383 ticking noise

[Zwap]

383 with ticking niose but only when the engine is cold.
Got the ticking noise when I bought the car, totaly stock 383, I then changed the 516 heads to a reworked 915 heads, new Lunati cam kit with lifters (701/301LK if it matters) new pushrods to get the right preload, new cam drive kit from Summit and so on...
Now when I start the engine cold I get a ticking noise that almost disappear when the engine get hot/warm, just like before I changed the cam etc.
I run 20/50 oil and here in Sweden the temperature is about 60-70F, should I use a thinner oil, maybe 10/30?
I've isolated the tick to cylinder 1-3 and I can hear it slightly even when the engine is hot but not as much as the engine is cold.

Any thoughts?

 

[70bigblockdodge]

Maybe a egg shaped rocker arm. My 70 383 every exhaust rocker arm was stretched around the rocker shaft using up all the preload. My 2 cents

 

[dart4forte]

Could be an exhaust leak

 

[detmatt]

I might still change to a thinner oil. My Imp's 440 has an untouched bottom end and I did all the same things you did up top and I run straight 40 weight Brad penn. I don't do a multi viscosity because I really only run in one kind of weather.

 

[dart4forte]

I should also add that Marvel Mystry Oil is good internal engine cleaner. The ticking may be the result of plugged oil passages and like I said before I wouldn't rule out an exhaust leak.

 

[Zwap]

Thanks all!

Forgot to tell that theres brand new stamped rockers.

Exhaust leak is ruled out, pulled the HP manifold out yesterday and mount them with new FelPro gaskets, the old gaskets was intact.
Still ticking.
Could be a plugged oil passage but would it result in a quiter ticking when fully warmed up?
I think thinner oil and some add on cleaner is my next step.

 

[Rwc]

You didn't say anything about the ignition system, have you ruled out an arcing wire?

 

[Zwap]

New FireCore distributor with new cables and plugs.
Could an arcing wire tick less when fully warmed up?
Forgot to mention that I've got a new mechanical fuelpump as well.

 

[Rwc]

I would get car in total darkness and cold. Start it and see if I could see any arcs. Inexpensive test.

 

[Ripinator]

383 with ticking niose but only when the engine is cold.
Got the ticking noise when I bought the car, totaly stock 383, I then changed the 516 heads to a reworked 915 heads, new Lunati cam kit with lifters (701/301LK if it matters) new pushrods to get the right preload, new cam drive kit from Summit and so on...
Now when I start the engine cold I get a ticking noise that almost disappear when the engine get hot/warm, just like before I changed the cam etc.
I run 20/50 oil and here in Sweden the temperature is about 60-70F, should I use a thinner oil, maybe 10/30?
I've isolated the tick to cylinder 1-3 and I can hear it slightly even when the engine is hot but not as much as the engine is cold.

Any thoughts?

You may have a marginal / crappy lifter. A lot of the new lifters you buy today are sometimes not right.

 

[Zwap]

You may have a marginal / crappy lifter. A lot of the new lifters you buy today are sometimes not right.

It could be.

The strange thing is when I start the engine cold (over night) it's quiet, after about 2-3 minutes on idle it begin with a couple tick and after a few seconds it tick instantly, then after fully warmed up it tick but much quiter compared to under warm up.
It's typical one valve sequence on the tick but I begin to think it's something in the bottom end because I changed everything on the valve side: camshaft, lifters, pushrods, reworked heads, rockers, and it still tick exactly like before I changed everything.
But of course, if it had a worn out lifter before and one of the new one is marginal / crappy then it's no difference, but shouldnt it tick instantly the same cold, warm up, fully warmed up with a failed lifter?

 

[Zwap]

Well, it dont seem to be a rod knock, did the test with pulling plug wires one at a time, the ticking doesn't change or dissapear.

 

[65sporty]

Stock length push rods? After everything being reworked they may be too short and not preloading the lifter.

 

[Zwap]

Not stock leghth pushrods, belive me, I spend a lot of time getting the correct pushrods to get the right pre-load on each valve/lifter before running in the camshaft.