ticking in motor??

'97 S10 Blazer 4.3 190K

I have a ticking sound coming from the motor of the driverside wheel well.
The top of the motor is quiet and runs very well, besides the unusual ticking sound coming from the driverside. The ticking sound is louder when motor is cold, but quiets down just a little when running warm. Is this an all common sound of a gm motor or something more serious i should worry about?

alright, so i found the source of the tick.
It's coming from spark plug #3.
if I put my finger on the spark plug boot, I can
feel it pulsate. None of the other spark plugs are
ticking like #3.

any ideas?

alright, so i found the source of the tick.
It's coming from spark plug #3.
if I put my finger on the spark plug boot, I can
feel it pulsate. None of the other spark plugs are
ticking like #3.

any ideas?

If I felt it was doing this I would at least replace that spark plug and maybe even the spark plug wire.

If they have all been on their for a long time I would probably replace all plugs and wires.

well the plugs are new...

wires are showing a little age though...

I'll give it a shot. Thank you.

#3 plug is a bitch to get at, it's right behind the steering shaft. Whoever tuned it up last probably didn't get it tight enough. If you separate the steering shaft from the steering gear box, you can get right at it.

like mentioned above, the #3 plug is a pain. when i bought my blazer, the #3 plug was a dif brand, meaning whoever had done the last tune up, didn't even bother to get at it. a tool exists to get at it a little better, or the thread in the "how to" section (http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=503231) can guide you through the best ways to get at it...

#3 plug is a bitch to get at, it's right behind the steering shaft. Whoever tuned it up last probably didn't get it tight enough. If you separate the steering shaft from the steering gear box, you can get right at it.

agree, that would be my best guess. :grinno: loose plug

Oh yeah, sparkplug #3 was loose.
Tighten it up and ticking went away.
thanks for the help!

Proud that it was so simple. I recall I had one blow out driving down the highway several years ago, scared me to death.