308 ticking sound

[Disturbed_vegeta]

did a bit of serch but i couldnt find anything appart from that the problem could be sticky lifters...but the go is that i just got a vk 308 4 speed from a mate, and it had a few issues with dieing and not starting for a while but i got that sorted, and now i went up to get some take out in it and as i left the fish and chips shop i gave it a little bit of a bootfull(not redlining or anything like that) but now the car is making a bit of a loud ticking/tapping noise from the motor. the sound only happens while its driving and gets louder the faster i go, ive been told the car has had a rebuild a few months back but ive checked the oil out and its looking a bit black so ill probli be doing a service on it tomorrow. But would it be possible for anyone who knows what the drama could be. cheers

[pr0n]

id do an oil change and see if that does anything, maybe the oils been burnt and thinned out, maybe try a thicker oil if it keeps making the noise

[tigervh]

Sounds like shagged lifters, Its a pretty common problem on Holden V8s with a few miles on the clock.

PS, if a seller tells you the engine has recently been rebuilt, he means its had an oil change and a set of new plugs sometime in the last five years.

[Disturbed_vegeta]

yea well the story is. my mates brother owned then he sold it to another one of my mates and then i got it, so i gotta sus out a bit more info out when i see the my mates brother because hes the one who did all the work to it

[Jo3_Blo]

Exhaust Manifold.

Gasket or maybe cracked manifold.

Over time it will probably become louder until you get it fixed. But it dosn't have any effect on the motor and dosn't damage it.

[Disturbed_vegeta]

well i just flushed the engine, new oil and filter..still makes the noise.

[Paiste402]

jo3 has a point, my exhaust is leaking at the manifold and it ticks a little, nothing bad but its there. When its idling does it make a "fooof"-ing sound? That is the sound of a leaking exhaust at the manifold and when u give it a boot it sounds like a ticking sound.

And just maybe the lifters are gone, more of an annoying job than a hard one to replace them.

[Dayvo]

It could be the rocker arms or posts that are worn which can be confused as worn lifters. If you can narrow it down to which bank is is, take off the rocker cover and put your finger on the rocker arms one at a time while the motor is idling. you will feel a slight shock from the one that is ticking . ( not a electric shock , a shock from the free play ) you can take the rocker post off and file down the end that is bolted to the head.All you need to do is give it a dozen or so strokes with a medium file and that should do the trick .The rocker arms are made of pressed steel and the posts are made of aluminium which tend to wear over the years. Hope this helps ( i thought my parents were the only people in the world that lived in Burpengary lol )

[Disturbed_vegeta]

apparently, my dads mate heard drove the car and said its piston slap...i spose that means the motor is shagged lol...o well i only got like 2 weeks out of it

[Tom_1569]

Do a compression test, might not be piston slap. Lifters as said abofve are a common problem. I would be confirming that its piston slap before considering a rebuild unless you have time and cash to throw away.

[Pub247]

I doubt itll be piston slap i think dayvo on the right track here the alloy rocker post wear out and the rockers do aswell
my money's on
lifters
rockers/post
and coming in last and miles behind piston slap

[Disturbed_vegeta]

yea ill check it out with one of my mates...hes a mechanic so he should know what the go is...i mean the car doesnt have any less power or anything it just makes the noise and that makes the car sound like **** lol

[SilverVH]

lol @ piston slap, love these expert mechanics.

If it is an exhaust leak the tapping noise will be quieter off throttle as it is not forcing the exhaust gasses out the hole, if the tapping noise is still evident then it is something internally. From what you have described my best guess would be a lifter, but you can't rule out something like a spun bearing, loose rocker arm, bent pushrod.

Get a piece of vacuum hose, run it from your ear to various parts of the motor to try and pinpoint exactly where the noise is coming from, this will be able to give you a more fair idea as to what the noise could be. Remove the rocker covers and test each rocker arm for movement, also check pushrod adjustment, see if any spin freely (a sign of a bent pushrod) If all else is good, remove the manifold and replace the lifters.

One time I had the loudest ticking noise which revealed 3 worn lifters after giving it 6500rpm, it was that loud it sounded like a spun bearing, replaced them all and setup the proper lifter preload and all was fine. A far cry from piston slap lol...

[JohnnyCalais]

it sounds like lifters, can you hear where the noise is comming from?

[Disturbed_vegeta]

umm this may sound stupid but wheres the lifters? and how would i check the pushrod?