tick tick tick tick

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Old2New

Member
What would cause a tick that goes tick tick tick TICK TICK TICK tick tick tick, silent silent silent silent silents, tick tick tick TICK TICK TICK tick tick tick, silent silent silent silent and repeat to infinity and beyond. It only happens when the engine oil reaches full temp. The sound seems to be coming from under the intake manifold. Its an intermitten ticking sound that builds then drops then disapears and starts over again... cant figure it out. Is it a lifter?
Oil pressure is pretty low when hot but within the 10 psi per 1,000 rpms. It only does it at idle or at least thats the only time I can hear it. Thanks guys. I start a lot of new posts on here and I sure hope that you guys don't get burnt out on me :confused:
 
Could be a lifter, or a valve slightly out of adjustment. :confused:
IIRC the cam lobes have a very slightly tapered surface and the bottoms of the lifters are a touch convex, so the lifters can rotate and help even out the wear on the lifter & cam surfaces. The noise coming and going could be an effect of one or more lifters rotating. There might be a worn spot that opens up the valve adjustment a bit.
Double check the valve clearances.

FYI. The current crop of general use automotive motor oils no longer have the much needed additives for solid lifter engines like the Y-blocks. I get 'diesel engine' rated oil for mine.
see this link...

https://www.ctci.org/gilsgarage/EngineOil.php
 
My '50 Ford came with a '77 Ford stock 302. I was advised to run Valvoline VR-1 racing oil as it has a high level of additives for flat tappet engines. Runs whisper quiet. Give it a try as it certainly won't hurt. Good luck!
 
If you can almost time your watch to the way it cycles ticking and then off and on again, then is it possibly A/C compressor noise when it cycles on ? Probably not. Just trying to come up with possibilities.

Sal
 
Thanks for the replies. First thing to eliminate is the ac compressor. I removed it haha. Second is that the rockers are the non adjustable rail rockers. When I pulled them I did notice that one of them was worn alone the surface that presses the spring. The lifter on that one was also pretty worn but they were the only rocker and lifter out of spec. Could it be the cam lobe is worn or is it from the rail rocker being worn out? I did tighten the rail down to 45 foot lbs which is spec. Also I do actually use the valvoline VR-1 20w50 oil because of the zinc. Much higher zinc content than even diesel oil.
 
Old2New said:
... the rockers are the non adjustable rail rockers. When I pulled them I did notice that one of them was worn alone the surface that presses the spring. The lifter on that one was also pretty worn but they were the only rocker and lifter out of spec. Could it be the cam lobe is worn or is it from the rail rocker being worn out? ...
Click to expand...
Oops, I forgot it's a FE engine "1968 galaxie 500 with the original 390 2bbl"
If the base of the lifter was worn the cam lobe likely is too.
 
vacuum holds a steady 19 psi. Lifter was worn. My oil pressure is pretty low at idle too so I wondered if it was an oil pressure issue? at 650 rpm its at about 8 psi. cruising at 2,000 rpm it holds about 30 psi. anything sound alarming or possibly the cause of the tick? rhanks guys.
Good memory on the car by the way.
 
Sounds way out there but....some of the fuel pumps would make a tick noise that was not pump related, it was the length of the rubber hose from the fuel line to the pump. Fix was to put a new piece in with a loop in it. I know sounds crazy but had it on my 63 1/2 Galaxie many many years ago. Good buddy that was a mechanic told me about the "fix" and it worked!
 
At only 8 psi, there may not be enough volume or pressure to keep the lifter galleys full, causing some to lose pressure to keep them tight. If it only does it at a idle, could be what you are hearing.
 
Sounds like hydraulic lifters collapsing intermittently. Either low oil pressure as mentioned, sticky varnish deposits on lifter internals, or wear. If one lifter had visible wear (bottom dished in) the cam lobe is also worn and a new lifter won't last long. I've seen bad cam bearings be the cause of low oil pressure at idle. No problem: just pull the engine and install new cam bearings!
 
Out of square valve spring(s)? If the springs have an inner damper and the springs themselves are not square, then that inner damper coil can be making a clicking noise against the outer spring coils. Ted Eaton.
 
The sound is very much like a small metal hammer tapping on metal. Definitely not an exhaust leak as it only does it when the oil has reached full operating temp. I really think it has to do with low oil pressure ar idle because it's the only time that the sound occurs. I don't think enough pressure is reaching my rockers or lifters? My guess for the low oil pressure is worn cam bearings as well. When I pulled the intake and heads, the Valley around the lifters was very clean and dry. Should it have been? Does that mean oil is not reaching them? Could the problem with pressure be because of a worn oil pump? Also I will check out the springs. Never thought to consider them.
 
Old2New said:
..... When I pulled the intake and heads, the Valley around the lifters was very clean and dry. Should it have been? Does that mean oil is not reaching them? .....
Click to expand...
I've never looked inside an FE engine, but with the misc lumps and bumps that are usually in the valley / lifter area I would expect to see small puddles of oil in any low spots. "dry" is not a good thing.
 
These are all good ideas, but I'm going to go back to the low oil pressure when warm. You're pretty sure it's a worn engine, at least to some degree.

I'd try a heavier single weight oil. I personally like the 20-50 oils, but I'd be tempted to try a straight 30 or 40 and see what happens. The additive stuff still applies of course. But if you get the warm oil pressure up a bit, and the problem goes away, you've narrowed it down. And an oil change is pretty cheap and easy. Those straight oils are pretty thick cold, so give it a bit of warm up time before you put a load on it.
 
If the sound is like a sharp tick rather than a tap, probably electrical. Pretty hard to tell from a post, but I would very carefully check out all of the plug wires; especially if the plugs are old and causing excessive resistance. The engine may run smoothly but still have some spark plug wire shorts.

One way to do this would be either put it in a garage and turn out all of the lights and observe while it is running, or do it at night. If you see some electrical leakage you solved the mystery. Also check that all of the boots on each end of the wires are securely seated in the coil, the distributor cap and on the plugs.

Usually an electrical leak in the spark plug wires will be intermittent like you describe as the engine vibrates and lets the wires sort of jump around and chaff on engine parts.
 
Its definately a mechanical tick. I am certain of that. wouldn't a straight 30 weight oil be thinner than a 20w 50 at full operating temperature? I though that the oil thickened to 50 when hot? I have considered doing a straight 3 in the past and just assumed 20w 50 was better. If I give that a try, what do you reccomend as a zinc additive? I wouldn't know what to look at.
 
No zinc additive needed. You don't have a race engine with extremely high pressure valve springs! That is the only time you need a zinc additive (after breaking in a new cam".
 
Automotive engine oil isn't formulated the same as in the era these engines were built.
We've got to put oil in them anyway, if it costs a tiny bit more I figure it's cheap insurance.
In a new or newer engine I think it's a great idea, in an older or worn out one, not so much.

The suggestion of a heavier weight oil to help get the oil pressure up is a good idea too.

.
 
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