Rocker noise?

[Gold Digger]

OK...hopefully someone can shed some light here for me.

My RB has been having some issues lately, and I have exhausted every possible topical soulution, i.e. IC pipe connections, small lines for boost leak, turbine shaft play.

When I start my car, I can hear an audible tick coming from under the hood. When I pop the hood I can hear the injectors ticking as usual, and I also hear another tick, but really can't locate it because of the injectors.

When I am driving, if under normal driving conditions, you can't hear it, but if I accelerate moderately to hard, I can hear a very annoying ticking sound, usually from about 2000 RPM and up. I also don't boost to max pressure unless I am on the highway in 4th or 5th gear and floor it from about 2500 RPM.

I got to thinking, could it be a loose rocker arm on one of the cams? Is something like this possible, a rocker arm working loose? I haven't taken the covers off yet because I really don't have enought time at the moment and don't have my tools at my home. I would really like to get this figured out before my inspection comes due this October.

Any help or insight would be greatly appreciated.

Neal

[eh?]

unless u have a singled cam RB you don't have Rocker arms. DE RB's are bucket type. The hydraulic buckets on the RB25's can and sometimes do make a loud ticking noise.

[Kansei240sx]

Exhaust leak.

Would be my guess, my friends Z did exactly what you're talking about. One of the studs broke off on his exhuast manifold and when it was sitting you could hear it, when you started moving it wasnt that audible as in just driving in vacuum at a consistant throttle rate, and then he would get on it, it'd start clicking again.

[Eikon]

Does the frequency of the ticking sound correspond with the engine revs? Have you used a screwdriver to listen closely to it? I always put the flat end of the screwdriver on different places on the engine with my ear on the other end... The vibrations and sound pass pretty well through the screwdriver. It helps find where sounds come from. just an idea...

Hope it's not the timing belt tensioner (bearing gone bad?)

I would def. take off the valve covers to check all the cam retainers and stuff.

[Bluefire]

This is quite possibly a bad lifter. What kind of oil are you running by the way? Try to isolate the noise like everyone else suggested. if it is a lifter you can tell by taking out the cams and squishing the lifters. They should feel solid and not spongey

-Bluefire

[Gold Digger]

Does the frequency of the ticking sound correspond with the engine revs?

If I understand this correctly, are you asking if the ticking gets faster as the RPM's go up? If that is what you are saying, yes, they do.

I have also noticed that sometimes, after about 5500 RPM, the ticking goes away.

[jdmser]

I read something about air getting into the lifters and making them tick. It was said to have been common on engines that had set for a while. The fix was submercing them in oil till all the air came out and then holding your finger over the hole till you can re-install them. Its been a long day and I'm probley off though.

[Bluefire]

I read something about air getting into the lifters and making them tick. It was said to have been common on engines that had set for a while. The fix was submercing them in oil till all the air came out and then holding your finger over the hole till you can re-install them. Its been a long day and I'm probley off though.

Not just submerce but actually bleed them. Running too thick of an oil can also cause lifter noise. like a 20w50 will give you some lifter noise when the engine is cold

-Bluefire

[Gold Digger]

Yeah, but my engine has not been sitting for a prolonged period since I bought the car a year and a half ago. It sat for about 1 month before I bought it back in October of 04 and it sat for a few weeks last summer when I was home on vacation.

And I use what the shop I go to recomends for oil, 5W30. The guy there is pretty damn good with cars, and he is real nice, so I would take this guys word for gold. I just wonder if I can get it up to him and have him listen to it? Maybe I can do that this weekend.