Intake Grunting Sound?

[bilbo]

My engine has a bit of a tick, and I can hear kind of a smack type sound that seems to be coming from the drivers side somewhere. Depending on where I’m standing it goes from readily apparent to unbearable. After retarding my timing it was a bit more noticeable and I also thought I heard a bit of a grunt from my intake. I could hear it if I put my ear next to the intake tube by the grille. It was louder with the air cleaner housing off. I wouldn’t describe it as a woof sound though.

Still, I pulled my valve covers today to look things over. I didn’t notice any issues or loose stuff. I ran the engine with the valve covers off and everything looked fine. I have always had a bit of automotive paranoia, and it got me thinking that I don’t really know what’s normal for these engines.
What sounds are normal?

Could a head gasket leak cause a noise like that?

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I don't know what you're listening to for sure, but these engines always have an intake pulse (as I call it). It sounds funny at first, but after hearing several, you understand that it's normal. I don't know if that's what you're hearing or not. Interesting tidbit. At least to me, the 6.9 has a louder pulse when the fast idle's on while the 7.3's is louder when it's not on. So does that help, hinder, or neither?

 

[bilbo]

Thanks, that could be what it is. I will have to see how it changes with the cold advance and fast idle. I'm really hoping it's nothing. I just read all the horror stories and then wonder. Maybe automotive hypochondriac is more fitting for me?

I lost a socket doing the valve covers. It popped off the extension when I was taking off the bolt just behind the fuel filter bracket and dropped God knows where. I have never flat out lost one before. Any ideas where that may have rolled to?

 

[frankenwrench]

Lol. Mine popped off and hid between the plate that holds the fuel filter head and the block. Found it by accident 6 years later while changing the thermostat.

 

[IDIBRONCO]

The worst one that I've found for eating sockets was the square body Chevys with the 6.2. I'll bet that those things ate at least half a dozen socket over the years. Most of them were 13mm. Once I also found what I believe to be a brass wrench after removing the radiator from a truck that I was changing the engine in. Most of the tools that I've dropped while working on one of our trucks were on or inside the frame. The exception would be one with headers. If you drop a wrench while installing or removing the passenger's side header, it will almost always stay on top of the pipes right in front of the collector.

 

[bilbo]

I had nightmares of it rolling someplace hidden under the valve cover, waiting for just the right moment to occupy the same space as something important.

Interesting find with the brass wrench! For hazardous areas maybe? I’ve never seen a brass one but have seen Beryllium-Copper tools for explosive environments.

 

[cre1992]

Thanks, that could be what it is. I will have to see how it changes with the cold advance and fast idle. I'm really hoping it's nothing. I just read all the horror stories and then wonder. Maybe automotive hypochondriac is more fitting for me?

I lost a socket doing the valve covers. It popped off the extension when I was taking off the bolt just behind the fuel filter bracket and dropped God knows where. I have never flat out lost one before. Any ideas where that may have rolled to?

Check under the intake manifold on the intake gasket/plate... Seems to be a hot spot for finding all sorts of things on these engines...

 

[IDIBRONCO]

I had nightmares of it rolling someplace hidden under the valve cover, waiting for just the right moment to occupy the same space as something important.

Just remember that if the socket fell off and the valve cover was still in place, then it couldn't get under the valve cover.