ticky ticky ticky
 

Well, hope it's just a loose rocker. Kind of sounds like it. We'll see tomorrow night if I get the time to pop the valve cover.

I heard a ticky ticky and it turned out #3 piston was gone.

Yeah, but that was a Ford.

Fixt.

Is the car missing or does it just have a tick? How loud is the tick?

I heard a screech in the Cobra a couple days ago when pulling up to a light and then smoke came out from under the car. I already know it's the throwout bearing because it's been making noise and getting louder the past couple weeks. Now I have to pull the trans and install a new one. I just hope it didn't do anything to the pressure plate.

Guy and I have decided that Ford needs to hire us to test their vehicles.

Is it muffled? If not it might be an exhaust leak. If so, dump a quart of some cheap ATF in your engine and run it for a week to break up the build up (I'm thinking lifter). ATF has a high detergent content. Then put some decent synthetic oil in there (not Rotella, haha).

I'm sure they would

I have a car stethoscope if you want to borrow it

It is not particularly loud, but gets a little louder with engine load it seems. The rate is regular and goes with the RPM. It is a relatively higher pitched metallic sound, like tapping on a tin plate with a fork.

Got plans this evening? :)

Sounds like an exhaust leak, can you post a video? I do have a lot to do today/ tonight. But if you want to stop by to pick up the stethoscope I'll take a listen. Let me make sure I still have it too.

I'm not driving it in its current condition in case it is something fixing to get loose and cause a lot of damage. I'll just pop the cover and take a look for starters. If it isn't just a loose rocker, I'll take a video and post.

Drove the cobra back from santa monica with a broken rocker stud. Ron has driven a ways with a broken rocker. You'll be fine.

I don't know what it is. If an engine is making a sound it shouldn't I stop. It guarantees a potentially cheap thing doesn't get potentially expensive in a hurry.

Not all sounds are the same, if its only a few miles then I'd say you'll be ok.

Usually a loose rocker on a hydrualic cam will be louder at idle (low oil pressure) and quieter with rpm due to the rockers pumping up.

Well, it ain't the rocker. I'll take a video tomorrow night. This is kind of a bummer because I have essentially no money in the play money bucket. If it's anything serious it could get parked.

Exhaust leak is the only tick that gets louder under load. I've blown out several exhaust gaskets. Switched to copper gaskets with copper spray, zero issues for about 4 years now.

I'll stop by your place tomorrow or this weekend. Still getting home around 7?

PS, a tick aint serious. Unless youve been running it without oil and its a rod smacking around on the crank :o But that would be like NO OIL, for awhile. Otherwise dont worry.

Yes. Let me know, it'd be nice to get a second opinion. It's obviously not right whatever it is. But because it doesn't do it hardly at all when not under load, I can't easily check it myself with my head in the engine bay. :) Your help will be much appreciated.

Made a little video. I looped it and did some EQ to partially isolate the noise, it is most obvious around 1:43. Almost sounds like a diesel valve train.

That sounds like a rod knock to me.

Problem?
Cause?
Solution?

It did start happening on my way home the other night shortly during/after a WOT romp.

Get a broom handle if you don't have a stethoscope, cut it down a little and use it to listen at the oil pan.

Numerous things can cause a rod knock but the most common I guess would be a loose rod bolt.

Or use a long handle screw driver. Ron is right, loose rod bolt, spun bearings, etc.
Also sounds like cam knock, which the LS series are notorious for.

So probably loose bolt(s) and worn bearings is what I'm looking at minimally. Anything involving the cam means pulling the engine. If I go that far, I'd probably do a bunch of things, like a typical car idiot. . .

Not even worn bearings really, at least not with the cam Dick was telling me that he's seen factory stock engine with as much as .010 Gap on the bearings.

The only things I heard from this engine before were a little piston slap during warm up and a little "typewriter" sound from the valve train. Pretty smooth otherwise. That's why this stuck out.

Listen with a broom handle, stethoscope, screwdriver and see if you can determine where the sound is coming from. I don't know anything about the LS cam issue but if it's a rod knocking it will be the loudest under a heavy load. Since you have a manual trans the only way to load the engine is by driving it. Just get out on the main street and put it in third at a lower rpm and give it some throttle. If it's a rod issue it will rattle loud.

I can tell that's exactly the kind of conditions under which it makes the most noise. Coming home on the freeway when I first heard it I slowed down a bit and tried to cost and just nudge it. Whenever nudging it would get louder, when costing it didn't make any sound.

I'll try to double confirm with a stethoscope that it's coming from the pan area. Assuming that's it, I guess this is a matter of draining the oil (needs an oil change anyway thankfully) and removing the pan to see the rod connections to the crank.

It does sound like rod knock, but more muffled than what Ive heard in the past. I wouldn't necessarily settle on that. How many miles did this engine have on it when you installed it? Now?

And why the hell does everyone love pulling the engine out of their car? The crank might be fine, just pull the pan off, take the spark plugs out, unbolt the rods one at a time, and check it. The heads can stay on.

PS, cam can come out in the car, just yank the radiator.

PS PS, diesels are loud because of the fuel injectors

It has good oil pressure I'm assuming? I don't see why you would be having a clearance issue unless there was extreme neglect. And I know thats not that case

Don't recall how many miles it had on it when I got it. I've put on about 12k and those are a fair portion of romping around, dozens of 1/4 mile runs, etc.

Everything is on a quick connect. I have a hoist and a stand. It's not necessarily all that difficult to pull the motor and have the convenience of working on it on a stand if it came to that.

Well it may not be rod knock, and if it is you may be able to get away with new bearings installed with the motor in the car. So dont cry yet

I don't know what kind of clearance you have on a C3 but on the Chevelle and the Cobra there is no way to pull the oil pan without lifting the engine due to the crossmember. The only vehicle I would be able to pull the pan on is the Explorer because I cut the factory crossmember out and made a new one that is forward of the engine for the SAS.

Front cross member is in front of the motor in a C3, its a front-mid engine car. Two tie rods to move the steering arm out of the way and the car is just a pretty oversized engine stand.

And because of the valve train,

How is the valve train loud? The sound you hear in a diesel engine is the sound of the injectors opening and closing at insane rates of pressure.