Timing, Idling, Backfiring, and now ticking.....

[tlok]

Ok so heres the story.

First there was the "marble rolling in the tin can noise"....So i removed the timing chain guides, took about an hour and a half....Sealed everything back up and took off to work.

At a stop light my car starts to misfire, sounding like I'm running on three cylinders. I pull into a parking lot, call in to work, then try to diagnose my problem.

I get home and find that the plug wire on the fourth cylinder plug had gone bad...Also found a TON of oil on the top of the spark plug, assuming the boot had gone bad I pull it out.....In two pieces.

After replacing the spark plugs and plug wires, I finally get my engine under control except it seemed to be idling high. Then after taking it for a test drive the same '3 cylinder problem' started again, I get home and find that the plug wire has come off.

After replacing yet another boot and getting the car running normally again (except for idle (600-850) not too worried about it right now though, as it doesnt stall) I noticed that when I feel the top of the fourth plug wire it feels like there is a tapping on it....

Im not sure what the tapping on the plug could possibly be except maybe a pressure leak coming from under the plug, as if the threads have been stripped or something. Any ideas?? Thanks in advance.