weird engine tick

[motorhead_99]

hi, ive got a 99 gt, ive got this weird tick coming from what sounds like the top end of my motor. its very inconsistant though. there have been days where i drove it for a while and it went away, other times it doesnt. sometimes are louder than others. also it sounds like it slacks out when i decelerate with the rpms between 1900-1200. ive had people tell me different things, which for the most part have been inspected or changed out: chain guides and tensioner arms, a couple "mushy" lash adjusters, and the passenger side chain tensioner(which i could almost fully compress with my fingers). im getting tired of throwing money at it and not fixing the problem. PLEASE HELP!!!

p.s.: other than the need for a tune, the motor runs like a champ... other than this damn tick!

 

[bradfier]

How is your oil? Do you have good pressure, whenever I think of a ticking in the top of the motor I think of Lifters / Lash adjusters, but if you already replaced them and Tensioners, I'd keep an eye on the oil, you dont want to spin a bearing.

And Welcome to Stangnet!

 

[motorhead_99]

yea i only changed a couple of lash adjusters just because im having to be really tight on spending. my oil pressure is pretty good. it never drops below 23-25 psi. i put a high output oil pump due to having the patriot racing cams in there. i did forget to post that this is a modded motor. im afraid of dyno tuning my car the way its sounding, much less doing a lot of driving on it. im half tempted to pull the valve covers back off this weekend and see if there are more bad lash adjusters. just to make sure. other than that im lost on what this could be. its too inconsistant to be a bearing. would a valve tap randomly go away and come back all the time? just trying to throw ideas out there.

thanks for the welcome bradfier!

 

[motorhead_99]

im gonna try to post a video on here tomorrow for people to hear. hopefully it acts as usual for me...

 

[bradfier]

I thought once you have a valve tap you always have it, but not sure. Did it start after you ran it hard, like at the track or something? If so, that is possible, but I never really worried about tapping that came and went, if it gets loader and more consistant I'd start thinking about bearings. There isnt much that taps in these mod motors.

 

[JoeDaddy]

My 96 has a similar problem. It ticks while crusing. I can hear it most while going thru town, at about 30mph. Put more load on the engine, it goes away, put less load on the engine it goes away. (Also does it while crusing at 55-60..) Mine started about 2 weeks after I bought it (3 years ago), and it is my dd in the summer. It has been about 30,ooo miles and it still runs great, and gets about 23 mpg.. I plan on fixxing it by swapping in a PI engine when this one blows..

I'd say crank up the radio.. Once it breaks you'll know what to fix..

 

[bradfier]

I'd say crank up the radio.. Once it breaks you'll know what to fix..

+1

 

[motorhead_99]

its just annoying i guess. i need this car and im pretty sure that if it does blow, i wont have the money to fix it this time. what all could cause a "slack" sound in the motor? if i can pinpoint it from there ill post it. just trying for more ideas. should i replace the timing chains and the other tensioner? or splurge the money on the lash adjusters?

 

[JoeDaddy]

Yea man, i know it's annoying. Mine drives me nuts. Like i said though, mine has been doing it four about 30,000 miles. I plan on driving it all this summer ( another 15,000 miles) and i am not planning an engine swap in the near future..

 

[BurningRubber]

Do the specs on those cams call for stronger valve springs?

Rarely do you hear about the last adjusters going back on these engines. They are pretty stout and seem to outlast the rest of the engine.

A simple check is to make sure your spark plugs are tight and you don't have a plug that's loosened itself up and trying to blow out. Chances are it'd have already happened by now if it was going to.

What about an exhaust leak? Header leaks can sound like valve issues depending on where they are at.