Car is Tickin and Idles Rough

[Dimitrios]

ok so went out to dinner tonight with the boys and started the car. it started to tick on the right side of the motor. at high RPMs it goes away and idle you hear it again. when i shut the car off and let it sit for a while there is no tickin till the car warms up again. what is it???? pistons, valves, roller rockers??? HELP!

 

[Shelby3]

I recently had those same symptoms and it turned out to be a bad lifter.

 

[Gerald]

Agreed, Loost lifter? Easy fix... See what side valve cover it's coming from. If you can't tell, use a hammer or some sort of long pole and use it like a stethascope (sp?)and listen for the loud tick.
This has happened to me before a few years ago.. Simply fix.

You should be able to use the same head gaskets. If it's loose ..tighten her up!

G

 

[Shelby3]

A bad lifter is not a simple fix. The heads have to come off. Gerald, I believe you are talking about adjusting a lifter at the rocker right? That's the first thing to try but if the lifter is bad, so is the repair cost.

 

[hemibeep]

Before you panic.
I have been down the road before on this and tried EVERYTHING, until I found out it was a cracked piston.

Start simple.
Do you have check engine light or not?
THEN:
1. a loose plug wire can have this type of symptom.check each wire at head, then at coil packs.
2. then try the stethascope method.
a. first listen to each injector(they will click)just listen for louder one.
b. check for lifter tap
c. if suspect lifter tap, you can pull valve cover and start car to verify(this will make a mess!)Hopefully this will find problem.
d. if it is lifter, then head off, new gaskets, and unless you are a DIY'er bring your $$$ (lifter is actually cheap, it's the labor that will get you.)
If you can't narrow down with this, post I can tell you more.

 

[Dimitrios]

yes engine light came on and it idles really rough.

 

[hemibeep]

The lifter is a suspect--Although,I had a bad lifter once,but lost a little power and ticked,,,,,BUT a loose or bad plug wire will possibly cause the same effect....check those first. A loose/bad wire will trip computer also(misfire)...
Heck, check for a loose injector wire also.
I usually overreact and miss the "little" stuff that it may be.

Hope this helps.

 

[Gerald]

ahhh, perhaps I am. I just stood by when someone just popped off the valve cover and "adjusted" (?) the lifter and it did the same thing his car did. Ticked really loud etc, after a spirited run. Must have taken about 30 minutes and it was QUITE easy ( at least to watch! LOL)

G

 

[vettekiller]

or a broken valve spring

 

[Jack B]

A sticky lifter or a rocker that needs adjusting typically is not going to set a code. Whatever the root problem is, it has caused the car to run either either rich or lean to set the code. Give us the code.

 

[BACKNBLACK]

I was with D last night. It's coming from the passenger side rear piston near firewall.There was no blew smoke so that's a good sign that it's not a valve. The motor was idiling rough.From my experience when we let the motor cool off for a while and restarted it, the oil was thick enough to hide problem for about 1 minute.As oil is thin when temps get hot the lifter started to tick. I'm betting it's a lifter.

 

[dansauto]

or compression ring..Blowing oil, check engine light, and ticking. A lifter should not throw a check engine lignt. What is the code?

 

[Dimitrios]

Ok so it seems like the code on the reader is PO172 which in the book says it running rich. I spent some time checking out where the sound came from and its right over the middle of the valve cover. I put mny hand over the sound and I could feel somethiung hitting. Took it for a easy drive around the block and when I would stop short the noise would go away until I kinda got on it again. The tickin is also not in synch. It will tap for a few and theb it would go away for a few and then come back again. Also noticed to a different sound out out of the exhaust. A pop woukd be heard every couple of seconds. Hope this helps you pros.

 

[VIPER D]

dimitrious


I know that you had your blower installed not to long ago. Did you have it tuned on a dyno for afr#'s. I know alot of people that have had problems with blowers and turbos b/s of lack of tuning afr/timing witch could of lead to this condition.

pm me or call me


vd..

 

[99 R/T 10]

Pull the plugs and do a leakdown check.

 

[vettekiller]

still sounds like a broken valve spring. i have broke a valve spring on mine on nitrious. the center little spring. it will also cause rough running and popping out of that side exhaust.

 

[Daniel Cragin/DC Performance Inc]

Perform a compression and leakdown test. Then pull the valve covers and inspect the valvetrain. Sound like a broken valve spring or related defect.

 

[BACKNBLACK]

The bottom line D is you gotta get it fixed.Something you can't do at home. Either valve or lifters

 

[Dimitrios]

so what you guys are pretty much saying is that im screwed.

 

[hemibeep]

What have you checked so far? ?

It's easy to panic...

Start with the basics. I spent 3-4 weeks trying to figure out my noise. With an all aluminum motor, the sound seems like it is coming from one place, but is actually somewhere else.....

Tell us what you have checked..? ? ?

P.S. you're not screwed until you crack the block..... like mine WAS!(almost back together)

 

[ACELLR8]

I had a ticking in my 95, I could only hear it at idle. I thought or was hoping it was a lifter or a valve.

Turned out when I pulled the oil pan, I saw a spun bearing and some metal in the oil.

Don't mean to scare ya, but might be worth pulling the oil pan to see if there is anything in it and looking at the bottom of the motor. My noise did not sound like it was coming from the bottom end but turned it was.

 

[GotAViper]

Nobody has mentioned header gasket?

I blow header gaskets in my camaro all the time, Depending on where it blows and how much, it ticks! and ticks more and faster at higher RPMS.

 

[Jack B]

It is the drivers side bank that is over rich and has been leaned. You are not going to have to go too far, pulling the drivers side plugs will locate the bad cylinder. As several people have already commented a simple compression test will also verify the issue. Pulling the valve covers will tell you if it is a rocker or valve spring, if it isn't the heads have to come off. DON'T DRIVE IT ANY MORE!

 

[Sean Roe]

July, 1995.
Practicing for the Pikes Peak hillclimb in a Corvette, I heard the motor go “off” on one cylinder.
Problem was, I was on an uphill run, about 12 miles from our base parking area.
I had to finish driving up to the next staging area before I could stop. I opened the hood to hear the motor ticking, but everything was covered with mud (it was raining and snowing at different parts on the mountain). I turned around and came down with everyone else when practice finished at 7:30am. Check engine light came on.
We washed the motor down and pulled the spark plugs. One plug looked different from the rest. Pulled the valve cover on that side and found one of the rocker arm adjusters had backed out. Reset the rocker, put the valve cover back on, cleared the code and finished the event with no problems (except that I finished 7th).
Dimitrios, I doubt you’re screwed.
You could either attempt to find the problem yourself with aid from a local friend / mechanic, or take it to Chuck (by trailer).
As noted by others here, it's almost certainly in the valvetrain.
Let me know if I can help.

Regards,
Sean

 

[Dimitrios]

Ok so just dropped the car off at chucks and need to replace the pistons. My questions now are. Diamond pistons the way to go or is there something better. Also thinking of doing a mopar 96 cam and 10-12lbs of boost on my Roe SC. Any suggestions or drawbacks?

 

[hemibeep]

so the noise were pistons? ?

I decided on Ross pistons. They are actually 60 grams lighter than 97 stock pistons.

Keep us posted

 

[carguy07]

Are you guys getting away with just a quick hone and dropping in new pistons? Are the liners clean enough to just pop new ones in?

 

[Schulmann]

Dimitrios have you been in English Town in May ?

 

[Dimitrios]

yes probably

 

[plumcrazy]

id definetely go with a cam, get head work,10# minimum

then id put a small shot of nitrous on it.