Art Brock

I know trying to diagnose an engine sound without actually hearing it is almost impossible, but...

I have a slight ticking sound around my motor. It's not real loud, but I hear it & it annoys me. Actually sounds louder from beneath & beside the car than under the hood. Using a stephoscope & the old rubber tubing trick I cannot find it.
Stephoscope can pick it up pretty much whereever I put it & it only seems a little louder towards the back of the motor.
It only starts about 20-30 seconds after a cold start. Could that be exhaust related & it only starts after the metal starts warming up & expanding?
Motor is factory rebuilt from Ford about 2 years ago. No issues with motor.

Also, I put a h-pipe on the car last year (one of those Summit universal things). I don't remember hearing this tick before that, but I didn't notice it until about a month after the h-pipe install (so I'm sure if it is H-pipe related or not). I replaced the exhaust do-nuts also. I can't find any leaks around the H-pipe or exhaust. Do the H's sometimes make a little internal ticking noise?
I am using a rubber tubing held to my ear & probing all over the exhaust system to try to find the leak. Any better methods?

Friends have said: I can't hear it; Sounds normal; sounds like a lifter & sounds like an exhaust leak.
Any methods to rule or confirm out any of these possible sources?
lifters
bearings (I sure hope not!!)
exhaust leak
h-pipe
anything else??

Thanks for any possible help or advice.
(I really don't have a way to record a sound clip right now.)

cprstreetmachines

You check the oil ? Just had a customer with a similar problem. It would start to clack after it was reved for 10 sec. No oil. It would take that long before the oil was sucked outta the pan.

67mustang302

Could be an exhaust leak. Small ones often sound like a tick.

It could be worse, the clearance between my oil pan and main girdle are small, and once it heats up and the girdle expands the vibration in the engine at lower rpm causes the pan to move around a bit as it flexes and taps the girdle, and it makes for a nice "tapping on an empty barrel with a wrench" sound. And the valvetrain sounds like a sewing machine.

Art Brock

Oil level is fine.
It's been changed a couple of times in the last year & it doesn't seem to ever use any oil between changes. Using 10w30 Mobile One.

I'm just worried it may be something internal in the motor.
How do Muffler Shops check for exhaust leaks? If it's an exhaustleak, I should be able to fix it (if I ever find it).

Would a bad lifter only tap after warming a few seconds?

gcstang65

Dude...do you have headers, listen around them. Sounds like a header gasket leak to me.

Art Brock

Dude...I hope it is an exhaust leak. But I have replaced exhaust gaskets (I have hi-po manifolds) & exhaust donuts & have listened around every inch of my exhaust system & can't find a leak.
I was hoping the fact that it does not tick when cold & does tick when warm would be a clue as to what may be wrong.

Mustangdemon67

ive had the ticking problem before, twice. the first time my header was cracked, the second, my head was cracked[&:]

maybe its one of those? it can be hard to spot small cracks though, took me a while to find em

kalli

i would have put my money on leak around the exhaust manifold or header as well.
If that's not the case use a screwdriver to check where the sound comes from.
As in put the flat bit on top of the valvecover and your ear on the end of the screwdriver (like a doctor and a stethoskope).
Be careful: moving parts!!!!
if it doesn't help at least it looks like you know what you're doing

05 Cayuse

I'd also lay my money on a small exhaust leak at the header/manifold. I just ran into the same thing installing new headers on my 67, I replaced gaskets twice before realizing that one of the new flanges is warped. Might be worth pulling both sides and checking for escaping gas marks on the gaskets. Good luck, tracking those bothersome noises can be a bugger.

crunchyskippy

I had a ticking sound coming from one of my exhaust collectors once, but that was easier to determine the location. So I agree with the others: it's probably your header gasket leaking.Exhaust leakswill be positively correllated with engine RPM, thus confusing the issue with mechanical ticks.

I suppose you could try the old "soap and water spray" technique and look for bubbling. If you find it, try retorqueing while the surfaces are warm/hot.

Good luck.

--edited for clarification and spelling--