I’ve got a tick...

laserjock

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So I’ve been driving the truck to work the last couple days. At 100 miles a day you start paying attention to all the noises and rattles. For a little while I’ve noticed what I’ll call a tick that seems to reside on the pass side of the engine. It’s definitely engine related. Tracks with rpm. It gets really noticeable when you step on it. Honestly, I’ve been thinking exhaust leak. I took a quick look (certainly not exhaustive... pun intended) and I don’t see an obvious soot trail anywhere. The other things that jump to mind are valve train given the history of this engine. I also wonder about an injector. If you come gently up through the rpm range it’s not really noticeable but if you stab the fuel it makes a fair bit of noise. I need to try to video it but I doubt you’d actually be able to hear much.

So all that said, I know asking to diagnose a noise you haven’t heard is a pretty silly rookie mistake so I really don’t expect a diagnosis. I’m looking to work through troubleshooting to make sure I’m not missing anything or overthinking something. So I’ll ask a series of questions.

1. Would a weak injector popping early cause a tick type noise?

2. How often would you guys pop your injectors. I figure I’ve got about 10k miles on these that were new stanadynes from Russ.

3. I’m thinking I may need to pull the pass valve cover to look for evidence of blowby the valve guides. Could a bad guide cause a tick like noise? I know we describe chuffs and huffs. I just don’t know what that would sound like where the turbo is involved. NA it seems pretty easy to hear.

4. Could it be trying to push a head gasket that only makes a sound when under load? I haven’t checked the radiator for bubbles yet.

5. Aside from the soot trails, any suggestions for finding exhaust leaks?

6. Anything else I’m forgetting to check?
 

IDI87

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Can't think we're I read it, but someone had the same problem and it was a sticky lifter.

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Thewespaul

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Crack each injector and run it through the rpms and see if it’s fuel related. You can also just shut the key off with it in gear when the tick is audible and see if it goes away.
 

tjsea

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I'd lean most twords an exhaust leak because it's rpm and throttle based. I would think a valve train issue would only be rpm based. I suppose it's possible it could be an injector too. Did you look around each of the exhaust ports? Maybe check the manifold bolts and see if any are loose.

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IDIBRONCO

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I think the first thing that I'd do is to do an extensive search for an exhaust leak. If you rev your engine gently, there's a lot less exhaust pressure than when you "gun" the engine. Especially with a turbo.
 

IDIBRONCO

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I think the first thing that I'd do is to do an extensive search for an exhaust leak. If you rev your engine gently, there's a lot less exhaust pressure than when you "gun" the engine. Especially with a turbo.
Way better answer than my first one of "light a match, blow it out, and then quickly put the head on the tick. This will make it let go of you.":joker:
 

reset2

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Having an issue with my IDI also. Been troubleshooting from the driver's seat for a while now. I'm thinking mine is a sticking lifter. Sometimes it runs very strong and quite then other times I hear a slight miss and a tapping.
Looks like now when I repair my muffler I will also be replacing my turbo with a new wicked wheel rebuilt turbo, then the lifters. Love these old idi's but they also require maintenance.

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catbird7

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While the engine is idling, have someone block the exhaust at the tail pipe while you're listening under hood or sitting in cab. This should identify an exhaust leak. If it's injector related, maybe consider filling your fuel filter with ATF and re-starting. That could tell you if it's injector related. I know my engine is super quiet when running a mixture of diesel and WMO. Remember, most fuel at the pumps right now is treated fuel, that could be the root problem...... Good luck!
 

laserjock

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While the engine is idling, have someone block the exhaust at the tail pipe while you're listening under hood or sitting in cab. This should identify an exhaust leak. If it's injector related, maybe consider filling your fuel filter with ATF and re-starting. That could tell you if it's injector related. I know my engine is super quiet when running a mixture of diesel and WMO. Remember, most fuel at the pumps right now is treated fuel, that could be the root problem...... Good luck!
That’s a good point. It certainly is louder with the last couple tanks of fuel. Hmmm. Problem is just free reving I really don’t hear much. Has to be under load. I gave it a bit of an Italian tune up on the way home last night. I’m not sure if it made any difference but it was fun except the screaming belt on the AC. I drive like an old man most of the time so I thought I’d give a little more rpm and see what happens.

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I’ve got a little time off at the end of the year. Hopefully I get to look into it.
 

IDIoit

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if it is a lifter, I have used ATF in the crank case in a known engine with lifter issues, and it has quieted it down.
 

laserjock

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if it is a lifter, I have used ATF in the crank case in a known engine with lifter issues, and it has quieted it down.
Thought about that. I was looking at stiction eliminator a little bit ago. Figured that it wouldn’t hurt anything but my wallet if it did nothing.
 

SLC97SR5

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Here's to hoping for a quick, easy fix.

How many miles are on the engine now?
 
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