the variance in the lobe (flaws in its shape) can easily be the cause for the tick. Slight centerline variation & small duration differences won't cause a tick though

 

Mine only ticks when cold. I suspect it's a clearance issue that tightens up when the aluminum head is soaked with heat.

 

I haven't examined the cam-related mechanicals up close, but the ticking is likely caused by a gap between two metallic surfaces that is larger than spec. My first suspicion would be one or more gaps between a few lobes' base circles and the rockers' surfaces.

 

No ticking with the Piper cams I have installed. If you do a search I've also posted a procedure from the service manual that is used to remove air from the lifters in this forum before. It was in one of the other cam install related threads.

 

Yeah, some type of assembly lube is REALLY important when installing cams because it can take up to 30 seconds for oil to get in the bearings of the new cams. I dont think that would really be attibuted to lifter tick though. Could this be attributed to using higher lift cams on the stock springs?

 

or oil making its way up

 

If 30 minutes is required to get oil to the cam gear during regular engine operation, you have serious problem with the oiling system, and the motor will be toast.

I've had a close look at the mechanism yesterday, and I don't think it has anything to do with oiling. The mechanism appears to be a simple roller rocker that follows the lobe, the opposite end depressing the valve stem cap. If there is slack between the lobe and the roller follower that is not taken up by thermal expansion, you will get valve train noise each time the lobe comes around and the roller follower 'slaps' the ramp. The slack could be caused by a base circle that is slightly smaller than factory spec. The cam follower specs should be listed in the engine manual. If there is a means of adjustment to cure excessive clearance, it wasn't obvious. If this is the cause, using or not using cam lube would bear no influence over the situation.

The only way this theory can be proven or disproven is for someone with a ticking valvetrain to measure the clearance between the base circle and the followers for each valve, compare them for consistency, and compare the readings against the factory specs.

 

The tick is normal guys,I had it stock and I still have it with cams..

Listened to other evos when the guy said he had "NO TICK" took a look,he had the same thing I had he just didnt know what to listen for...

TICK is normal...All 4G63 makes this noise Ive listened to 5 so far...

 

I just had my cams installed...at cold start there is no ticking, once the engine starts warming up it starts ticking, but when oil temp gets about 60C it starts going away. By the time engine is fully warmed up it completely goes away.

When stockthe tick cycle was similar but my guess is the higher lift cycle amplifies the sound.

 

I haven't heard the ticking some are saying is specific to some aftermarket cams, so I have no means of guessing if it is indeed normal valvetrain noise or something unusual. In any case, any excessive slack in the valvetrain (if such a thing exists here) would result in lost valve lift and possibly unusual wear issues. Perhaps it is normal, but we won't know without a bit of investigation.

 

One of the problems is the interpretation of tick noise, to one guy it may sound like a tick to another its just engine noise...

My motor makes alot of noise, hehe nature of the best...

wish we had some sound files...

 

Mine definately is lifter noise... the "ticky tak" goes completely away when the engine oil is at 50-55 C (oil pan sensor) it lasts for 2-5 minutes at most. Is this something I need to worry about?

[edit] it sounds like all lifters tick until it warms up

 

My cams were recently installed and I havenet heard anything until rhe last couple days. I did have my oil changed with 5W-30 Pennzoil Perfomax (synthetic) Had it in there before to. My cams have been in a week now. Anyway, I heard this noise and lifted the hood. It sounded like the injectors but taking a closer look it sounded like the sound was coming from the exhaust cam. I also noticed the cam gear cover was ate up from the rotation of the Fidenza cam gears. Ther was plastic shavings(powder) sitting around the gears. I am going to take a sander to the inside of the cover to get rid of all the excess plastic thats hitting the bolts on the gears. Anyone else have this problem. Part of the noise was the gears slapping the plastic inside the cover........

 

I ground my cover before I instaled over my Vishnu gears. Yeah, and mine sound like VAG 1.8t injector tick but goes away when warm.

 

It is not getting oil to the cam it is getting the oil to the lash adjusters. The ticking can be cause by trapped air into the hydraulic lash adjusters that the rockers ride on. There is not much flow here just pressure to fill them at start up.

There is no adjustment since it is hydraulic.

this is a good description
http://www.lancerregister.com/faq_f01.php