightly heavier oil, tried the 3k RPM thing (about 30 times), and even have JAM big bore (non-ticking) lifters installed with no success. I've read several forums on this and have seen several people with similar situations, but very few have come back to say what worked for them.

the thread at https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...nstall-12.html seems to be the best that I've seen, but all those people from years back didn't really return to say if they ever got the noise to go away or not. The only one that I really noticed had a bunch of things done (including the built out head) before it got fixed.

The only thing I have left to go on is that the shop says they got a 20% leakdown on cylinder 4, on the exhaust side. I'm far from being a mechanic myself. I'm a sys admin. I may be missing something since I'm new to the auto world and haven't a lot of time to spend working on my own car.

Is a bad leakdown on the exhaust side and lifter tap like noises strongly indicative of a bad lifter? Or could there be something else wrong (like with the valve itself)?
I ask because so many people seem to be focusing on the lifters because it really does sound like lifter noise, but in my case and many others it seems like the noise wasn't actually coming from the lifters but something else in the valvetrain.

PS, my JAM spec lifters came with a big sign saying "do not bleed these lifters....."

 

The ticking can come from a few different things from poor oil pressure at the lifter to a poorly designed camshaft lobe. Try running a quart of marvel mystery oil in your oil system for 2-3k miles (drain one quart out and add the mystery oil). Sometimes that helps remove the varnish that gets caked in the oiling passages leading up to and even in the lifter. If that doesn't work we designed a non ticking lifter that has a higher pressure spring inside than the OEM lifter; this helps keep the tension on the lifter even when the lifter has low oil pressure. we have 100 or so sets out in the field now and they have fixed quite a few cars.

 

That's interesting to know Greg. I presently have the JAM lifters, and I get a bit of ticking as well, which is obviously caused by excessive lash as a result of insufficient pressure within the lifter. I also have a robust valvetrain, so that's the aggravating factor. I need to get some info on the JAM lifters to find if the internal spring is stiffer than factory. If not, I may need to get a set from you.

Update: JAM confirms their lifter spring is different than factory spec.

 

Update: JAM confirms their lifter spring is different than factory spec.[/QUOTE]


That's interesting. So if a stronger lifter spring is designed to keep the tension on the lifter there, and the ticking still occurs do you still think I should try the mystery oil?

Some days I feel like the noise is quieter than others, though it may just have to do with the air pressure outside and how much ambient noise I hear while driving to mask the tick. On days like that though, It makes me start to wonder if it's all in my head and if the tick was there in the beginning and I just didn't notice it.

Unfortunately, though, the 20% leakdown brings me back to reality.

Because of that, how seriously do you guys think I should take the ticking noise?
I can probably post a video or audio clip, if you'd like.

 

As Greg mentioned, there are several possible causes. It's possible that the excessive leakdown could be linked to a valvetrain issue, so pursue the cause of that problem first.

 

The plunger wears into the bore of the hydraulic lifter body and beyond that is varnish and deposits. Due to manufacturing tolerances, even if changing a stock cam for a stock cam the plunger stroke will be altered slightly. So, it should be no surprise when cam swaps sometimes produce lifter noise.

 

what happend ????????

 

+1...i have a noie as well....most noticeable by sticking a six inch extension on the front passengers side of the valve cover..only occurs when car is at full operating temp.

 

I'm not sure if his is the same issue, but I found a defect/blemish on the cam.

I've been waiting a couple weeks for the new cams to come in, and they should finally be here tomorrow so we'll see if that takes care of everything. Hopefully I'll have everything back together by the end of the weekend, since I decided to do the 60k in the middle of it all.


I have a picture of the cam in this other thread:
https://www.evolutionm.net/forums/ev...-advice-2.html

 

Mine are hks 272/272 with about 60,000+ miles on them..maybe my lobes are worn down...who knows.

 

that ended up being my problem. I switched to a different set of cams and my noise went away 100%

 

That's nice to know you found a fix. Yeah, I just got my new cams in on monday night and have drove the car to work and back yesterday. No tick. Lot's more power (and I haven't even had it tuned to the new cams yet), and I suspect the exhaust leakdown is gone now too (I noticed frequent performance issues just before replacing the cam, they are now gone).


yay for GSC S1s!