4k miles ago i had s2 cams installed along with gsc beehives. the head was decked and hot tanked before it was put back together. after i got my car back there was a light ticking which sounded like valvetrain noise.

the sound hasnt gone away and now that its cooler out it seems more pronounced. its at idle and i can barely hear it under load but as soon as i let off i can hear it clearly. my block is fully built with 20k on it. the only stock head parts r my lifters and valves which have 90k on them.

today it seemed that once the car was fully warmed up that the sound went away a little only to come back on decel and idle.

ive takin the valve cover off to check for anything loose and it all checked out. im hoping its the aggressive cams and my old lifters just wearing out. this week i will b removing the lifters and bleeding them. i also did an oil change and will b checking my old oil for any debris. im an idiot and threw away my old oil filter so i cant check that. i am running 20w50 amsoil.

ive listend to a few videos on youtube and its hard to tell between rod knock and bad lifters.

if anything big is wrong im gonna drive this car off a cliff.

 

also i have an oil psi guage that is showing everything is normal. around 100 at startup and dropping to 20-22 when warmed up.

 

i would suggest a 10W40, or even a 10W30 during winter

 

i was running the 10w40 but wanted to try the new 20w50 thats out. from what ive read if ur posts its what recomended for built engines like mine. i will b going back to 10w40 for the winter, depending on what this sound is.

 

update to the symptoms.

on startup the noise is there. after running for 10 minutes its still there on idle and with load i can hear it. it seems loudest kn decel. after about 20 minutes the sound lessons and if i hold the rpms steady the noise cant b heard. at idle it comes and goes but not as bad as the first 20 min after startup.

i will b changing oil this week and removing lifters to c if any r weak.

 

ive changed back to 10w40 and the sound is still there. i ran the amsoil engine flush hoping it would loosen up some lifter debris. i got the tool to remove the lifters, just waiting for a day to do it. i dot have a garage so i need a clear day. ive started getting use to the sound. it makes it at idle and once warmed up it quiets a little. once i accelerate past 2500rpm the ticking is gone. im thinking the springs in the lifters r weak.

i hope to get it apart this week while im off.

 

hey bro i have an evo 6 with the exact same problem and i was running 10w-55 hks racing oil here in japan where i am stationed and it ticked only at idle and until 3000rpms. i was reading that they need a 50w oil when they are modded, but it made my tick louder, so i went the extreme in the opposite direction and went with a 0w-20 castrol synthetic blend, that a buddy told me to run. apperantly all the drifters here that run high rpms use light weight oil with big oil coolers to keep the oil temps down from using the lighter weight oil. But as you know our evo's have big oil coolers stock so i dont have a problem running the oil. at first start up it was the same but after driving it around it got quieter and quieter until i can barely here it at all. i only drove it around for about 30 min before parking it and it still ticks a little from about 1500rpms to 2500rpms but i have heard it can take a couple days for the oil filter and lifters to work out all the air bubbles and such that built up when refilling the oil. Also i have a oil temp gauge and it stays cooler with this oil than the racing oil. i read that the evo lifters or valve lash adjusters as they are really called have small oil relief holes on top of them which cases small crap to block the holes or if the oil is too thick can back up in them and decrease the oil flow in the lifters making that ticking noise. aside from buying a set of gsc no tick lifters like what i just ordered to get ride of all the ticking for good running a lighter weight oil has queited my lifter noise down alot. I think that a couple more days of driving will get rid of the tick almost entirely but i will have to wait and see. But either way its alot better now and runs sooo much smoother than with the race oil.

 

Break out the phone and throw up a video dude.

It's probably lifters though, did you bleed them out when you did the head? Mine were making noise pretty bad before the first tear-down, bled them then and they were quiet, then the bottom end went and I just did new revised ones, which are dead silent on the new motor.

 

Not suggesting at your abilities at all, but check your oil level. A nasty leak started one night on my car's return line, and sure enough it lost enough oil in 20 minutes to make my head EXTREMELY loud. It could be something as simple as that, however, if it doesn't stop rip your valve cover off and throw on some GSC lifters.

 

ive been watching my oil level and it hasnt gone down any. when i switched oil viscosity the sound didnt change much. in 90% sure it lifters. mine r old and have alot of big cam miles on them. im gonna take the lifters out on monday and i will report back. i think theres debri stuck in them or the springs just arent up to it anymore.

 

how many miles are on that engine? and if you built the bottom end how many miles are on the top end i.e. springs and lifters and rockers?

 

the block has 20k. as far as the head goes its a mix:

valve springs/retainers 3k
cams 3k
valve seals 3k
valve guides 90k
valves 90k
lifters/rockers 90k

 

Well it sounds like the lifters are due for an upgrade. I Still have a tiny valve tick and it drives me crazy even though I can't hear it from inside. I just bought some gsc no tick lifters and am going to try them. They were only $200 so I figured why not. I also found a special tool and video showing how to remove the lifters without taking the cams out. The tool cost $22 so that will save at least 3-4 hours. All you have to do is pull the valve cover. If you have upgraded everything else why not. I'll let you know how the gsc lifters work. Should be here within the next week.

 

if you dont bleed the lifters, it wont matter if you get some new or not it will tick, but is necesary to bleed them every time you take them off. There is some videos around on how, good luck.

 

Bevolucion is right, you have to bleed any lifters you put in your engine, used new or aftermarket. If you don't you can ruin some valves. Another way is to install the lifters and turn the engine by hand a couple of times to set the lifters. After the engine starts and runs for a couple seconds you need to raise your rpms up to around 3000rpms and let the lifters fill with oil. Now for stock lifters this will sometimes work to get rid of the tick but it will just come back after a oil change or over time. I don't know if the gsc lifters will cure the problem forever but I'm going to try them.