The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - View Single Post - Ticking/tapping noise, 305 Chevy, Can't Figure it Out!

Rust-O-Matic · 03-24-2017, 10:42 AM

Thanks for all the input, guys!

Geezer,
You are right as usual about the pushrods being on the intake side lol. I looked at another cylinder head, and it's totally opposite of what I had in my mind. I think I'll take that cover off this weekend and look for visible issues again.

Nonstop,
The problem is, it's hard to hear the ticking at idle, and if I remove the valve cover and rev it up so I can hear it I'll end up shooting oil all over the neighborhood and the nicely painted surrounding engine parts. I didn't notice any damage to the fuel pump when I had it off a few months ago while I was cleaning and painting everything, but I'm kinda wondering if the pivot is worn where the arm comes out of the back of it, allowing a little noise. This still doesn't explain the noise I'm hearing from the side of the valve cover though.

Homemade87-
You better knock on wood, because I don't wanna hear that! Ha! I want to see what the ends of those plugs look like anyway though, so I will probably give that a whirl. Although, I definitely wouldn't expect to hear a wrist pin when putting my 'scope to the side of the valve cover. Seems like I would be able to hear it when touching the side of the block and/or the entire surrounding area. This noise appears to be directly behind the valve cover wall. I swear I can even feel the tapping against the stethoscope probe in my fingers.

So, if I take the valve cover back off this weekend to look at that particular cylinder's valves/rockers/pushrods, can you guys tell me exactly what to inspect? I mean, I'm pretty familiar with all this stuff but I don't wanna overlook anything.

I'm thinking I'll pull the pushrods out and make sure one isn't bent or something obvious, and check the inside of the valve cover for rubbed spots, shavings, etc. I'll probably check the valve spring and keeper for slop again, as well. Is there any particular way to test the lifters for that cylinder? Like pushing on it or something to see if it moves? That may seem like a dumb question, but these damn things are so reliable, in 20 years of driving old Chevys I've never had an issue with one that needed to be checked.

03-24-2017, 10:42 AM	#16
Rust-O-Matic Registered User Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Gallatin, MO Posts: 295	Re: Ticking/tapping noise, 305 Chevy, Can't Figure it Out! Thanks for all the input, guys! Geezer, You are right as usual about the pushrods being on the intake side lol. I looked at another cylinder head, and it's totally opposite of what I had in my mind. I think I'll take that cover off this weekend and look for visible issues again. Nonstop, The problem is, it's hard to hear the ticking at idle, and if I remove the valve cover and rev it up so I can hear it I'll end up shooting oil all over the neighborhood and the nicely painted surrounding engine parts. I didn't notice any damage to the fuel pump when I had it off a few months ago while I was cleaning and painting everything, but I'm kinda wondering if the pivot is worn where the arm comes out of the back of it, allowing a little noise. This still doesn't explain the noise I'm hearing from the side of the valve cover though. Homemade87- You better knock on wood, because I don't wanna hear that! Ha! I want to see what the ends of those plugs look like anyway though, so I will probably give that a whirl. Although, I definitely wouldn't expect to hear a wrist pin when putting my 'scope to the side of the valve cover. Seems like I would be able to hear it when touching the side of the block and/or the entire surrounding area. This noise appears to be directly behind the valve cover wall. I swear I can even feel the tapping against the stethoscope probe in my fingers. So, if I take the valve cover back off this weekend to look at that particular cylinder's valves/rockers/pushrods, can you guys tell me exactly what to inspect? I mean, I'm pretty familiar with all this stuff but I don't wanna overlook anything. I'm thinking I'll pull the pushrods out and make sure one isn't bent or something obvious, and check the inside of the valve cover for rubbed spots, shavings, etc. I'll probably check the valve spring and keeper for slop again, as well. Is there any particular way to test the lifters for that cylinder? Like pushing on it or something to see if it moves? That may seem like a dumb question, but these damn things are so reliable, in 20 years of driving old Chevys I've never had an issue with one that needed to be checked.