Ticking=Lost Power?

This morning i started up my car and noticed a pretty heavy tick. It doesnt sound terrible, and i had to be to work, so i drove it. When i pulled out onto the road, it did not have nearly the amount of power it should... Ive tried to read up on the topic and couldnt really find anything definitive. Ive had a tiny exhaust tick for ages but have never cared enough to fix it. My oil was changed recently and is full and clean. The tick does not even out if i bring the RPMs up. Check engine light is not on. My motor was rebuilt and has around 60xxx on it.
My questions are:
1. Would an exhaust leak up front cause enough of a back-pressure issue to affect my power that much?
2. Could this possibly be an injector or something else? (hoping its not a lifter.)
3. Should i not drive the car till i get a chance to fix it?

Thank you for any and all help.

An exhaust tick shouldn't cause a huge power loss, but a big leak before the O2 could upset the A/F mix. You would hear this more as a drone, IMO.

You should sniff out the sound with a stethoscope. Check the EGR tubes. If its not exhaust, could be something internal. Cross your fingers it's exhaust!

I also have a tick, but only in the higher RPM's, and in the lower I have a drone that sounds like a really low "wooooooooooooooo". Is this normal? What should I check? Safe to drive like it is? I average 16-17 MPG in 50/50 city/highway if that matters.

I think it must be something with internals... The tick completely disappeared after the car ran for a minute. Im thinking the best thing i can do is dump some sea foam in the oil, run it for a hundred miles or so, then change the oil.

Sir Psycho Sexy wrote:

I think it must be something with internals... The tick completely disappeared after the car ran for a minute. Im thinking the best thing i can do is dump some sea foam in the oil, run it for a hundred miles or so, then change the oil.

Heavy tick that vanished quickly might be cavitated valve lifters from foamed-up oil.

Make sure your oil sump is **NOT** overfilled.

Albertj

A tick that disapears after the engine warms up could very well be a crack in one of the exhaust manifolds.as the header heats up the crack closes and the ticking subsides.Happened a few times to my old headers. remove them and inspect for cracks.If you see lines of black soot ,there's your crack,but its not allways so easy.Remove both and look real good.

A guy suggested that it might be the manifold. That also makes sense. My oil level is sitting right below "full" when the motor is cold. If it does happen to be the manifold, can i JB weld it? I intend to sell this car soon- when i get the other one finished, so im not really looking to put any more money into it than i have to.

JB weld? I dont know.Remove the manifolds and find the crack.It's about a 2 hour job.If there are cracks a muffler shop will weld 'em shut for around $20 bucks or so.If not cracked it's something else.At least you can get that out of the way.More than likely its the manis.They're not that well made.

High temp JB weld will hold on exhaust.

I do have a stock front exhaust manifold and crossover for a 97 riv for sale if you are in need of one. I was going to toss it since there isnt usually a demand for one, but shoot me an offer if you want it.

Also, it doesnt do much good to check the oil level when cold. Run the car for a few seconds at least then check it. Unless you really dont keep up with oil changes or have coolant leak, its rare for lifters to stick on a stock L67. I dont recall ever hearing of an incident actually. (same goes for a bad starter, or broken timing chain)

robotennis61 wrote:

JB weld? I dont know.Remove the manifolds and find the crack.It's about a 2 hour job.If there are cracks a muffler shop will weld 'em shut for around $20 bucks or so.If not cracked it's something else.At least you can get that out of the way.More than likely its the manis.They're not that well made.

Yep.

Well, i just started the car again and there was absolutely no tick at all... Ill look into it if it starts doing it again, but for now im just going to leave it be.

You may have had a lifter stuck for some reason causing a valve not to open/close all the way. That would explain the tick and loss of power until the noise went away.....

Check oil level? Otherwise agree w Abaddon - possible stuck lifter. It happens. Could be the sign of things to come. Next time it happens get out your stethoscope and find the area of origin.

Sir Psycho Sexy wrote:

Well, i just started the car again and there was absolutely no tick at all... Ill look into it if it starts doing it again, but for now im just going to leave it be.

I'll say it again with an explanation: Heavy tick that vanished quickly might be cavitated valve lifters from foamed-up oil.

Make sure your oil sump is **NOT** overfilled.

What happens is that when the oil sump is overfilled the engine mechanicals tend to foam up the oil. If that foamy oil is pumped... well, in cars with hydraulic lifters such as the Riv the foamy oil, if it reaches the lifters, won't push them up - the air compresses instead of pushing the lifters. And you get the loud ticking, especially at startup, that goes away seemingly about as suddenly as it appeared.

Albertj

Ticking has not happened again... Maybe i will change oil and keep it a little bit lower just to have peace of mind.

Sir Psycho Sexy wrote:

Ticking has not happened again... Maybe i will change oil and keep it a little bit lower just to have peace of mind.

you don't need to or want to keep the fill level below FULL on the dipstick. Just don't overfill it above FULL.


Also if you got your Riv used you might want to check if you have the correct length dipstick. If you do not, then the actual fill level may be different from what the stick shows. I've seen that on used cars before, the lids on the GM dipsticks are all about same but the lengths vary. If your stick is even 1/4 inch short off the correct calibration that is a problem --- it's enough error to make you overfill enough to cause that foaming.

Albertj

albertj wrote:

Also if you got your Riv used you might want to check if you have the correct length dipstick. If you do not, then the actual fill level may be different from what the stick shows.

My car does have a rebuilt motor so that is definitely a possibility. Does anyone know what the proper length dipstick for a Riv is?