3InFlArEdQuArTeR18X12

I purchased an 88 5.0 from a mechanic who supposedly bought it from a guy who worked at a machine shop. yea right! When i first got the car about a year ago i noticed a ticking sound coming from the top end. Its was quiet and i didnt really pay any attention to it because the car was fast and it didnt really bother me. Months down the road it has become a problem because i cant seem to find out what it is, iv noticed a power loss, and the sound has gotten considerably louder. Iv changed the header gaskets and roller lifters last month didnt do anything. a speed shop owner told me the lifter bores are warn and i should have put over sized lifters in, but i told that to a machine shop owner and he said thats ballony and that it probably has the wrong size pushrods in it. please help!!! keep in mind it has gt40 heads from a 96 explorer and things in the engine bay do seem kind of slapped together, but none the less i at least want the motor to run right. can anyone solve my everyday stress? aaaahhhh!!!

FivePointOhh

does it have aftermarket roller rockers?

calgarynotch

im going through the exact same thing. every once and awhile i would start my car and id hear a loud valve noise and it seemed to have fairly loud valvetrain to begin with. but this week i did a nice burnout and was bouncing it off the stock limiter and after i did that it stayed loud...mostly on the passengers side. so i pulled my valve covers off and all the rods are tight because i thought maybe it was a loose valve.

please help both of us. haha. i have stock E7's instead of gt40's and the engine was supposedly rebuilt this past Christmas as its spotless with all new gaskets

projectresto83

You don't need oversized lifters. Did you torque your rockers down correctly? Have you checked your valve train geometry?

Mattalicious

I had the exact same problem after purchasing my 88' GT. I drove it for about 4 days and noticed the ticking sound. I was told it sounded like a Lifter sticking and I ran some Lucas through it, along with some Seafoam but to no avail. I eventually ended up completely rebuilding the engine, and we couldn't figure out what the problem had been. After finishing the rebuild I pulled the car out for a drive. Got out to clean up the tools and noticed a long rod, which had been twisted to look like a drill bit.
Oil Pump seized up, Oil Pump Drive Shaft twisted and snapped off at the distributor.
Just some imput. Maybe check the oil pump, just in case.

3InFlArEdQuArTeR18X12

yea the rockers are bolt down and i when i changed my lifters i torqued the rockers to 22 pounds. i thought maybe trying to change the oil pump and pickup tube. i got the pump just need to get the pickup tube. ill let you know how it goes when i change that! idk what else to do. im buying a 70mm throttle body this weekend, she runs rich and i think the air/fule mix is way off since it should have a 65 on it to match the explorer intake.

mjr46

wtf is it with your screen name choice?? need it any longer?? I tried to read the long post but your screen name was to distracting

irish1

Ticking can be a very frustrating thing to chase, I am not a professional builder but I do have some experience, here are some of the ticking things I've chased on the three mustangs I've owned:

1 ticking noise tracked down to be the belt tensioner, easy to check start up the car with the serpentine belt off.

2 ticking tracked down to be alternator bearings, same check as #1.

3 more ticking, this time it was an exhaust leak, check header gaskets and header to h-pipe connection and use locking header bolts. I like the totally stainless ones but opinions vary.

4 yet more ticking, this one was hard to find, current mustang has GT-40 heads and I had the heads overhauled before installation. Turned out there was a missing thermactor plug. You can't see it but if you stick your hand between the back of the heads and the firewall you can sure feel it.

5 improper valve train setup - includes making mistakes on setting lash and improper length pushrods.

Have not experienced an oil pump shaft making a ticking but I suppose it is possible, replace with an ARP shaft if you go to the trouble, then you do not have to think about it anymore.

Generally a ticking noise that gets louder over time is not good, especially if it is rpm dependent.

Matt