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  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
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May I have a bad lifter?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Synned
  • Start date Start date Sep 10, 2006
S

Synned

took tubgirl on a date and got banned
Mar 31, 2005
991
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Philly
Sep 10, 2006
#1
  • Sep 10, 2006
  • #1
Might I have a bad lifter?

My car constantly sounds like a diesel truck. I hear it more noticably when I am in a garage, or around walls that echo back. It happens under slight load when I am accelerating, I don't know if it happens during WOT I think my exhaust drones it out. The faster I go the faster I hear this 'tick'. I can't really describe it better than a tick. Its like chugga chugga chugga chugga.
I am almost positive it is not an exhaust leak because I have had this problem before any exhaust work was done.
The rockers are not tapping, I used a stethoscope on the valve covers and hardly heard anything. If I start out in second gear instead of first from a stop and lightly get on it, I hear it the most.
Could this be a bad lifter? I also have a slight misfire pretty much all the time...
 

final5-0

Mustang Master
Apr 6, 2003
6,817
12
79
DFW Texas
Sep 10, 2006
#2
  • Sep 10, 2006
  • #2
If you used the scope ... they work great don't they ... you would think you could hear a lifter that had a wee bit too much slack.

Perhaps when you get more rpm ... one starts to complain a little.

Have you tried to rev it up while standing next to it and see if the noise occurs?

Grady
 
S

Synned

took tubgirl on a date and got banned
Mar 31, 2005
991
1
0
Philly
Sep 10, 2006
#3
  • Sep 10, 2006
  • #3
final5-0 said:
If you used the scope ... they work great don't they ... you would think you could hear a lifter that had a wee bit too much slack.

Perhaps when you get more rpm ... one starts to complain a little.

Have you tried to rev it up while standing next to it and see if the noise occurs?

Grady
Click to expand...

I think what I need to do is get someone hold the break and gas it up while I listen, because it doesn't happen in neutral or park AT ALL.
When I used the scope the car was at idle in park and I didn't hear a thing out of ordinary.

Well I just went outside and tested....
no load on the car = silent.

With a load on the car, (e-brake up and me revving it from the motor...just a little dangerous )
a tapping or chugging noise was present.
I oculd not pinpoint the noise with a stethescope.
While driving, in 2nd or 3rd gear the noise is most noticable with a tiny amount of gas.
I'm suspecting an exhaust leak at the headers or h pipe. But would that not make noise under load?
 

HISSIN50

"How long does it take to get help in here?
15 Year Member
Nov 29, 1999
31,179
33
129
Sep 10, 2006
#4
  • Sep 10, 2006
  • #4
Joe, yours and Grady's wise words were what I was thinkin too. The second gear (lugging a hair) test was a little telling to me.

Though a long shot, put your scope on the AIR pump. I'm the king of burning through those things (I need to put a WTB thing in my sig - wait, I've never had a sig. so I can get a couple more). Anyhow, the bushings on the sides of the vanes start to fail and the vanes (which follow an elliptical pathway) side load against the wall and scrape. The result can be a ticking noise.

If you happen to enjoy a nice stogie upon occasion , blowing some smoke around the header flange and collector can help reveal a leak.

Good luck bud.
 
R

rockin_rick

Member
Oct 9, 2003
968
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Sep 11, 2006
#5
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #5
Lugging with high load - I'd guess detonation or pre-ignition. Try retarding the spark a lot and see what happens.

Rick
 
S

Synned

took tubgirl on a date and got banned
Mar 31, 2005
991
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Philly
Sep 11, 2006
#6
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #6
rockin_rick said:
Lugging with high load - I'd guess detonation or pre-ignition. Try retarding the spark a lot and see what happens.

Rick
Click to expand...

I know what detonation sounds like...its not that.
It sounds much more like an exhaust leak.
 

MI95Cobra

New Member
Aug 20, 2006
451
1
0
Oklahoma City
Sep 11, 2006
#7
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #7
is your oil light on??? if it came on you might have a bent pushrod, it would sound just like a lifter messed up, because it would throw off your lifter and rocker arm....
 
S

Synned

took tubgirl on a date and got banned
Mar 31, 2005
991
1
0
Philly
Sep 11, 2006
#8
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #8
MI95Cobra said:
is your oil light on??? if it came on you might have a bent pushrod, it would sound just like a lifter messed up, because it would throw off your lifter and rocker arm....
Click to expand...

No, but come to think of it right before I changed my oil last time the oil light was on. But its not now.
 

MI95Cobra

New Member
Aug 20, 2006
451
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0
Oklahoma City
Sep 11, 2006
#9
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #9
when i had my 92 gt, i rebuilt my motor from the block up....cam, heads, intake, i was buying things a little at a time...it was a good thing to....anyways i was going to do the same thing and rebiuld my motor on my vacation time, but after i got off work 1 day i heard a ticking sound and my oil light was on...i thought right away that it was my lifter....when i got home i decided to take off my upper intake and valve cover and saw that it was infact a bent pushrod....then talking it over with my brother we thought maybe it was a lifter also....so since i had all this stuff anyway, i went and put all the stuff on my car in 2 days(i just so happened to be off work for 2 days)...
 

reddy351

10 Year Member
Jun 13, 2006
559
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38
Columbus, Ohio
Sep 11, 2006
#10
  • Sep 11, 2006
  • #10
If the engine is rocking on a weak or broken engine mount that would cause an intermittent exhaust leak.
 
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