I'm relating this experience as an example of how one can become focused on one particular cause for a symptom to the exclusion of others leading to expensive time consuming fixes to non problems. In 2011 I purchased a 32 Ford Sedan with a 350/350 to replace my 32 Sedan I had sold. I had not intended to buy another car, was just going to focus on my Wife's 1950 Chevy Convertible but I suffered withdrawals. I had owned first one since 1989. The first road tip was 450 miles one way and all was going well till we slowed down for a small town about 10 miles from our destination. I heard what sounded like an exhaust leak and pulled over to confirm. I quickly determined it wasn't exhaust but sounded metallic and valve train related on the drivers side. I was able to borrow some garage space at the destination and inspected the drivers side valve train and adjusted the valves. No help. Drove it home with no problems other than the incessant tick. Seemed to predominate between 1K and 1.5K. At home I went through a few more drivers side valve adjustments with no help. The tick only happened once the engine was warmed up. I was becoming convinced that the cam was going bad. The engine seemed to be running worse. Fast forward to 2013 and I decided to dial indicate the rocker movement on the drivers side. Seemed like some rockers were not moving as far as others according to the dial indicator but getting consistent readings was tricky. I was thinking about getting a ZZ4 long block and putting the tri-power on it and be done. In late 2013 I found a replica of the first car I had ever owned,a 1936 Ford 1/2 ton pick up. I bought it so the 32 became a 3rd car and eligible for the auction block. I decided the cam must be bad so got a Comp 268H to fix things. Pulled the lifters and noted they looked fine. No unusual wear. Hmmmmmmm. Pulled the cam and it also looked normal. Hmmmmmmm. Installed the new cam and lifters. Broke it in, brought the rpm back down tick, tick, tick. Did a detailed inspection of the drivers side valve train again. Found a place on the #5 Intake rocker stud were a rocker had rubbed at some time. No evidence on the rocker and the valve stem looked fine but put a new rocker and push rod in anyway. No help. Adjusted valves running no help. Replace the remaining rockers on the drivers side. No help. Decided to eliminate the exhaust system although I was pretty certain it wasn't the cause. Found evidence of two exhaust leaks. Put some uber fine, (expensive), gaskets on. Tick, tick, tick.. During all this I had tried to pin down the offending valve train part listening using a screw driver no help. Decided I needed a stethoscope so went to HF and spent $2.99 for a really high end stethoscope. Listened all along the valve cover and around the exhaust and could only tell that the tick was loudest near #1 cylinder. Decided to check the p***enger side of the engine and put the stethoscope on the fuel pump tick, tick tick! $25 later, a new pump and rod installed. No tick, tick, tick! Think it was probably the rod since the new one had rounded edges at the end with a pattern on the tips probably to hold oil while the old one was perfectly flat on each end. Seemed to be the same length but didn't actually measure them. Moral of the story; don't get myopic when trying to troubleshoot. I had read numerous times that manual fuel pumps, cracked flex plates and exhaust leaks can all sound like valve train noise but figured I was on the right track with a bad cam. I think part of the problem was inconsistent efforts to locate the problem. I would go months at a time without dealing with it because except for the noise it ran pretty good most of the time. The good news I really like the new cam and I'm having so much fun driving it I may take it off the auction block.
I've had new SBC fuel pumps that were noisy at first, then quieted down after a week or so. But a good tip and something easy to look at first.
Hey thanks, I've got a little intermittent tick that we haven't fully investigated yet, and I've just recently put in a new fuel pump. You may have saved me a lot of time and needless concern. Thanks.
A worn fuel pump pushrod on my 528 Hemi acted like vapor lock. Mopar switched suppliers and the new pump pushrods wore out quick. For some reason it acted up more when it was hot outside. Left me by the side of the road on Power Tour a few years back Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yep, I had what I was convinced was a valvetrain tick in a SBC for quite a while and chased pretty much everything through the valvetrain. I had mechanic buddies listen to it as well and we were all convinced that it was something in a lifter, rocker, etc. After not finding it for quite a while, I finally ended up pulling the engine apart and found a broken skirt on a forged TRW piston. I am glad I decided to pull it apart, because the skirt was fixing to let loose which would have made a big mess.
Your tale sounds like the same thing that happens over & over,,we keep throwing money at a problem only to figure out later it was something totally unrelated but the symptoms were similar. Glad you got the problem corrected. HRP
Brought back memories of a fuel pump on my 389 gto 20 plus years ago. It made enough noise as to not be mistaken for anything else.
I built a potent 400SBC last year for a project and since Comp Cams makes a big deal out of making sure you use a bronze gear on the distributor I bought a fuel pump rod that has a bronze tip on the cam end. Hopefully it won't wear out the lobe.
