292 with a nice ticking sound

[wancosc356]

Originally Posted by Heater63

I would bet on exhaust leak too, with black soot, you DO have some degree of a leak... but is it causing the sound you are hearing???
Don't discount the stethoscope. You can buy a cheap one under $10 at a nurses uniform shop; unscrew the head (called the bell) and throw away the thin plastic diagphram. Now hold the bell and go over the manifold gaskets (be carefull for the fan and belts!) and you will be amazed at what sounds you can pinpoint.
It could be detonation (pinging / knock) since you don't hear it at idle, but under load, and it started only after you altered the ignition system.
Your lifters are hydraulic and will be affected by low oil volume (mentioned above), and sludge---if thats the problem, some add a pint of Marvel Mystery Oil to the oil. They rarely need "tightening" but that could be the case. They can be adjusted with the engine running quickly, but messy. This is adjusting the "preload" and removes slack in the pushrod/rocker/valve train that can cause clicking. Takes more time, but less mess to adjust when engine is off. Either way, valve cover comes off. Should be plenty of articles online.
Get a mechanic to look at it for 1 minute. An experienced mechanic can usually tell the sound of an exhaust leak from a lifter within seconds. Not always, but usually.

Thanks for all the info.

Originally Posted by sixfour4x4

as for driving with an exhaust leak, it's not a horrible thing, you won't blow up anything.


only problem i have with oil additives is they tend to foam your oil and where there is air, there is no lubrication. i'd not recommend seafoam in the oil just because of the potential for cam or rodbearing destruction. you can use seafoam in the oil if you keep the RPMs low and replace oil IMMEDIATELY. I would suggest replacing the exhaust manifold gaskets first, it's cheap, and not life threatening. If you continue to have a problem...do some research or have someone else do it for you.

Thats what Ill do. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Heater63

Yeah, you would run the Marvel oil just a little while, then change the oil. I've seen it work on a sticky lifter. It's an old trick, but so am I.

OK, you've had all Saturday to play with this, what did you find out?? The suspense is killing us.

Ok. If it comes down to the marvel trick, Ill try it. Haha. I actually went and picked up a complete 5 lug front end and some other parts yesterday. So I didn't even get to mess with the truck. Im sure the suspense is killing everyone. haha

Originally Posted by Frizzle Fry

It could also be a compression leak due to a blown head gasket. You can blow a head gasket and not lose any coolant with these. I found mine this way after replacing the intake/exhaust gaskets.

hmmmmmm. Interesting. Lets hope not.