On my C4 1993 I have a ticking that sounds like a valve, however it is not there when the engine is cold and when temp is normal operating it goes away after reaching 15 to 16 hundred RPM’s. I have listened with a stethoscope to the upper side valve covers and the lower side and heads, as well as the fuel injectors on both sides, with no out of the ordinary sounds. It doesn’t cause performance problems and the temps are all in the normal range. Oil pressure and temp is where it should be. The ticking is not as fast as a valve would be as I can count the ticks for the most part at idle around 2 to 3 per second.
I have been told everything from that this is normal, and that it is a fuel injector and a few other things, but to no avail as to what it could be. Any ideas?

 

Sounds like maybe lifter noise, like a lifter is not staying pumped up. Is th noise on the top end?

 

Heat riser butterfly valve in the upper exhaust, just down from the manifold?
They can "click" when the spring goes bad.

 

No I dont hear it on the top end, I havent got a lift to get to the bottom while the engine is running, I will have to check the Butterfly and see if it is tight, but that would seem that it would not be consistant and may very in the tick timing? maybe? Thanks, any other ideas are greatly accepted.
Thanks

 

Shootin' in the dark here,
two to three times a second, maybe a relay wiggin' out on the firewall or up under the dash?

 

Get a piece of heater hose about 2 to 3 feet long and listen along the exhaust manifold where it meets the head. Place the hose to your ear and the other end to listen with, it isolates noises very well. You may have an exhaust leak.

 

Oh ya, put the handle of a screw driver up inside the hose and you can use the shank of the screw driver, socket extention, etc. for a probe. Any thing solid that fits inside the hose, even use a long bolt.

 

look for any black around the area that is ticking ???? also loose spark plugs?????????: also was it running smooth as all 8 cylinders hitting good .cheers:

 

**What Ever Happened ?**
Did you figure out the tick noise . My friend has a 94 sounds like same problem only has 69,000 Miles .