Loud ticking from lower left side of engine

[ADDvanced]

So I have a sort of tired mid year with a 2.7 with a 2.9 andial conversion. It also has the Carrera tensioners and larer manifolds. It leaks and drips but it’s been reliable and drives fine.

Last Friday, I drove 30 min away late at night, drove 30 min back, no issues. Went for a spirited drive on Saturday, no issues, drove fine. Started it Sunday and it suddenly had this extremely loud ticking noise from what I believe to be a Lowe rocker cover. I haven’t investigated yet. It doesn’t sound good. It also smelled like exhaust, a lot, more than usual. It ran making this loud ticking for maybe 15-20 seconds. Then I turned it off.

Plan is to remove the lower valve cover and see if I find any fun surprises. Right track?

[timmy2]

Based on exhaust smell you mentioned, Check exhaust gasket slippage or if it had an air pump, check heads for a missing plug?

[T77911S]

yes, had one of those plugs blow out. very loud if I remember correctly.

if not anything timmy said remove cover and check rocker.
also could be tensioner but does not explain exhaust smell.

[nathanbs]

Originally Posted by timmy2

Based on exhaust smell you mentioned, Check exhaust gasket slippage or if it had an air pump, check heads for a missing plug?

Exhaust leak is a good guess in my opinion as well. They are awfully noisy and sound like a ticking or knocking often times

[OldSpool87]

I had a similar noise like a playing card in a bike wheel. I opened lower valve covers, nothing. I don’t have EGR plugs/ports. Turned out I had a leak in the connection from the heat exchangers to the exhaust.

[nene]

Remove the valve cover and check for a "walking" rocker shaft.

[KTL]

Originally Posted by nene

Remove the valve cover and check for a "walking" rocker shaft.

I am thinking he same as nene. DRACO A5OG had a similar issue he shared with us.


You Must CHECK the Rocker Shaft Bolts when you DIY Valve Adjust!

Even if it's not a walking rocker shaft, you still can have loud ticking that sounds like valve lash that is out of adjustment. This happens when the rocker shafts and/or bushings are worn. The excessive clearance between the shaft and bushing translates to a larger valve clearance.

[proporsche]

the best would be little video or sound recording,then we can tell what is up

Ivan

[shoooo32]

Originally Posted by nene

Remove the valve cover and check for a "walking" rocker shaft.

This.

I had a few rockers slide over on the way home from rennsport. It turns out that the factory torque setting is a little light for motors that have been rebuilt once or twice and they get loose. If you cought it before it spit the shaft out you'll be fine. Re-torque, adjust the valves and you're set.

[Ayles]

Here is my exhaust leak for reference, in this case the O2 Sensor plug in the header came out. Installer error on that one I don't think it sounds much like clicking though

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLz0TCJdaY8

[Bob Kontak]

Just get a long 1/2" extension and stick one end in your ear and move the other end around on the engine to isolate the noise. Extra long screwdriver works too. The Freight has cheap stethescopes. Well worth the $6.

Ran into a partially collapsed chain tensioner on a fresh 3.2 rebuild not long ago. It was a strange sound and definitely not correct. Not a ticking like a sloppy valve lash. Not a knock like a rod bearing. Kind/sorta in between. At higher rpm oil pressure would hold the piston up and keep it from damaging the engine. Idle was when the noise would occur.

That said, ear on a socket extension isolated it to the chain box.

[ADDvanced]

I'm hesitant to run it again and use stethoscopes when it could be causing more damage. Going to ry to pull the valve cover tonight and see what I find.

[Jdub]

This is not a loose tapered bung in an 02 sensor mount, is it? I own a non-02 SC with a later bypass that just would not retain the darn bung plug (fixed, with prejudice). As far as sounds go this would align with the ticking for certain (gets worse) and the exhaust smell as well I think.

Hope I am right and the simple fix.

[Evans, Marv]

Another (off the wall) possibility is a valve sticking in the guide, especially if it's an older engine. The sound you hear would be the piston contacting the valve and knocking it back into the head.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

I'm hesitant to run it again and use stethoscopes when it could be causing more damage. Going to ry to pull the valve cover tonight and see what I find.

Cool. If it is exhaust leak related there would be no mechanical interference.

O2 bung sounds plausible. Check exhaust flanges and interface to heads.

[T77911S]

Originally Posted by ADDvanced

I'm hesitant to run it again and use stethoscopes when it could be causing more damage. Going to ry to pull the valve cover tonight and see what I find.

pull the valve cover and check the rocker and head bolts.
if good start it back up.

if you rev it and it goes away it is a tensioner.
drove 250 miles on a bad tensioner. sounded like I had a major exhaust leak at idle.
thought my motor was toast as I did not know what it was until I got home.

[MichaelSJackson]

I once had an exhaust leak tick that was actually a head coming loose as the studs were being pulled out of the case.

Put a torque wrench on them and see if any are loose? (Set the wrench so you don't even get near the required torque spec.)

[proporsche]

ADD..here is an idea what you could do..
1.remove the coil center wire
2.spin the engine so you can tell it goes around
3.if yes, start it and make a short video...
from this point we could tell ya what is up with the noise

Ivan

[universeman]

Check the easy stuff first. Exhaust leak on the exchangers/headers - make sure all nuts are tight and no studs are broken.

[ADDvanced]

Alright gents. Had a major issue with the daily that needed to be dealt with first. Tonight I got the car jacked up and had my gf start it so I could be sure which side the noise is coming from. It’s def the drivers side. I’ll attach a video. I could not access the Lower nuts on the valve cover, the heat exchanger is in the way. Do I need to drop that in order to remove the valve cover?