So i just picked up a new z28.

Cold start i have80psi warm running engine i have 60 psi. Never drops below 55psi ever

I have a ticking coming from the drivers side valve cover.
Ive replaced the ls7 style lifters on the drivers side with lt1 lifters from a donor
Lt1 at a junk yard. The lifters wouldnt budge with a pushrod so i figure theyre good.

Did the typical soak in oil for a few then install. Put everything back together tightened it all down and set valve lash by letting it idle loosened them up till they clacked and slowly tightend them until they quit and followed that by a half turn.

Everything was quite under the hood, got back in the car and its still there.
It does follow the rpms i havent checked too far into exhaust leaks but my father says he
Can hear one but he cant tell from where.

Nothing else is wrong with my car other then needing a tourqe arm bushing.

What im wondering is can a bad valve spring cause this noise? I looked at all lifters the noise was coming from the drivers rear around cyl 5 and cyl 7. The last lifter on cyl 7 was alittle chewed where the lifters wall sees the block...

But the noise still was there so i bought all new rocker nuts and washers. Still didnt help.

Any clues/tips tricks anything?

No shavings in the oil, no lack of power, i dont get it. Anyone else have this issue?

 

Do you have headers? Id check the bolts on headers or exhaust manifold. Did you look inside valve cover also to see if by chance you have spot hitting.

 

Yes it has pacestter midtubes, im wondering if its my flex plate?

I just dont know what else to check out, and i checked the cover
Nothing seems to be hitting. Theres no marks or wear on the rockers
And the noise is still there even with it off.

Funny thing is when i adjusted the rockers last time i had them set
To where even the slightest turn to tighten them would make the motor
Misfire and shake.

Now i turned a few of them a 1/4 turn and its still idling smooth. But the
Noise is still there.

How do i check for signs of cam wear? Im kinda hoping it is a cam problem
Because it gives me an excuse to upgrade. But then again not because it means the
Motor needs torn apart to do it.

 

Also i did notice its missing a header bolt on the num 1 cyl towards num 3cyl.

Would that cause a leak seeing how the other bolts are there?

Im going to check and make sure theyre all tight replace the missing one and get back to you hopefully its missing because it backed out and not snapped

 

Loose plug is usually mistaken for a tick.

Unrelated to ticking.
Is this fuel pressure?
You provided no information about the car in question that I could see other than "a new Z28". This pressure is too high for a stock 4th gen. But since you didn't complain about the way it's running, I doubt your pressure gauge.

 

the car runs great, no complaints there,

i did do an oil change 1000 miles after i bought the car, and the oil was black as night, DID NOT have any shavings in it, DID NOT have a copper tone look to it, i didnt cut the filter open or anything but there were no shavings in it when i dumped it out into my catch basin,

and the car isnt stock, i know it has a high volume oil pump in it, the last owner gave me a VERY long list of mods done to the car, i would have to call him and ask what they were again,

but i just started it after it sitting all night, on start up i got a faint knocking sound then a few squeeks and it was gone, tried gently giving it gas under the hood and the noise was gone,

i used the old screw driver to ear trick, and placed it everywhere i could under the hood, under the drivers valve cover sounds like i have a loose rocker, okay easy fix,

but in direct center of the intake in the fuel rail crossover valley i can hear something like a deep knock, i put it on the middle of the intake in between the rails and can hardly hear it so im thinking im just hearing my injectors there,

im hoping this is just a noisy rocker and or injector or a cracked flexplate,

has anyone had a problem with a lifter being this loud?

oh also on a side note, i spent 30 min out under the hood lastnight just listening to the engine with that screw driver, well out of no where the engine would just die out, like i turned the key off as if i were getting out to go in the house, so started it back, a few later (3 min or so) it did it again,

i dont have a fuel pressure gauge to check fuel pressure, but would low fuel pressure cause timing to retard and make it develop a spark knock???
i dont know im just throwing out ideas,

 

also i am throwing codes but seeing as its a 95 i cant find a scanner that will read it anywhere. what can i do to get these codes read?

 

Shoebox shows you how to read a 95 with an OBD-I scanner:

http://shbox.com/1/xraycable.jpg

There is free software available that will allow you to scan it and data log the PCM. You just need to get the correct cable - USB to 16-pin 95 OBD-1.

TTS Power Systems

Low fuel pressure could cause it to run lean, but at idle with no load on the engine, it's not likely to knock. Under load, it will knock, you'll get spark retard. But not likely at idle.

Scan it - will probably save a lot of speculation.

 

I dont hear the knock at idle at all.

But in park at a slight rev i do. Anything higher then 2k rpms the exhaust
Takes over and i cant hear a thing,

And thank you for the link i was searching for that. I forgot all about
Shoebox (no offence friend)

But i think ill make a list of needed parts and start knocking the list
Out after scanning the codes,

 

It's most likely a bad exhaust header gasket on the driver side. You did say that one of the bolts was missing. Chances are some of your other bolts worked themselves loose as well and what you're hearing is an exhaust leak. This happened to me and I swore it was a bad lifter, when I checked my header bolts I noticed they were all loose and the gasket had blown. After replacing both side header gaskets with Percy's Gaskets and locking header bolts the tick was gone and no more exhaust leaks. Of course that was my personal experience and may or may not be your issue but i'd def take the time and replace that gasket and make sure all bolts are tightened to spec where there are no leaks and evaluate from there.

Good Luck!

 

I checked all header bolts on the drivers side and they are tight. But its possible its blown and the bolts didnt back put. Cause if the last guyused the cheap gaskets that came with the headers thats a good chance thats what it is.

I mean ive had the top end of this motor open and its clean not a bit of sludge
I know it needs valve seals

 

If the gaskets supplied with the headers were used then they are typically of cheap quality and do not last long. I would look there first

 

I retightened the rockers, and the noise has gotten alot better, now i hear a fluttering as i let ofg the gas after reving it. Sounds like i have a case of leaky header and just loose rockers. Im sure pushrod guide plates wouldnt hurt because it looks like theyre hitting the hole they go thru. But im just guessing that because i do see alittle pushrod movement in the side to side motion.

But ill keep you guys updated

Also the bolt that was missing wasnt snapped it backed put or wasnt put in.

 

Sounds like you're hot on the trail of your problem!