Tick-Tick-Tick sounds like one tappet

[Ridgewell]

but then goes away!
I'm thinking its a worn tappet rotating on the camshaft varying the tappet clearance. It's at half speed sound so definitely something in the valve train.

Adjusted all the tappets, engine sounds great now apart from this recurring tappet like ticking which comes and goes, on perhaps a 1 minute cycle.

Could it be a very slightly bent pushrod, also rotating and varying the tappet clearance?

Anyone else have this experience or ideas?

[bmcecosse]

Easy to check - unless it's a 1275... Slacken the rocker adjusts and push to one side - pulling the pushrods out - then off with the covers and hook the cam followers out with your finger for inspection. Very unlikely a push rod would be bent - and anyway - it wouldn't vary the gap..... Put the followers back in the same holes - doesn't matter about the push rods.

[Ridgewell]

Thanks, another job to the list!

I understand about putting the followers back in the same place (thought the same for pushrods too) but if one needs renewal, can I simply drop a new one in?

[philthehill]

It is advised and I will second it in that you can fit a new cam follower to an old camshaft but not a old cam follower to a new camshaft.

http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... lassic/cam follower.aspx|Back to search.

The ticking noise which goes after running a while may be lack of oil at the rockers on start up which when the oil gets around the rockers goes away. I have experienced the same problem on my Landrover; when the oil gets around the rockers the tapping goes away.
What is your oil pressure like?

[mike.perry]

[quote="bmcecosse"].. Very unlikely a push rod would be bent -
One of the first things to go wrong after I bought the Traveller was it bent a pushrod on the way to the Brooklands meeting.

[philthehill]

To bend a push rod the engine assembler has had to be brutish! I have to agree with bmc in that push rods do not bend under normal use. They usually obtain a slight bend when the assembler has not been careful and in use the bend just gets worse until it bends so far as to rub against the cylinder head and then kaput.
I have never had one bend under normal or competition use and my valve springs are very high poundage, used to very high revs, the push rods fitted/used are standard 1275cc Midget Pt No: AEA314 (MOSS)
When I am fitting the valve rocker assy I am very careful to make sure that the push rods are fitted correctly. Slackening the rocker adjustment screws right off when assembling helps considerably. When assembled a quick spin of the push rod (without it trying to lift a valve enables one to see if the rod is bent or not.
Rolling the body of the rod on a pane of glass before assembly will show if the rod is bent or not.

[bmcecosse]

In all my years of A series I too have never bent a pushrod.... By all means put them back where they came from - but since you are going to reset the gaps anyway - I wouldn't be worried about it. I used to mess about with an old head gasket to hold the rods as they came out - but gave up worrying about it many years ago. The only way a rod can bend is if the valve seizes in a guide...or when fitting a 940 head to a small bore engine, if the clearance on the exhausts has not been checked.

[MarkyB]

I'll be interested to hear what you find, my friends traveller does exactly the same thing.

[bmcecosse]

There's a picture in a very recent thread of a horribly worn cam lobe.....which would certainly make a 'tick' noise!

[moggiethouable]

Try listening around the engine compartment with the old wooden handled screwdriver to the ear, the sharp end should touch the engine, rocker box, bearings, crankcase etc.
That may help with a location.

[amgrave]

Yeah, the old fashioned ideas are best moggiethouable.

[Ridgewell]

Thanks for all the replies.

Having a more serious listen, turns out the ticking actually goes away when the engine has been running a while (thought I'd just stopped noticing!).

I will check the followers but his leads me to think it might be a lack of oil upon start up (and then a slug comes, and it goes away until the next slug, almost as if it needs bleeding).

Does anyone believe in the flushing oil process? (Not even sure where to buy that!) Manual recommends it, others do not but may clean out oil ways needing it.

The engine is (apparently) only 3 years old and so I'd be disappointed if there was any real wear anywhere - although if it was a short rebuild the original cam and followers may have been used.

[bmcecosse]

Run it with rocker cover off to observe how long /if the oil takes to get round the rockers...

[philthehill]

A good tip is to run the engine on diesel detergent engine oil. That keeps the inside of the engine and oil galleries sludge free but the down side is you need to change the filter on a more regular basis as the detergent oil carries any crud etc to the oil filter.
Detergent oil was used in travelling salesman's petrol engine cars which I serviced/maintained when in the garage trade and the engines were always in perfect condition even after high mileages and hard motorway driving.

[Ridgewell]

thanks for the tip about the oil, I wonder why this isn't used for all cars all the time, or are you suggesting it for flushing?

(just had a quick look but can't really see any for sale, any recommendations?)

[bmcecosse]

A trawl round ASDA will reveal all... Don't spend a fortune on it. Be aware that it's likely to loosen up any gunge sealing worn rings......and you may end up burning oil and laying a blue smoke screen........ Not too hard to find on ebay either ... http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triple-QX-15W ... 46102e96cf

[philthehill]

If you have worn engine just use the cheapest engine oil you can find.
Castrol XXL used to be the oil for high mileage engines.

As regards using diesel engine oil - not for flushing the engine - I mean for petrol engines to be run on diesel engine oil for extended periods.

[bmcecosse]

It is an effective flushing oil - the only caveat being that it may loosen the rings rather more than wanted. Run it round for ~ 500 miles - including some good hard runs - then drain it off when HOT.

[Ridgewell]

Thanks all, I'll give it a try at the next oil change and report back. I understand the engine is only 3-4 years old and so shouldn't be high mileage.

Why isn't it used widely? Why is there different oil for petrol cars? I know there is a lot of research into the oils and improving their properties, surely there's a reason why this isn't used for all engines?