Sr20 Ticking, maybe lifter?

[240dk]

So I was driving my 240 around the other day and was makin a U turn, so I couldnt resist but to slide it around, but when I straigtened back up the engine was running horrible and started ticking, sounds like a lifter ticking coming from number cylinder number 4, and the car runs like its not firing on one cylinder until you reach over 4k rpm, then it runs strong, but anything below sounds like a wrx. I changed the oil and still ticking, I think the engine running the way it does is related to the ticking but don't know what would cause this.

[240dk]

anyone?

[tokendog]

Rocker arm maybe. If you slid hard enough and revved it up, its possible you broke a rocker arm which would cause a rattling from the valve cover and can also cause your other problems.

It happened to me once when I misshifted and went above 7K RPM, it broke the rocker arm, and I thought I had damaged some thing else because I could hear rattling in my exhaust note, but just turned out I broke a rocker arm. Every thing else was fine.

If you can, I'd pop open your valve cover and inspect the cams, etc.

[240dk]

I opened the valve cover today and discovered my problem, the caps that hold the cam down on cylinder four and three intake side where loose, the bolts backed out, and two of them broke off in the head!! I A total of 5 bolts on the intake cam were loose, and I have no idea why. The only thing I can think was maybe the guy I bought the long block from had cams in it before and put the stock cams back in without tightening them down properly. I was able to easy out the 2 that broke off and replaced the bolts, she starts and runs like a champ! Glad I caught it before it destroyed my head.

[idahotuner]

i liek to thin kthat not having rocker arm stoppers kidna acts as a gasket cause if the rocker arm pops orr or break then the valves cant be pushed down far enough to make contact with the piston therefor saving your motor.

[mistamacadamian]

that sucks man. any damage to the head? did you find the broken bolts? and idatuner thats a sexy *** sig.

[240dk]

Well I got lucky as hell, no damage to the head or cams and the bolts didn't fall out of where they go in at, so I didn't have a problem there. I retorqued all the bolts just to make sure that doesn't happen to me again.