Tapping from valve covers or cam/lifters...help.

[liv2ride]

I have a '90 GT with 44k original miles. Since I have owned the car I noticed that when the car has been at running temp for 15+ minutes there is an obvious tapping type noise that appears to be coming from the left bank (driver side). You can hear like a slight valve tap but there appears to be a more solid type of tapping comes from deeper down - my guess a collapsed lifter. I know that our cars have roller lifters but are they hydraulic rollers? What is the possibility that one has collapsed or is sticking? I have had the car for about 2k miles or 6 months. The oil is semi synthetic 10w-40 and I changed it when I first got the car. I am thinking about changing it to full synthetic to see if that helps.

What is the chance the noise can just be a loose rocker bolt? I don't run the car hard and it does not appear to have had a rough life. I got the car and it was completely stock with the exception of the spark plugs and tires. I have gone through the entire car and everything that I replaced had to be done because of age and nothing else.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Jo_885o]

Check ur oil pressure. My 88 did that and i thought it was the lifter, then i thought it was a header leak etc.... It was the oil pump not pumping. Twisting the oil pump driveshaft which inturn means KA-BLUE-IE. So watch that. I wasn't taht mad b/c I had the motor in sig but still to blow a motor that had life cause of a lousy oil pump.

 

[liv2ride]

Check ur oil pressure. My 88 did that and i thought it was the lifter, then i thought it was a header leak etc.... It was the oil pump not pumping. Twisting the oil pump driveshaft which inturn means KA-BLUE-IE. So watch that. I wasn't taht mad b/c I had the motor in sig but still to blow a motor that had life cause of a lousy oil pump.

No, that's not it. I have about 38 at idle when hot and 60-65 when on the gas. Do these engines need to be run with the oil all the way up the dipstick? If so, I only have about 3/4 between the low and high mark.

Thanks again.

 

[HISSIN50]

No, that's not it. I have about 38 at idle when hot and 60-65 when on the gas. Do these engines need to be run with the oil all the way up the dipstick? If so, I only have about 3/4 between the low and high mark.

Thanks again.

it sounds like a bad lifter, but im not the one to ask. (so dont do anything based on my .00002 cents)

i would add to your oil level comment: some stangs have mismarked dipsticks. people will do an oil change, run it to fill the filter, etc and then remark the stick. mine only held ~4.25 quarts when right at the top hatch mark (full). 5 quarts of oil and a full filter put the level a bit higher.

good luck Scot.

 

[liv2ride]

it sounds like a bad lifter, but im not the one to ask. (so dont do anything based on my .00002 cents)

i would add to your oil level comment: some stangs have mismarked dipsticks. people will do an oil change, run it to fill the filter, etc and then remark the stick. mine only held ~4.25 quarts when right at the top hatch mark (full). 5 quarts of oil and a full filter put the level a bit higher.

good luck Scot.

That's interesting. My manual said 5 qts w/ filter change. I gave it 5 and the level was where I explained. I just poured in another 1/2 qt about 30 min ago and the stick is now reading full. I will drive it around tomorrow and see what happens. I have to run the fuel down anyway so I can change the stock fuel pump to the BBK 190 I just got for X-Mas from my mother-in-law.

I drove around tonight and when I stopped each time I would listen for the noise but I could not hear it. This was before topping off the oil.

Thanks for the well wishing HISSIN50.

 

[liv2ride]

Well, I spend the day looking further into this issue. I removed the upper intake so that I can more easily remove the driver side valve cover. Once I had access to the valves I got cyl 1 TDC and checked the valves that where completely closed at this point. Turned the crank pulley another 360* and checked the other valves in the bank that were then closed. Lastly I turned the crank another 90* and checked the remaining closed valves for play in the push rods but I did not find anything significant.

I did not think it would be possible to detect the problem with the engine being cold. I say this because the only time I hear the noise is when the engine has been at running temp for some time. Again, even when the engine is warm I do not always here the noise. After checking the push rods I then checked all the rockers on this bank for tightness. While tightening a fully closed #6 exhaust I noticed that the rocker moved ever so slightly, this was unlike the other rockers when tightened. All the rockers seemed to be within torque specs.

After checking the valves I removed the header on the driver side just to make sure that a slightly leaking header gasket was not the cause of this sound. The gasket did not look 14 years old so I think the gasket was changed in the last few years. The gasket looked pretty good but doesn't look like it will last many more years. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of this noise soon so that I can get on with my mod schedule. It has been side tracked because I would like to identify and correct this problem, whatever it may be. I am still thinking that it is a lifter so I am planning a cam/lifter/push rod/ rocker/valve spring and possibly intake replacement in the next six months or so. Assuming the noise does not get worse of course.

Any ideas for a cam on an otherwise stock engine? I do not plan on replacing or modding the heads anytime soon; headers and x-pipe must come first.

