Bad Lifter?

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
Alright guys my truck is making a ticking sound from the engine area and it sounds like a rocker arm. I adjusted all the rocker arms on both sides but the sound was still there. Bad Lifter? i have a video clip that you can hear the ticking. im not to worried about it but it is kinda annoying and i need something to do to my truck:roflbow:..

Also think i have a vacuum leak there was a little hesitation(in the video)

LINK>>>>>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loJ-mNLsSnA&feature=plcp

WATCH IN HD:) everything is better in HD
 

89Suburban

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Posts
24,546
Reaction score
5,871
Location
Southeast PA
First Name
Paw Paw
Truck Year
2007
Truck Model
Chevrolet Tahoe LT
Engine Size
5.3, 4WD
Turn up tha radio. :D
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,026
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Hard to tell in that video. I didn't really hear it, but also kinda tone deaf, so maybe I didn't hear that part. IF it is a lifter, try a pint of Marvels Mystery Oil and leave it in the crankcase. If the lifter is salvagable it will be fixed in about 500 miles. If it's not fixed by then, give up on it fixing itself. If your motor is low mileage, I have doubts it's a lifter, and if it is, then it's a defective lifter and there is no bringing that back to life if it's a defective lifter, and the bad part is, if you got 1 bad one, how many more are going to go bad in short order? Does the truck really only have 4000 miles on the motor? That's real low mileage for lifter failure.

Have you eliminated the fact it could be an exhaust leak? Get you a piece of standard printer paper. Fold it long ways in 1/4's making a long thin strip of paper with just a little bit of rigidity. Start the motor, and take that paper and hold it all around the exhaust manifold ports and exhaust donuts and be watching for air to be pushing and fluttering on the paper, meaning, there's your exhaust leak.
 

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
Hard to tell in that video. I didn't really hear it, but also kinda tone deaf, so maybe I didn't hear that part. IF it is a lifter, try a pint of Marvels Mystery Oil and leave it in the crankcase. If the lifter is salvagable it will be fixed in about 500 miles. If it's not fixed by then, give up on it fixing itself. If your motor is low mileage, I have doubts it's a lifter, and if it is, then it's a defective lifter and there is no bringing that back to life if it's a defective lifter, and the bad part is, if you got 1 bad one, how many more are going to go bad in short order? Does the truck really only have 4000 miles on the motor? That's real low mileage for lifter failure.

Have you eliminated the fact it could be an exhaust leak? Get you a piece of standard printer paper. Fold it long ways in 1/4's making a long thin strip of paper with just a little bit of rigidity. Start the motor, and take that paper and hold it all around the exhaust manifold ports and exhaust donuts and be watching for air to be pushing and fluttering on the paper, meaning, there's your exhaust leak.

Yeah the motor was build about 8 years ago grandpa drove it alittle and desided to save it for me but he said he couldn't ever get that sound to go away.

It doesn't sound any thing like an exhaust leak sounds just like a ticking rocker arm

If you listen real close you can hear it real good when the camera gets close to the trans dip stick
 
Last edited:

89Suburban

Supporting Member
Supporting Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2010
Posts
24,546
Reaction score
5,871
Location
Southeast PA
First Name
Paw Paw
Truck Year
2007
Truck Model
Chevrolet Tahoe LT
Engine Size
5.3, 4WD
It's really not that loud just don't wont it to wear on the cam

Another thing that would make a noise like that is a leaking spark plug boot.
 

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
Another thing that would make a noise like that is a leaking spark plug boot.

Yeah bout to change plugs and wires

Well just have to see

That's for the advise suburban
 

Jims86

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 3, 2010
Posts
5,492
Reaction score
133
Location
Patterson,Ca
First Name
Jim
Truck Year
1986
Truck Model
K10 Suburban Silverado
Engine Size
5.7 TBI
Another thing that would make a noise like that is a leaking spark plug boot.

Yeah, thats what I was thinking too.
It wouldnt be too much work to pop the valve covers off for further inspection...would be a timy bit messy, but nothing you cant keep up with a rag.
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,026
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
Yeah the motor was build about 8 years ago grandpa drove it alittle and desided to save it for me but he said he couldn't ever get that sound to go away.

It doesn't sound any thing like an exhaust leak sounds just like a ticking rocker arm

If you listen real close you can hear it real good when the camera gets close to the trans dip stick

Do you know what kind or rebuild he did? Did he replace all the lifters? It could even be a bad valve tip and/or bad rocker arm. As said, might pull the cover off and watch the rocker arm geometry as it goes up and down. I've seen them going off to the side. Lifter was fine but the head had to come off to replace the valve and have it cut to match the seat, new rocker arm and pushrod.
 

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
Do you know what kind or rebuild he did? Did he replace all the lifters? It could even be a bad valve tip and/or bad rocker arm. As said, might pull the cover off and watch the rocker arm geometry as it goes up and down. I've seen them going off to the side. Lifter was fine but the head had to come off to replace the valve and have it cut to match the seat, new rocker arm and pushrod.

He bought a short block then put vortex heads stage 2 rv cam he could have use used lifters I'm not sure but the last time I adjusted the rocker arm all of them look good
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,026
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
He bought a short block then put vortex heads stage 2 rv cam he could have use used lifters I'm not sure but the last time I adjusted the rocker arm all of them look good

IF he used the used lifters, give that Marvels Mystry Oil a try. If that don't work, nothing will, then you you know you don't have a choice but to pull the intake and valve covers. And if you do change that one, I'd change them all if they are used from a previous build.
 

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
IF he used the used lifters, give that Marvels Mystry Oil a try. If that don't work, nothing will, then you you know you don't have a choice but to pull the intake and valve covers. And if you do change that one, I'd change them all if they are used from a previous build.

What does that oil stuff even do
 

HotRodPC

Administrator
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Aug 29, 2010
Posts
47,017
Reaction score
9,026
Location
OKC, OK
First Name
HotRod
Truck Year
85 K20 LWB
Truck Model
Silverado
Engine Size
454 - Turbo 400 - 3.73
What does that oil stuff even do

Not exactly sure what it does. I had a noisy lifter once in a 64 Pontiac 389 and a was tickin bad. A guy told me to try it, so for the hell of it did. I didn't work, so I thought. But it just got quieter and quieter and til one day I was like, huh, ohh that noise is gone. And it never came back. Took about 400-500 miles of city driving but it did work.
 

fowjacob

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 4, 2012
Posts
225
Reaction score
2
Location
Lubbock,TX
First Name
Jacob
Truck Year
1983
Truck Model
c3500
Engine Size
383 Stroker
Not exactly sure what it does. I had a noisy lifter once in a 64 Pontiac 389 and a was tickin bad. A guy told me to try it, so for the hell of it did. I didn't work, so I thought. But it just got quieter and quieter and til one day I was like, huh, ohh that noise is gone. And it never came back. Took about 400-500 miles of city driving but it did work.

hmm might just have to try it the only problem is i dont have my license yet:roflbow:
 

82chevy350

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 30, 2010
Posts
775
Reaction score
51
Location
Van Buren, AR
First Name
Joey
Truck Year
1982, 1976
Truck Model
C10, K10, K5
Engine Size
350, 350
An exhaust leak can sound just like a lifter
 

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
42,256
Posts
912,290
Members
33,757
Latest member
Gage T
Top