Hey thanks for posting Ramjet. As you know I have dealt withe same symptoms over the years but was fortunate to find it was just header gaskets. I am happy to hear you are enjoying that beautiful 32 sedan again. I hope you do keep it in your stable!
I knew this was about the fuel pump push rod before I read it. We just built a nasty small block for my friend and he had the same issue. Driving him nuts! I put a piece of plastic conduit up to the fuel pump. TICK TICK TICK indeed
I've seen a couple instances over the years on later model SBCs where a ticking fuel pump has tricked the knock sensor into retarding the ignition timing, thinking it was detecting detonation.
Which late-model SBC had a mechanical fuel pump, and a knock sensor? Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I have one of those 2.99 stethoscopes and they work good. Thanks for the info..... I've been there a bunch of times with a new to me ride... I even have an 04 GMC PU that will knock a little when started cold...... but have put tons of miles on it. The 5W oil I think and me in a hurry .... so now I let it warm up more.
I had a friend who sold a car cheap because it had a bad knock in the motor. The buyer showed up with an alternator, swapped it out on the spot, and drove away with no knock.
Here is my latest valve tick drama: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/help-my-engine-just-developed-ticking-knocking.928151/ I wish my fix could have been as simple as yours. Glad you've solved it.
Had the same thing on a crate SBC from GM. after 2 months of going nuts it was the mechanical fuel pump. good story, hopefully it helps others.
It's your lifters. I had an 03 Silverado do the same thing for years. GM offered some snake oil to cure it, but I never bothered with it.
I had a tick 40 years ago with a 350 Camaro. Did all the valve train inspections, and rocker checks etc. etc. Turned out was badly worn valve guide on one valve. Tick started when warranty ended. Bought the car brand new in 1970. GM was not the best. Ago
Some stuff like mid 80s Camaros and Monte Carlos with 305s and Q-Jets that still used mechanical fuel pumps and electronic spark timing. I think even some pickups and vans with 305s around the same era.
Yep, I agree. I have a '01 Silverado w/ the 5.3L motor (110K) that has done that for longer than I can remember (bought new). I'm to understand it's the back right lifter(s). I've long been in the habit of starting it up and let it warm up for a minimum of one minute - usually goes away after that, unless it's really cold and hasn't been run in a while. Gotta56forme/Scott
I'm subscribed to your thread. Sorry it wasn't as simple as mine but I learned a lot from it. What is the rest of the story?
I was positive I had a slightly noisy lifter in my sbc Chevy too. Pulled the engine and threw $4800 into machining, new heads new internals and a lot of labor. Only the crank and block were original after all was done. The noise returned almost as soon as I lit off the new engine, very subtle though. Turned out, the little spring on the fuel pump fulcrum broke and left a tiny piece inside to rattle around inside the pump cavity. Fooled me good!
I too had the dreaded SBC valvetrain tick. Did everything under the sun and the damn thing still ticked away. Replaced the cam and lifters with new stuff, broke the new parts in, and the tick has been silent now for over 300 miles.
I had a 350 that sounded like it had a lifter tick that adjusting would not make go away,it turned out to be a sloppy timing chain hitting the cover and made me walk a short time later.
Well it was a good learning experience and was a valuable lesson on how to trace a problem. Too bad it was an expensive one. I took the engine to the machine shop, the block checked out ok and was lightly re honed. The crank was polished and the taper removed.It turned out that the previous machine shop improperly resized the rods, so i had that done. Replaced a piston and the rings and had another set of 462 heads done up. Om almost finished putting the engine back together. I hope to get it installed this weekend.
any of the what they called the dancing needle carb motors ( CCC) and the 1980-81 301 turbo trans am had them , and roller style valve train would set them off too . I have roller rockers on my O/t truck and had to have the computer tune the noise out
Speaking of chasing a problem to exclusivity, I developed a hot start problem with my 36 over time, its been on the road fifteen years, 327 chevy, sometimes it would not start, other times bingo bango, I would lift the hood, short the solenoid and drive away. Eventually, pulled the starter and rebuilt a perfectly good starter, still had a problem, couldn't understand why I could short the solenoid and start it, but not with the key in the ignition. THEN, in the middle of the night, after several years of dealing with this, remembered that there was-is a switch on the column that tells the solenoid what to do, so....the next day, pulled the switch, drowned it in contact cleaner and, yes you guessed it, have not had an issue since. Lesson? Look for the easy stuff first.
Had a tick in my wife's 55. It is a L79 327 and it drove me nuts. Messed with the lifters, etc--it was a worn/screwedup fuel pump rod. Had it happen again in a 40 with a 327-bought a new GM fuel pump rod-problem solved.
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