Aloha

 

[Michael Yount]

Be REALLY careful on the cam change if you're not gonna change the heads. I don't think it's worth it for the modest gains you'd get from the right cam -- and if you do add heads later, then the cam choice will probably be off. You'd make the job MUCH easier, and probably be happier with the performance just leaving the HO cam in there (a good cam by the way) and focusing on the other components you mentioned. Perhaps a set of higher ratio roller rockers (1.7) instead of the cam. Definitely work the intake. The stock lower is the most restrictive piece on the car. A fellow on the site - tmoss - can port the stock lower for you for much less than replacing the entire intake. And for a car that you're not gonna significantly mod - it will relieve that restriction just fine at a significantly reduced cost.

 

[Must-Be-A-Stang]

Whats funny is, you discribe the same problem I'm having to a T. Although I havent checked the same things you have. I have noticed that my oil presure seems low. It stays on the 1st between 3rd notch above the lowest thing. It's in the "Normal" area so I havent messed with it. Could I need a new oil pump? My ticking only comes when the car is warmed up...sometimes it sounds better then other times. It even goes away every now and then. This is my 1st Ford car and a friend of mine said "thats just how fords sound"....I was like ooooook...>.>

I'll post a picture of my oil presure in a min. I don't know what is normal or not.



EDIT...

Here's a pic of my cold engine oil presure; It sits a little lower of course when the temp is warm.

View attachment 519319

 

[jwzg]

Never trust a Ford oil pressure sensor. I have the same "tapping noise" issue with my motor, and it's been doing it for a while. Mine sounds more like a very small header leak, but I haven't really checked it out, because my engine still runs strong. I'd be interested to see a fix though.

 

[liv2ride]

Well, I spent the day looking further into this issue. I removed the upper intake so that I can more easily remove the driver side valve cover. Once I had access to the valves I got cyl 1 TDC and checked the valves that where completely closed at this point. Turned the crank pulley another 360* and checked the other valves in the bank that were then closed. Lastly I turned the crank another 90* and checked the remaining closed valves for play in the push rods but I did not find anything significant.

I did not think it would be possible to detect the problem with the engine being cold. I say this because the only time I hear the noise is when the engine has been at running temp for some time. Again, even when the engine is warm I do not always here the noise. After checking the push rods I then checked all the rockers on this bank for tightness. While tightening a fully closed #6 exhaust I noticed that the rocker moved ever so slightly, this was unlike the other rockers when tightened. All the rockers seemed to be within torque specs.

After checking the valves I removed the header on the driver side just to make sure that a slightly leaking header gasket was not the cause of this sound. The gasket did not look 14 years old so I think the gasket was changed in the last few years. The gasket looked pretty good but doesn't look like it will last many more years. Hopefully I can get to the bottom of this noise soon so that I can get on with my mod schedule. It has been side tracked because I would like to identify and correct this problem, whatever it may be. I am still thinking that it is a lifter so I am planning a cam/lifter/push rod/ rocker/valve spring and possibly intake replacement in the next six months or so. Assuming the noise does not get worse of course.

Any ideas for a cam on an otherwise stock engine? I do not plan on replacing or modding the heads anytime soon; headers and x-pipe must come first.

Aloha

 

[crunchie12268]

could it be a piston skirt knocking? I had that happen to me on my 84.

 

[txplayboy001]

Never trust a Ford oil pressure sensor. I have the same "tapping noise" issue with my motor, and it's been doing it for a while. Mine sounds more like a very small header leak, but I haven't really checked it out, because my engine still runs strong. I'd be interested to see a fix though.

Thats what I thought! Mine has been doing the same thing. Well on the way home last night BOOM. There she went. Spun a bearing! Started with lifters tapping in the morning, and a slight chatter occationally. Damn, one thing after another. It was running so good! Oh well, it's parked for a while.

 

[crunchie12268]

Thats what I thought! Mine has been doing the same thing. Well on the way home last night BOOM. There she went. Spun a bearing! Started with lifters tapping in the morning, and a slight chatter occationally. Damn, one thing after another. It was running so good! Oh well, it's parked for a while.

Dang, That sucks dude.

 

[jwzg]

Mine ain't that bad, but if it does blow, it'll give me a reason to spring for that 331 sleeper combo I've been dreaming about.

 

[liv2ride]

Well all of yesterday went by and I did not once here the noise that pushed me to start this thread. That is even after sitting in the worst traffic I ever experienced in my 33 years of life. I must have sat in traffic for a good 2 hours only traveling about 2 - 2.5 miles before I had to stop to get a few beers to give the traffic time to die down. The traffic was due to a 3-car accident that resulted in a fatality and the closing of the entire freeway for the investigation. Oh, did I mention that this was right in time for rush hour? Anyway, after sitting in all this crap I still did not hear that noise again.

I am not sure if using high temp RTV to seal the driver side header gasket or tightening that one rocker an extra lb ft or two made the difference. I will just consider myself lucky that it appears to be resolved.

Aloha