I've got a loud ticking sound coming from my engine, and I'd thought it was an exhaust leak. So I finally got around to installing all new exhaust and intake gaskets today. I made sure they fit with no leaks. It did solve one of my problems which was backfire during deceleration. But the ticking remains.

At this point it sounds to me like it is louder on the top of the engine than the bottom. This engine is a 1.8L with a recent rebuild (by unkown parties, but it looks clean). Valves are adjusted and make no change to the sound (i've adjusted them several times now). At this point I'm thinking maybe a lifter is going south, or could it be a broken piston ring?

Help from all the Gurus is greatly appreciated.

Oh and it feels somewhat underpowered. Compression check revealed 130-140psi across the board. New plugs, wires, etc, etc, etc.

Have you ever done any work to your motor using chopsticks?

Sorry...



KT

QUOTE (trekkor @ Nov 19 2005, 12:41 PM)

Have you ever done any work to your motor using chopsticks? Sorry... KT

Now that's just mean....I approve tho.....

Oh my lord...a real answer

could be several things, here's a couple.

Bad rod bearing...it will get worse and it will be louder at WOT

Loose rivets on the cam gear...more of a rat-a-tat-tat sound

Lifters...at least this something most can check. Pull the rockers and P/R tubes and you can remove the lifters. One at a time, keep them in order.

Piston ring...But you should have low compression on one cylinder.
Was it a re-ring or new P&C's? I've seen guys break a jug (and the ring) from not cleaning out the lands proper.

Or a tick / whistle / squeaking noise.... blown head gasket.

I looked for chopsticks, but I could not find any.

The best description of the sound I can offer is it sounds like if you tapped a wrench on the case, very rythmic. It definately does not get louder under load, it just gets faster with RPM until the engine drowns it out. When driving in the car I can only hear it when I am stopped at idle.

I have a fuel injector that is making the same sound, or at least I think it's a injector. Hopefully it's not a internal sound that went away once the injector was unplugged. Anyhow I traced the sound to a area, once i unpluged that injector with the motor idling, on the cyclinder the noise seemed to be coming from, it stopped. That is after I did all of the above mentioned. I talked to someone else and they agreed the injectors can make a very loud ticking sound.

Ferg.

Don't forget to check here:

Never mind... I see your signature says '72. The air injection ports are just on the '75 and '76 cars I think. But if one of those holes opens up it will cause the symptoms you described.

It has carbs so fuel injectors wouldn't be it. I didn't see any of those smog ports on the heads.

Thanks for the ideas, and keep 'em comin. It looks like I'm probably heading for a partial tear down anyway.

Could be somrthing as simple as the fan hitting the shroud...but thats more of a scraping sound.

Check eveything before you tear into her.

for a couple weeks up until mine dropped a valve seat it made a ticking sound. Coincidently, that happened just as I pulled into my driveway coming home from work. It went from tick tick to clank clank - awful sound.

'nother time I had just built the engine. needed a -4 cam gear but oem was nla, so I used an aftermarket. after 200miles the engine was making racket. Oil was full of sparkly stuff. took engine apart - gear was trashed.

but, there are so many possibilities, and not all of 'em bad. If me, I'd check valve adj., torque plugs, check oil level (Is oil light on at idle w/ warm engine?). Lastly, get AAA+ and drive it.

QUOTE (brp914 @ Nov 20 2005, 11:12 AM)

for a couple weeks up until mine dropped a valve seat it made a ticking sound. Coincidently, that happened just as I pulled into my driveway coming home from work. It went from tick tick to clank clank - awful sound. 'nother time I had just built the engine. needed a -4 cam gear but oem was nla, so I used an aftermarket. after 200miles the engine was making racket. Oil was full of sparkly stuff. took engine apart - gear was trashed. but, there are so many possibilities, and not all of 'em bad. If me, I'd check valve adj., torque plugs, check oil level (Is oil light on at idle w/ warm engine?). Lastly, get AAA+ and drive it.

was your case alignbored?

there are different sizes of gears..... could be why your cam gear was toasted...

QUOTE (brp914 @ Nov 20 2005, 10:12 AM)

for a couple weeks up until mine dropped a valve seat it made a ticking sound. Coincidently, that happened just as I pulled into my driveway coming home from work. It went from tick tick to clank clank - awful sound. 'nother time I had just built the engine. needed a -4 cam gear but oem was nla, so I used an aftermarket. after 200miles the engine was making racket. Oil was full of sparkly stuff. took engine apart - gear was trashed. but, there are so many possibilities, and not all of 'em bad. If me, I'd check valve adj., torque plugs, check oil level (Is oil light on at idle w/ warm engine?). Lastly, get AAA+ and drive it.

dont remind me of that time...she hasnt run since

QUOTE

was your case alignbored?

no, case was brand new - NOS ('bout 5 yrs ago)

QUOTE

there are different sizes of gears..... could be why your cam gear was toasted...

right, needed -4 for proper backlash w/crank gear. aftermarket -4 was not made of alum. - grey - not sure what. Put engine back together with oem -3. It complained for a while, but I guess machined itself in-situ and is now ok.