Bad ticking...only when warm!?!?! Please help!

Okay this is the deal: car and motor only go to the track. Motor was built by machine shop couple of years ago and motor installed last spring. Everything worked fine once tuned up until around August, the oil pressure would drop to near zero once warm. Found out that the used Canton pan was crap because one of the baffles broke off and I was suspecting that it was clogging up the pickup.

So I had already bought a new pump for it (Ford Racing HV to replace the Melling HV) and pickup tube. I took the other baffle off the pan since I didn't have money for a new pan and installed the new pump/pickup tube and put everything back together. After that, the oil pressure stays fine but now I get a loud ticking, almost like knocking sound once the car warms up. I was told by my old shop teacher that it was probably the Rockers or pushrods since the sound seemed up high. I tried to pinpoint it but it's so loud I cannot tell what the hell it is. I pulled the CompCam RR out to check them, checked the pushrods, and reinstalled it all and re-adjusted all the rockers. Still got the same ticking! Now I'm starting to suspect either lifter damage or bearing problems due to the original oil pressure problems. It's just weird that I didn't get the ticking until I fixed the pan and replaced the pump.

One other thing to note. I noticed that since the Canton pan used is actually a stock depth 7qt., I should be using a standard volume pump because the HV pump actually put a slight dent in my pan, but it didn't seem to hurt anything when the Melling pump was in there all that time. Could the Ford Racing HV pump maybe be slightly larger and causing it to rattle against the pan? It sure doesn't sound like the noise is coming from the pan area, but like I said it's very hard to tell. Driving down the road the knocking sounds a lot like detenation, but I checked the timing and everything is good there.

I just removed the intake to check the lifters, but unfortunetly I do not know how to tell if they're bad. Actually, I am not sure how to tell if the Roller Rockers are bad either, but the bearing seem fine in them so I guess they are okay. How should I check the lifters, or should I just spring for some new Ford lifters and hope it fixes it? I want to try whatever I can before having to pull the motor out again! Those Tremecs aren't easy to get in and out! :bs:
 
Had the same problem years ago when a FRPP HV oil pump seized in the engine, due to a very bad cam selection by the previous owner (installed a flat tappet cam instead of an HD). After taking care of it w/new HV Melling, the engine would start with the ticking noise as in your case, it would also "come and go", meaning that the noise would increase in pitch and volume and suddenly go away, back and forth. Replaced lifters and no more noise.

If you're using FRPP lifters, once they go through a "dry cycle" they tend to fail......My 2¢.
 
joel5.0 said:
Had the same problem years ago when a FRPP HV oil pump seized in the engine, due to a very bad cam selection by the previous owner (installed a flat tappet cam instead of an HD). After taking care of it w/new HV Melling, the engine would start with the ticking noise as in your case, it would also "come and go", meaning that the noise would increase in pitch and volume and suddenly go away, back and forth. Replaced lifters and no more noise.

If you're using FRPP lifters, once they go through a "dry cycle" they tend to fail......My 2¢.

Thanks man! I actually have CompCams or Crane Cams (can't remember off the top of my head) lifters in there now. I think I'll order some Ford ones from Summit, only $104 so it might be worth a shot.