I Can't Narrow It Down. I Have A Ticking Sound ,usually When It's Warmed Up.it's Thru-out The Rpm's.kinda Sound Like An Exhaust Leak But It's Not. Valve Lash? Any Ideas??

 

what year truck is it?

my 96 has a fuel return line tick.
sounds just like an exhaust leak.

 

Boy i hope you find an answer to this. Mine is doing it also. Its driving me crazy.

 

X2,
I was thinking of checking the valve clearence????
just do not hve the time right now

 

IT'S AN 06. I SET THE VALVES LAST WEEKEND,MAYBE I MISSED SOMETHING.
IT DID THAT B 4 THAT THOUGH.

 

how fast does the tick sound in relation to engine speed if it sounds like half the engine rpm then its probably valve train...please put your truck in your signature so we know what you have. also how many miles on engine?

 

IT'S GOT 60,000 MILES. IT DEFINITELY GOES UP AND DOWN WITH THE RPM , BUT I'M NOT SURE ABOUT HALF.

 

Mine definately ticks about half speed. It sounds like an ehaust leak at idle and is really pronounced when coasting from speed (60MPH or so) to a stop light. Until the RPMS drop back down.
Mine began one evening after a few hard runs checking EGTS, boost etc..
I am a decent mechanic but how difficult is the Valve cover to remove and to check the valve lash?
BTW #2 sorry to jack your thread, just trying to eliminate stuff.

 

mine does the same thing only in the morning when i first start it after a few minutes it goes away

 

try getting a mechanic's stethoscope at pep boys and tracing the sorce of the noise. the in expensive way is to touch the tip of a crewdrcover then put your ear to the handle and listen. wherever the noise is loudest is the source. sometimes the noise can travel but at least it will give you a better idea. the nice part about the stethoscope is you can take the end off and use the rubber hose to trace exhaust leaks, or use a clean piece of fuel line or vacuum hose to trace exhaust leaks...

 

I have spent more than a few mornings under the hood trying to sort that out on mine as well. From everything that I can find/ and read, it is air getting purged from the rail. I can't find any other explanation for it. Buddies '05 does it too, not quite as noticable, but I have 5 times the miles he has too! LOL

 

I think it is the nature of this beast. Mine is the same even after having an injector replaced. I have just decided it is "normal" for my truck. It runs good, pulls hard, and gets decent mileage. BTW I have 44K on the clock.

 

I've got 151K! So, yeah, I have to kind of expect a few little noises!

 

Mine Does It After It Warms Up. That's What Makes Me Think It's My Lash, Because As The Engine Warms Up The Oil Gets A Little Thinner,thus Not As Tight.

 

Does any of your ticks vary with rain/humidity? Seams like when it rains my tick goes away. Something like there is just a little too much timing advance for the fuel and the humidity changes the fuel "octane" just enough to eliminate the "ping". I know not the right diesel terms...

I do recall something about adjusting one of the fuel rails or the return pipes fixing some problems. I thought I bookmarked the page, but can't find it now. It may have been on one of the Cummins boards. Ring a bell with anyone? Something about the tick was normal but because of the pipe’s location, you could hear a noisy relief valve.