loud ticking in engine sounds like a card in a bike tire

[Zdriver]

hey guys i have a question about my Z. i started it up and for some reason there is a loud fast ticking sound (sounds like a card in a bike wheel) and its really loud. almost sounds like the fan clutch or fan blade is hitting something but im not sure. im thinking its an external engine problem not an internal. any suggestions would be great!

[NismoPick]

Check belts & pulleys. Also could be an out of place rocker or too much cam-to-rocker gap.

What year / model Z?
Can you post a video?

[Zdriver]

its a 1990 Z 2+0 N/A and at the moment the engine is pulled so i thought i might as well ask while i have it out and fix it lol

[Zdriver]

and the day before it wasnt doing it then i started my car the next day and it started doing it

[nexus08]

Any chance it is an crack in the manifold? My mustang made a ticking sound from a manifold leak.

[t.mcginley.jr]

Taking a video and posting it would really help diagnosing the problem.

But usually a loud ticking noise is from a stuck lifter. Our engines have hydraulic lifters that fill with oil to cushion valve movement. If a lifter gets stuck for any reason, it basically bottoms out instead of cushioning the valve and makes a ticking noise (usually loud, but not loud like rod knock). Also FYI, the vg30de doesn't have rocker arms

[jdog300zx]

i had a tick in my 1990 n/a in my old motor before i blew i bought a parts car that the motor was running good no tick i put the motor in mine knowing it had no problems, when i started the car it still had the same problem it might be your VTC i would try unplug the white wires from the sensor off the back of the cam if it goes away its the VTC solonoied if it doesnt like what happened to me my ecu was not sending a signal to the solnoied to open it so i had to swap my ecu and it fixed the problem. i hope this helps.