8716valver

I just picked up a minty 90' 100 fwd auto and the thing has a wicked head tick.

Is this normal with 5cyl that has 160k? Whats the fix?

Doing the t-belt soon, is there anything else I should change.

Thanks for your help!

fjasper

I know it's an ancient post, but whatever. If the ticking goes away in two seconds or less, it's probably valve train noise. If it goes away as the engine warms up over the course of a couple minutes, it's probably a crack in the exhaust manifold. If it never goes away, then I don't know. Do you have the vacuum pump that mounts to the side of the head? Sometimes those make noise, I guess.

8716valver

When its cold the lifters tick like *****. Once I start driving and the oil worms it goes away. I'm pretty set on bad lifters not holding their prime.

fjasper

You're still watching the thread! Cool. I had a 1986 5000 that had a cracked exhaust manifold. The crack would heal up when the manifold warmed up and from inside the car it sounded like lifters except that it would last for a couple of blocks. I think lifters should quiet down within a few seconds of achieving oil pressure.

Maybe use a length of hose to listen to the manifold vs. the valve cover to isolate it? Maybe you could hose down the exhaust manifold with water after it's warmed up (If you didn't have a crack before...well, you know) to try it with warm oil and a cold manifold.