View Full Version : Loud tick/tap after warmed up
MyFirstZ
08-31-2013, 01:54 PM
Ok for those that haven't seen the build thread here it is just to get an idea of what was done
http://www.njfboa.org/forums/showthread.php?t=61831
Otherwise its PRC stage 2.5 5.3 heads
ls7 lifter
hardened 7.4" pushrods (measure 7.3875 @ .050" preload)
Comp cams trunion upgraded rockers
.675" Dual valve springs
Loud tick, car misfiring, NO CEL. Noise sounds as if it is on the driver side.
But started happening the week after the engine swap was finished. At first I thought maybe it was just an exhaust leak and ended up finding a crack in one of the collectors on the driver side head. Welded that up best I could and noise was gone at idle, started driving home and after it warmed up and had a load on it started tapping again. Same noise and no difference in volume
When I finally got off the highway it started stumbling a little. So I decided to recheck my valvetrain (torque on rockers, pushro length, collapsed lifter, springs)
Ended up finding a broken valve spring, one of the new ones that just went it. Thought that has to be it. Got the new spring installed and double checked pushrod length with the comp cams tool. With .050" preload I came up with a 7.3875 pushro so the 7.4 was good and put me at a preload of .063". Retorqued everything and started it up. Again noise is gone alowed it to idle to operating temp., no issues. Drove the car and 5 minutes into driving started tapping and missing again. (broken spring was on the passenger side 5th spring back)
Got to my buddies house and pulled the valve covers again thinking has to be another broken spring. Didn't find anything!!!! Cranked it with the vavle covers off watching the springs and valvetrain. Didn't see anything extraordinary. Put it back together. Noise was gone untill started driving again.
I don't have any check engine light. Vehicle does misfire when it does it but I can't monitor individual cylinders with my scanner to see where it is coming from, I tried pulling plug wires see if I can here the engine acoustics change but it doesn't go away and just arcs to the coil bracket.
I didn't see any other arcing going on or any signs or arcing
Think that covers everything I checked/did, may have forgotten something.....
Next step is gonna borrow NJ Mike's coils and get new wires and see if it goes away. With the heat and load it sound like a coil is failing, just wish I can see the arc if that is what the ticking is
I have a sound clip I have to try and upload.
Any suggestions, or experience with coils failing like this(if thats whats going) please chime in
MyFirstZ
09-01-2013, 01:56 PM
well to give you guys an update. I swapped could and wires on all 8. Noise is still there once it gets hot.
Only thing I can think of is maybe a bad lifter.......
I'm at a lose, not sure if I should try plugs first or what
MyFirstZ
09-01-2013, 02:54 PM
TdfLNSfHIbM
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lifter to me. should only take about 30 min to pull the driver side head.
MyFirstZ
09-01-2013, 04:34 PM
Thanks for the input, that's what im leaning towards myself now, I guess I was just hoping it was a coil.
Just gonna see if I can get TSP to get me a new set of bolts and gaskets for cheap since they are brand new
sweetbmxrider
09-02-2013, 09:06 AM
Certainly sounds like a lifter. Maybe you should see if all of the rockers are getting oil. If one isn't, that would be the bad lifter.
MyFirstZ
09-02-2013, 09:18 AM
How would I know if it wasn't ?
Mock up the car so it can run without the valve covers ?
sweetbmxrider
09-02-2013, 09:56 AM
That I'm not sure :lol: but yeah, I would run it without the valve cover on. Otherwise, you are shotgunning lifters into there.
How would I know if it wasn't ?
Mock up the car so it can run without the valve covers ?
Yes
MyFirstZ
09-02-2013, 11:39 AM
I cranked it with the valve covers off didn't run it though.
Didn't see anything and didn't hear anything at that time. almost has to be driving to get it to happen then it will stay till it cools though
I sent TSP the videos maybe they will chime in and hopefully send me 8 new ones, head gasket and head bolts since I just spent 3k on them and more in the past
Start the car covers off. Oil isn't going to hose you down.
MyFirstZ
09-03-2013, 08:25 AM
I'll try it when I get home from work today.
Lt1_8U
09-06-2013, 01:26 PM
Do you have an old set of crappy valve covers? If so you can drill out holes over the location of the rockers. I did that in my gen1 sbc to adjust the rockers. I'm not sure about the ls engines but figured ill throw it out there. Good luck solving the issue
MyFirstZ
09-06-2013, 04:27 PM
Do you have an old set of crappy valve covers? If so you can drill out holes over the location of the rockers. I did that in my gen1 sbc to adjust the rockers. I'm not sure about the ls engines but figured ill throw it out there. Good luck solving the issue
That's a great idea ! I may do that and just keep with my "special tools"
That's a great idea ! I may do that and just keep with my "special tools"
Such a waste of valve covers..
