ticka ticka after cam install

[awesomeame]

installed my cam over the weekend, and since today was a nice day i figured i'd take it out around the block....about half way around the block i start to hear this "ticka ticka" sound, so i get it home asap. it did start at wot, about 4 grand, that's as high as i went

sounds like it's coming from the passanger side valve cover, i'm thinking it's a rocker arm bolt. i'm gonna atap it shortly, see if anything comes up.

anyone else have any thoughts on this?? thanks

--matt

[Seppo Kaitainen]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by awesomeame:
sounds like it's coming from the passanger side valve cover, i'm thinking it's a rocker arm bolt. i'm gonna atap it shortly, see if anything comes up.<hr></blockquote>

Its either a loose rocker or exhaust leak. Unless you changed heads its probably a loose rocker. Screw autotaping(it won't tell you anything), pull the valve cover and fix the rocker.

[awesomeame]

yeh i didn't touch the heads/manifolds...i'm hoping the atap will show some misfires on the effected piston...i'd rather replace two then six rocker arm bolts..

--matt

[awesomeame]

or would it be so loose that i'd be able to tell just by feeeling the rocker arms? sorry i'm sounding like such a n00b, but it's my first time inside the engine [img]smile.gif[/img]

--matt

[bobrules]

Valve lash possibly? Did you put your valve covers on upside down?

[Seppo Kaitainen]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by awesomeame:
or would it be so loose that i'd be able to tell just by feeeling the rocker arms? sorry i'm sounding like such a n00b, but it's my first time inside the engine [img]smile.gif[/img]

--matt<hr></blockquote>

If its ticking that loud it'll be loose enough to tell by hand. I would not run the car just to hope autotap can tell you what cyl is missing.

btw bobrules - there is no valve lash settings on a 3800 II engine. Just a torque spec.

[bobrules]

Oh ok, thnx.

[awesomeame]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Seppo Kaitainen:
If its ticking that loud it'll be loose enough to tell by hand. I would not run the car just to hope autotap can tell you what cyl is missing.<hr></blockquote>

oops, too late, i already ran the car & autotapped [img]smile.gif[/img] no worries, i won't run the car again until i get this fixed...

i checked misfire history & misfires with the car running...

#1 cyl--4000 misfires
#2 cyl--5500 misfires
#3 cyl--4000 misfires

and with the car running, misfires all over the place on cyl's 1, 2 & 3.


SO, i know for sure the sound is coming from the passanger side, so it's got to be cylinders 2, 4, or 6.

Firing order is 1-6-5-4-3-2 OR 3-2-1 if you look at it like that..


SOOOOO my hypothesis is the loose rocker(s) are on cylinder #2, which is causing probs on cylinders # 1 & 3.

valve cover comes off tomorrow, also have to order new rocker arm bolts again

oh yeah, and i've got the P0300 code, but that may be caused by this problem i have...i can't remember when the light came on :rolleyes:

--matt

[12secdream]

the cam will set the p0300 code too. i know when i installed my cam i got a some codes, but your engine will still run fine

[awesomeame]

i pulled the valve cover off & checked the rocker arm bolts on #2 cyl. both good. i proceed to #4 cyl...exhaust rocker bolt loose as hell. needed about 3 full turns before it got tight. i did torque it, but the bolt musta got caught up on something ((shrugs))

i put it back together, started up the car, sounds even better then before, but now my valve cover is leaking like a sieve. i gots to pull it apart again anyways to change that bolt tho.....and now a valve cover gasket

thing is, all the rocker bolts were a little looser. so maybe the car has to be run a bit & then they have to be retorqed? ((shrugs)) i dunno!

sounds good & runs fine.

--matt

[AllTheGoodNamesAreGone]

Let me throw this out here..

did you but new rocker arm bolts when you reinstalled the arms??

You need new ones each an every time because they are torque to yeld bolts.. they are not ment for reuse..

that could be why they are getting loose..

-Bill

[awesomeame]

yeh, i used new bolts ;)

--matt