engine ticking
 

i know this will be hard to determine without listening to the "tick" but i have a 331 cobra crate engine and it only has about6,000 miles on it. i've recently was getting on it andi've started hearing a ticking noise. my engine pressure is around 20-40 psi when i'm driving it. could the tick be due to lack of oilor is it a roller rocker? just trying to seethe quick solutions before i tare down anything to search the problem. the ticking noise isn'timmediate all the time. sometimes it comes after i've been driving for10 minutes, other times it is immediate. any suggestions?
thanks
mike

RE: engine ticking
 

I think you may want to check your rockers, then after that checks out and it still persists, you may need to dig deeper.

RE: engine ticking
 

Sure its not pinging from timing being off

RE: engine ticking
 

A bad lifter, or valve train lash can mimic the symptoms of timing issues. However if you did not take your valve covers off after about 2500 miles and check your valvetrain then you are looking for trouble. On a new motor the pushrods and rocker "socket" seat because the poscket of the rocker arm is softer than the case hardened pushrod. This can cause a little last in a stud mounted rocker set-up. Might want to check that. If this does not fix the problem it could be a bad lifter which can happen. If you do not solve the problem you will either throw a pushrod (i have seen me do it:D) and possibly even damage your cam lobes.

RE: engine ticking
 

my guess would be a stuck lifter, it may be a good idea to try either a thicker or synthetic oil

RE: engine ticking
 

pining/detonation
exhaust leak
rocker out of adjustment
or lifter stuck.

set timing to base 10* BTDC with spout out
and is it a pop or eletrical arc type sound? or a metal to metal type clang?

rocker out of adjustment most of the time, you will hear it all the time.
exhaust leak if its tiny may not be as loud until more exhaust is being pushed through.

with 6k miles, a lifter might the cause.

isolate the sound from where its coming from.

get a piece of hose and put it to your ear and move it around till you hear it get real noisy. pull the valve cover off and start it and if you have another vc laying around cut the top out so you can see the rockers moving while it running and not take the chance of getting oil everywhere. (assuming its a rocker out of adjustment) figure out which one it is, kill the car for a min and loosen the rocker so the lifter bleeds down. then tighten it just a little and start the car, then tighten till it stops ticking, then go a half turn if thats what the rest are set at.