MyFirstZ
09-06-2013, 05:45 PM
at the risk of scratching a nice one when you take it off a half dozen times its worth it.
Even the coils hide em now, they won't be soon
Lt1_8U
09-06-2013, 06:01 PM
Thanks!
It's worth it to save an oil mess and the headache of cleaning up the splattered oil and scratching up your nice set of covers
Jersey Mike
09-06-2013, 09:06 PM
Such a waste of valve covers..
He's only saying that because he's in need of a set to weld fittings onto now :lol:
Grifter
09-08-2013, 08:21 AM
It does sound like a lifter. Does it always misfire when it's making that noise? I'm surprised it's not setting a code. If you were closer I'd monitor the misfire's with my Tech 2...
MyFirstZ
09-08-2013, 09:50 AM
the one night it happened was really apparent it started missing but when I took it to work last week to pull the head it only felt like it was missing at idle.
But I pulled the driver side head and found 2 lifters o can compress the plunger by pushing on with my finger. 6 felt pretty solid.
Either way I have 8 on the way.
Jersey Mike
09-08-2013, 11:12 AM
Lessons learned: When the time comes, I'm staying away from LS7 lifters… and getting ARP bolts :lol:
Grifter
09-09-2013, 08:06 PM
Lessons learned: When the time comes, I'm staying away from LS7 lifters… and getting ARP bolts :lol:
Got a suggestions on lifters? I was gonna get LS7's...
MyFirstZ
09-09-2013, 09:37 PM
I think you just here of more issues with ls7 due to the popularity.
My last cam install and my buddies 6.0 both had no issues with the ls7s
Think a lot of people through around the name morel on tech
sweetbmxrider
09-10-2013, 07:05 AM
At least half of mine were bad out of the box from the dealer. I went with morel/lunati link bars and they have been great.
LTb1ow
09-10-2013, 07:58 AM
At least half of mine were bad out of the box from the dealer. I went with morel/lunati link bars and they have been great.
IDK bout half, but I would say a few of mine are bad as well.
MyFirstZ
09-14-2013, 04:12 PM
well, I installed new ls7 lifters on the driver side head. Drove the case and it felt good and sounded good the first day....... drove it today thought I was paranoid and heard it so I drove it a little harder and the noise came back.
Same spot driver side front of head.......
No idea how oil passages are on this car or what else to look for.
So far what was done to try and change or eliminate noise was......
-new ls7 lifters all 8 driver side
-swapped coils
-swapped wires
-new injectors, needed for the tune anyway.
-checked for exhaust leaks and welded any found.
-checked for broken valve train components (none)
-checked pushrod length. 7.4" put me at .063" preload.
Don't know what else to do,
maybe drive it with tech 2 see what's missing or swap rockers.....
Jersey Mike
09-14-2013, 04:26 PM
My idea was swap rockers side to side to see if the sound moves with the rockers, and get ARP bolts.
But I'm wondering, could a trunion be the root of this?
MyFirstZ
09-14-2013, 04:32 PM
don't know this noise is beyond my experience level.
MyFirstZ
09-14-2013, 06:45 PM
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xrelapse13
09-20-2013, 08:55 PM
Got a suggestions on lifters? I was gonna get LS7's...
Brian Tooley Lifters
LTb1ow
09-21-2013, 09:15 AM
Brian Tooley Lifters
FFB recommended them as well, but FFB just knows what he reads on the web, any links to installs/reviews of them?
MyFirstZ
09-21-2013, 01:59 PM
so since I have been in training all week last night was the first day I got to touch the car.
I pulled the valve covers looking for anything obvious and still came up dry.
pulled all the plugs and and rockers and decided to triple check pushrod at TDC.
checked every cylinder on the driver side head all at TDC. results were all the same!
intake 10.5 turns = 7.375 @ .050" preload
exhaust 10 turns =7.350 @ .050" preload
The 7.4 according to this is giving me
.075" intake
.100" exhaust
I have a 7.4 which I thought would be on but maybe due to the high lift its causing issues and possibly bottoming out the lifter.
A 7.350 with give me .025" preload intake and .050 exhaust. Just need a few peoples insight on this subject with a can with this high lift
chknhwk01
09-21-2013, 04:25 PM
Could it b the springs???
