Hydraulic Cam Follower Noise

[danielsatur]

Lincoln LS 2001 V8 120K Miles with Ticking problem!

I was told that after using Sea Foam product ,that the car picked up a Tick noise.

Action taken:
1) Oil change ''No Help''

** I would like to replace valve seals,cam followers and Timing Tensioners.
This would be way over Budget.

What would you guys do?

[shorod]

The first thing I'd ask is which way the Sea Foam was added. There are three recommended options on the can, add to oil, add to fuel, or add via vacuum port to "decarb" the engine.

If it was added in anyway other than to the crankcase, I'd say either the noise and Sea Foam application is unrelated, or the problem is not in the oiled system.

Have you heard the tick noise? Does it sound like lifter tick? If so, you could try using a quart of transmission fluid in place of one quart of engine oil and run that for 5 miles or so. If the noise is due to a sticking lifter, the transmission fluid should de-gum the lifter and quiet the tick. After the short drive, drain the oil and replace the filter and oil.

Is this the V6 or V8? If the V8, it should be pretty easy to determine if the noise is coming from under one of the valve covers since they are both pretty easy to access.

If coming from the front of the engine, then you may be on track with the timing tensioner.

-Rod

[danielsatur]

Thanks: Rod
My understanding is that he didn't want to add Seafoam to the
crank case. He changed the oil previous with Mobel 1.

He used 1/3 of the can in the fuel tank and 1/3 for Intake.

He parked it for a few days,he started it,and the noise never went
away!

Yea!
It sounds to me, that the SeaFoam cleaned the Hydraulic cam followers.
By parking the car for a few days ,they got stuck!

[shorod]

If I'm reading your latest post correctly, he never added Sea Foam to the crankcase. If the only applications of the Sea Foam were to the intake and the fuel tank, it shouldn't have any effect on the cam followers (or other parts of the oiling system).

-Rod

[danielsatur]

Noise canbe hard to chase down!

I'am going to isolate serpentine belt from the Engine!

I want to eliminate the Alternator,Air cond pump,Water pump,and the
Power steering pump from the motor.

Is the noise with the Motor or a pump?


MCGIVER

[shorod]

That's a good plan of attack! While the belt's off, check the pulleys for bearing play.

-Rod

[danielsatur]

I was going to charge the man for a New belt + install for $80.
During this time I could give a better diagnosis of the problem.

Still waiting for customer approval.

Thanks Rod for feedback.

[byrondo]

Ticking cured !

I pulled the valve covers and saw two rockers skewed off the center of the valve stem. One was loose enough where I could turn it off the push rod and remove without loosening the rocker bolt. It was bent to hell, and pitted around the guide sleeve. I went to the pick n pull and grabbed four push rods & two rockers. When I installed the push rods ( tricky ) it was quiet then immediately began that nasty ticking again. The rods were a little different, but the biggest difference was the rockers had little "shoulders" around the valve stem seat. I put the rockers in, and presto - no more ticking ( there's a very slight tapping, I think from the rocker not being fully tightened - as I was being cautious not to throw the valves and make a huge mess... ) Anyways, I'm tightening down the rocker bolts very carefully, and poof - no more tap - runs better than new..

Ticking or tapping can be a lot of things. An easy, weekend fix may be to pull the valve cover & see if any rockers fell off the valve stem.

( this was a on 1968 Chevrolet Impala 327, parts were off a 90's something suburban 350 - A lot of the old chevy small blocks were very close with the valve train & such )

Hope this helps,

[shorod]

Is this a different car than your original post? In your original post you reference a 2001 LS V8.

Either way, I think it's safe to say the SeaFoam treatment was not the source of the ticking.

-Rod