Which lifter is ticking?

[Jerry56]

I have an 01 Taurus, a lifter is ticking and I am pretty certain it is in the rear bank. Were it the front I would guess I could remove a valve cover and run the engine to figure it out. I put 8 oz of seafoam in the oil and it seems to have quieted it down but the tick tick tick isn't gone. Is there a way to diagnose which lifter is ticking before I pull the intake manifolds and just inspect?

[Breeves002]

Stethoscope? Help you pinpoint its location.

[behlinla]

Yup, try a mechanic's stethoscope.

[sheila]

^+1. ~$3 at Harbor Freight Tools.

[sousa632]

Are you sure it's not an exhaust leak? Sometimes they can sound like a lifter tick. I'll X 4 the mechanics stethoscope.

[Jerry56]

Finally got to work on the ticking lifter. Bought the stethoscope.
The noise was greatest on left front valve cover bolt but also distinguishable on the transmission itself. wen comparing the center front valve cover bolts to right rear valve cover bolts the right rear was louder. Almost a bit of a dry scratching noise. I pulled the front valve cover and was surprised to see all the lifters equally wet and with ponded oil. All the push rods felt wet and where the push rod oils the rocker, inside there too it was soaked wet too.

If it was a bad lifter would I not see a drier rocker?

Could it be something else?

Should I proceed to take off the lower intake manifold and search for a bad lifter or does it seems unlikely? the car has 89K so it seems like low mileage for a bad lifter. Although the noise seems to come and go like a lifter.

[behlinla]

If it was louder on the rear valve cover, wouldn't that indicate that the problem with one of the rear bank lifters? So do you want to pull the rear rocker cover and check for a dry push rod?

The lifters are located in the V of the engine, so if the noise was fairly loud on the transmission I think that might indicate it's a lifter.

I would also try turning the engine over by hand (big wrench or socket) and see if it makes the noise. If it does, you should be able to put your hand on the pushrods while someone turns the engine and feel where the vibration is strongest. If you find the sticking lifter you can try shooting Marvel Mystery Oil down the pushrod using a syringe. If that doesn't work you can move on to trying something more aggressive like penetrating oil.

You Tube

You Tube

[Jerry56]

All,
Well the noise got worse. It had a chirping character. This morning I stumbled upon another thread on this forum with a strange chirping noise demonstrated on utube. JUST LIKE MINE. It was the Cam synchronizer. I already fixed it.
Thanks for the time spent trying to help me if it was not for this forum I would of been paying big bucks.

[sheila]

Congrats!