Lifter Ticking

[Frederick W.]

My 63 327/300 runs like a dream, but it makes the same fairly pound lifter ticking noise I remember on my old 68 Camaro.
This seems like a common problem.
The engine was professionally rebuilt about 10 years ago and driven very little since.

1. What cause the ticking?
2. What investigation and/or fix is needed to correct?

Lots of amateur opinions on the net but I don't sense they have much expertise behind them.

Thanks
Fred

[Domenic T.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

Fred,
I twisted a wrench at the dealership and I would suggest that you first find what side the lifter noise is coming from. Take the valve cover off and get some oil deflectors to put on each rocker cup to keep the oil from squirting over the fenders and all over you. You can cup your hand with the engine running and it will echo when you are over the noisy lifter. Check the lock nut and make sure it is gripping the stud. You can do that by testing another nut and returning it to where it was. Then turn the noisy lifter nut down about 1/4 turn and see if the noise go's away. If it does and you think the nut backed off then replace the nut and follow the adjustment in your manual. or mark the nut and if the noise comes back and the nut is in the same place, your cam is going bad.
Also the noise can be coming from the pushrod that runs the fuel pump. If the return spring on the fuel pump breaks it will sound like a lifter noise. The oil deflectors can be bought at a parts store or on line.

Dom

[Frank D.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

Sometimes they just get gummed up and then won't pump up completely; my '63 250hp had a noisy one for a while....I ran a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil through the crankcase and it cleared it up -- worth a try and it won't hurt a thing....

[Frederick W.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

Excellent advice. Marvel mystery oil is an old stand by that many say can sometimes work.
Great tip on the oil deflectors. I will try that. I see some Mr. Gasket brand deflectors at Summit for about $13.
I've also heard others say the fuel pump could be the cause, so I'll check with a stethoscope to see if I can localize the sound better.
Others have mentioned flattened cam lobes as a possibility, but I doubt it as it's not driven hard or much, plus I've heard the same exact sound on various motors going back 30 years when flat lobes were not often seen.
Others have recommended Sea Foam or other magic potions, but I tend to discount additives.

Any other experiences with this common problem would be of interest.
I wonder if any have gone to the trouble of replacing lifters and if this, in fact, fixes it.

Fred

[Gary R.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

I have an annoying tick in #2 ever since I had the original heads cleaned up and installed. I adjusted the rockers cold and running, checked the push rods, replaced the header gasket, pulled the plug wire, checked the rocker roller tips, check for pulled studs, checked the lifter pump up, tried some Marvel, and swapped out the fuel pump all to no avail. Car runs strong with plenty of miles on it. I don't have the time to pull the head right now to check the valves.

[Paul D.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

I would try the Marvel Mystery Oil or Sea Foam engine treatment first as this would be the easiest and you have nothing to lose. If the noise is intermittent, that may clear it up. If the noise is constant and is not improved with oil treatment, I would move on to figuring out which bank it comes from. Remove that cover and pinpoint the cylinder as advised in previous post. After you figure out which cylinder and if tightening down the rocker arm quiets it down, check to see if you have noticeably more threads above the nut you just tightened. If you do, investigate the possibility of a rocker arm stud pulling out of the head. That's a common problem on small blocks, along with galling of the rocker arms and pivot balls. Chip.

[Mike E.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

My first car was a '67 326 Pontiac Firebird Convertible, had noisy hydraulic lifters when I got it. The last day of school when I was a Jr in high school, I pulled the intake manifold off and replaced them. Found the bottom of the lifter was concaved similar to this picture, stayed up all night and got them done just in time to make to school that morning. Because the lifter was deformed at the bottom removing them from bore was a real SOB. The nice thing about those old Pontiacs were you didn't have to pull the distributor when removed the intake. I'm sure I would have screwed that up if had to remove it. Quieted it down totally. Later I showed the lifter to a guy that knew a lot more than I and he said the cam was probably worn and should be replaced. He said the most likely cause was breakdown of the engine oil, and Pontiac had issues with soft cams. Don't really know because I parked the car later the following spring and never drove it again.



Mike

[Domenic T.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

Gary,
That was the same situation I had, " the annoying tick", although the heads were never off. I adjusted the valves with engine running and the tick was still there so I went a bit further, I pulled the manifold and replaced the lifters. It was on my 1965 SS 300/327. The tick was still there and all the removed lifters looked new. Finally, much later, I removed the fuel pump and found the return spring broken. The noise sounded exactly like a lifter and was coming from the camshaft, the fuel pump pushrod was ticking on it's cam lobe. I did have a few second opinions and we all agreed on a new set of lifters. All that work and money and it was the fuel pump.

Dom

[Mark E.]

Re: Lifter Ticking

This reminds me of my first car back in 1973- a 65 Impala with a tired 283. I installed a 350 from a junk yard, and to my dismay, it had a ticking noise that sounded like a bad lifter. It took me a long time to discover the root cause- a bronze valve guide insert for #7 exhaust was installed improperly. I ended up removing both heads and having all the valve guides redone.