Do factory Heads need valves adjustment

[Andy]

I have stock heads on my 302 and hear them ticking real loud on the driver side. Didn't think the factory valves needed adjusted?

Thanks,
Andy

[Timido]

They dont need adjusted if the are the factory stamped rocker arms. You could have a bad lifter or lifters. You could have oil pressure problems.

[Andy]

If I continue to drive it the way it is what effect will it have?

[Timido]

? Depends on what is really causing the noise. You can fix the problem or maybe the motor has high miles is starting to show its age if you let it go it will let you know if it is a real problem.

I would check oil level, Oil pressure, If you are carfull and understand you can hurt yourself working around a running engine you can cancel out each cylinder one at a time to determine if the ticking noise is a problem with one cylinder by pulling off one plug wire at a time from the distributor with plug wire pliers to see if the noise goes away or changes.

How bad a noise is it. It could be an exhaust leak or normal injector noise....

[Andy]

Actually its a caburator setup. The motor sat for about three months before the install and it had some pretty black oil. Is it possible its gummed up inside. The motor seems to be running good, I need to find out the mileage on it. The autometer oil gauge says 25 psi oil pressure. The oil level is good I changed shortly after the engine install. The noise is loud enough to bother me I guess. You think adding oil flush and flushing out the engine real good would help? I can take a picture of the rockers and post it to make sure there factory.

[Timido]

I dont like oil flush stuff. It takes all the crap to the pickup clogs it up and then you have no pressure.

[silver347]

so what rockers do u have? stock bolt down rockers or aftermarket roller rockers? Even if they are stock rockers, I have still seen a few come loose over time. Wouldnt hurt to take a valve cover off and make sure they are all still on and tight. Or could be a lifter. Is the noise worse when it is cold? if they are aftermarket roller rockers, definitely check them quick before driving it much more.

[plated]

does it feel like it has a miss?sounds like a lifter to me,could be a blowed headgasket?bent pushrod?

[ponyboystroker]

Have you ruled out an exhaust leak, that is where I would start.

[Andy]

I believe it is the factory rockers, its not a roller type. I had the valve cover off yesterday and everything looked ok but I don't have much experience with checking valves. I need to have someone show me.:( I haven't ruled out the header gaskets but i did put brand new cooper ones on before we put the engine in. I don't remeber it ticking that much when we had in the other car? It doesn't really miss, it feels like it runs pretty good, I laid into it a little and it felt really good as far a power wise, no missing, no hesitation? The ticking sounds like it is coming out of either cyclinder 5 or 6 but I need to eliminate that with the spark plug wire test. The passenger side sounds fine. I need to get someone to check it out with a little more experience then what i have.:o

[ponyboystroker]

I would still say it's the header gaskets. Let me get this straight, you heard the engine run in another car and it didn't make any noise, and then it suddenly started making noise when you put the engine in you car, is this right? When I had those damn copper gaskets the only one I could get mine to seal was to run ultra copper rtv around each port.

[Andy]

Yes that is correct, well i thought i heard some of that ticking noise in the other car but don't remeber it being that loud. The other car had paper gaskets and it leaked. Is it possible that if the header gasket has a leak that the sound would back feed through the valve cover/rocker arm area or is it pretty obvious when it leaks? One other note the headers are oval and the gasket is a square port.

[ponyboystroker]

put a fresh set of paper gaskets on there and see what it sounds like.