sr20 tick/rattle sound coming from valve cover

[92-sr20-s13]

So my sr is starting to make that infamous ticking sound..
the sound is like a very faint rattle or tick coming from the valve cover..
the car still runs fine and drives fun..just this little tick is always ther
and when i accel the rattle gets louder and faster..its not too too loud
like not realy noticeeable unless you try and listen for it..anyone know what
this could be? and should i park the car for now or keep driving it and take it
ezy or should i drive it hard once ina while lol..hopefully sumone can help me
with this..thanks!

[nsn240]

mine does the same thing.. and its started to get a little louder over time... Part of it is your injectors clicking on and off.
But its also probably lifter tick as well

[redsuns3838]

check to make sure its not your exhaust manifold gasket taking a crap on you. Ive heard that has caused a ticking sound for many people and many times it seems like its comming from somewhere else.

[92-sr20-s13]

i know its not the injectors..cuz i know that sound..im almost positive
its either the timing chain guide..or a noisy/brocken rocker. if it wer these
they would tend to make a sort of ticking or rattling right..and nsn240..after
you discoverd this noise..how did you drive your car and how long has it bin
i dotn wanna rip it then all of a sudden boom ther goes my sr lol

[misfitsfreak81]

its most likely your timing chain or related parts (ie chain guides, tensioner, ect..) if that chain breaks while you are driving it, whether it be hard or light driving, you are fcked. you will most likely have to perform an entire engine rebuild, it will wreck just about everything internaly. FSM has great step by step instructions on how to replace chain and such.

mike

[Spec7]

If the rattling is apparent under any RPM load, my experience says that its a valvetrain/cylinder issue that needs to be addressed yesterday. If the rattling goes away after idle-3000 RPMS, its probably an exhaust leak.

Probably not what you wanna hear, but quit driving it until you find the culprit. Its much cheaper to fix it now than later when a sleaving or a stroker kit is required.

[ladiesman8527]

try bleeding your lifters....SR lifters must be blead manually. if a lifter is not blead it will make a tapping noise.

[92-sr20-s13]

and how would i go about bleeding the lifters? lol sorry guys but your
help is greatly apreciated

[ladiesman8527]

http://www.jgycustoms.com/infolinks.htm its about halfway down the page

[92-sr20-s13]

i talked to my friend about it being the timing chain guide..he still hasnt
listend to the motor but he said it would realy suprise him because the motor
is fairly new..and the compression test read 150 140 140 140..im gonna try
to bleed the valves and then if its still an isue i guess take a look at the timing
chain

[GSXRJJordan]

The JGY customs link was MONEY. Even though all that shit pertains mostly to nasty, ghey, FWD SR's, the bleeding instructions are awesome, and by the way, that's most likely what it is.

[nissanhpower]

yeah take the valve cover off and take the guides off...

[nsn240]

im 95% sure its not my timing chain... that shit it nice and taunt... im betting the problem with my car is either lifters or the ext. manifold gasket.

To the thread starter... i wasnt something that just started one day, i just kinda started noticing a little extra noise when the hood was up. If anything, a really loose timing chain might skip a tooth, but its highly unlikely that it would actually snap.

[Spec7]

To check for the exaust manifold leak, feel around the turbo/manifold gasket. If there is a leak there, you will most likely feel the hot exhaust blow by.
Just as a disclaimer, dont touch the friggin manifold or turbo. It might just be hot.

[misfitsfreak81]

hot enough to melt your skin instantly........ i know from experience. it sucks.