MyFirstZ
09-22-2013, 07:52 AM
when I just had it apart, I did not see anything broken or see anything wrong with them, but any things possible.
I'm trying to find out if I should try the shorter PR.
If they don't fix it I will put new lifters in (not ls7) and swap heads from left to right
xrelapse13
09-29-2013, 10:13 AM
FFB recommended them as well, but FFB just knows what he reads on the web, any links to installs/reviews of them?
Too lazy to link honestly, but you can find a bunch on ls1tech, and I know quite a few people who are either running them or have switched to them from ls7s and are happy. Reduced noise and should be fine for higher rpm. I'm switching to them over winter and I'll be spinning my setup to 7200.
Slow-V6
09-30-2013, 12:30 PM
I had a bad lifter when I got my LS7 lifters as well. I got another set and they have been fine going on 3yrs now.. When I did my H/C/I on my motor I bought some 7.4 pushrods thinking I would be good but actually my setup called for 7.3 length. I had to get 7.3's. Maybe the pushrod length is the culprit behind your noise??
MyFirstZ
09-30-2013, 03:20 PM
Well the latest update is.
Installed the new 7.375 pushrods and the noise is definitely softer but i cant still get it to happen after a hard pull but now it goes away after a minute or so of idling or driving easy.
I have mainly been paying attention to my oil pressure while pushing it and making sure I had 20 at least at idle but not sure exactly where it sits.
Right now I'm between oil pump oring and lifters. Even though I already did a second set on the driver side head. If it comes down to it I will upgrade lifters and do all 16 and hope I dont have to do another set of PR's
qwikz28
09-30-2013, 05:16 PM
That's exactly what my car sounded like when my pushrods were too short. I highly doubt that is your problem though since it seems it softened up after you went with shorter pushrods. I have no idea why it would just be coming out of one side.
MyFirstZ
09-30-2013, 05:23 PM
it is definitely louder on one side even a noticeable difference in the videos. Ill try and get a new sound clip
but yeah software and goes away after idling or cruising
Slow-V6
10-01-2013, 12:59 PM
With my H/C/I my oil pressure is around 40 @ idle and 60 @ WOT. I have a ported LS6 oil pump..
God bless you. That is all. If I have to go throught that **** again I will run it over with a truck
MyFirstZ
10-02-2013, 06:10 PM
hahaha im getting there lol been a few months of me tinkering with it very little every week trying to get something..
i think I'm going to try going to another oil pump and trying that and if that fails i'll do some lunati link bar
my hot oil pressure at idle is roughly 30ish
MyFirstZ
10-15-2013, 10:23 AM
Went in and was gonig to instpect my oil pump and pick up tube and found this guy.
I have installed about 3-4 of these on different cars and this is the first time I have ever had it do this to me 8/ I always use lube and never use any force. Replaced it and you can see the better oil pressure at hot idle
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/myfirstcamaro/IMG_20131014_184846_285_zps5c1c2c7e.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/myfirstcamaro/media/IMG_20131014_184846_285_zps5c1c2c7e.jpg.html)
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/myfirstcamaro/IMG_20131014_192423_579_zpse14666d9.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/myfirstcamaro/media/IMG_20131014_192423_579_zpse14666d9.jpg.html)
Temp is a little high had some air pockets in there. It has settled since, have another gauge besides that one
Hot
idle @60psi
cruising @75-80psi
cold
idle @60-75psi
cruising around 80psi
Going to give it a real test drive today and see how it feels and listen carefully.
Tru2Chevy
10-21-2013, 09:23 PM
So....all better?
- Justin
MyFirstZ
10-21-2013, 09:59 PM
At this point yes. Had some belt issues due to a new crank pulley which was 1/8th to short causing the belt to walk on the edge and get shredded off. Trying to find the right part number so I can get the right one. Even though I threw the original on for the time being. (chipped)
Gonna drive it back and forth to work this week which is 80miles round trip each time then Friday for the tune if all stays well
MyFirstZ
10-21-2013, 10:11 PM
Crank pulley issue mentioned above. You can also see the chip on the original, filed it down and cleaned any sharp edges. One of the things I will be observing before the final tune
http://i44.photobucket.com/albums/f31/myfirstcamaro/IMG_20131016_182247_028_zps94549a63.jpg (http://s44.photobucket.com/user/myfirstcamaro/media/IMG_20131016_182247_028_zps94549a63.jpg.html)
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