My 13 Tahoe was ticking so bad, took it to get an AFM delete and it was a bent pushrod. The shop I went to is experienced in this and they did the full delete + tune this past September. It was making a squealing noise which I knew was my idler pulley, but then I started hearing a faint tick. I replaced the tensioner, pulley and the belt and I can still hear a faint tick that accelerates/decelerates with speed. I don’t know if it’s normal, something with my belt/pulley or if I’m more conscious of sounds after I fixed the truck and something is wrong. What are the possibilities of the failure after a delete?
Post DoD delete ticking
- Thread starter rachealae
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Which lifters did they use? Some of them will bleed off oil pressure at lower RPMs and tick but there's nothing wrong. If you can, record a video with your phone and upload it to YouTube with public permissions, then link it back here.
Marky Dissod
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Every tick I've ever heard on Chevy or GM small-blocks turned out was an exhaust leak, usually at the manifolds.
Check for exhaust leaks before you take the engine apart again.
Check for exhaust leaks before you take the engine apart again.
Dustin Jackson
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To see if it isn't belt or pulley/tensioner related you could run the motor without the belt to see if that helps.
A video of the problem would help and maybe an idea of where the sound is coming from.
A video of the problem would help and maybe an idea of where the sound is coming from.
I will link a video in the comments below. Here is a picture of my invoice, sorry for the quality but I believe it says the lifters they used.
Here is a link of the sound, you can only hear it if my phone is inside the wheel well. Not above the engine.
Very helpful. That's a stock replacement cam and standard GM non-AFM lifters. That should produce a quiet valvetrain. Will review the video and offer more after that.
Update: That tick could well be:
1/ A light lifter tick
2/ An exhaust manifold leak (they are often indistinguishable)
3/ A loose spark plug
4/ An arcing plug wire
It's frequency is at half crank rotation speed, which is the key to the above. You might try to use a mechanic's stethoscope to see if you can pinpoint it.
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thanks. I attached it to the previous comment to Dustin. I checked all my manifold bolts a few weeks ago and they’re all there as well.
Dustin Jackson
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I've listened to the video, I hear the sound you are talking about and I don't think there is anything to worry about. My tahoe makes a similar sound sometimes and it could be the lifters bleeding a little oil at low rpm or possibly an exhaust manifold leak.
Maybe take another video from different parts of the motor while revving the engine but I don't think there is a problem here.
Maybe take another video from different parts of the motor while revving the engine but I don't think there is a problem here.
thank you, I have people telling me I’m crazy and that I’m hearing things but I know my truck. I’m hoping it’s anything but the lifter as I JUST fixed them.
This may or may not be related, but sometimes I get a lot of smoke coming from the exhaust and sometimes I don’t. It’s random. I also had significant coolant loss (I would fill the reservoir every few weeks from empty) prior to the delete and it has gotten a lot better, but the reservoir still loses a little now (maybe about 1/2 qt every few months).
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