I have pulled my valve cover about 3 times in the past several months trying to track down where a ticking noise is coming from. I think I have narrowed the tick down to the very back no.6 exhaust valve. I don't think it's normal to be able to hear this sort of ticking from inside the cab when applying the gas. I noticed this tick around 25,000 miles on the truck & right now it only has a little under 40,000.This last time that I pulled the valve cover I found the valve to be out of adjustment & so I tightened it up. Before I adjusted it I pulled up and down on the rocker I was kind of surprised but there seemed to be a small amount of movement between the rocker arm & the push rod???? I didn't really think that it should be possible though with the nut being tight....The tick seems to have quieted a little after I adjusted it but I'm still worried there may be something wrong. The tick can only be heard when applying the gas lightly when going up a grade or starting out from a stop.....seems to have to do with rpm & load on the engine....i don't hear anything unnusual when the truck is just idling.....Anybody experience a similar problem like this? Thanks.

That sounds to familiar, mine started out the same way. But mine is down low. Have you tighten the rocker assy. Also watch for bolt stripping out.

That sounds to familiar, mine started out the same way. But mine is down low. Have you tighten the rocker assy. Also watch for bolt stripping out.

no, i haven't tightened the rocker assembly. I guess I should take the cover off & take another look at it. I didn't do too much except try to do a valve adjustment on the no.6 since it's such a pain to get to.

Maybe the Hyd adjuster is bad?

sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you check the rocker arms on these engines & make sure that they are tight....i'm hoping maybe it's loose rocker arm....i sure hope it isn't a bent push rod.....i don't really know how that could have happened....

--- Update to the previous post...

sorry, took a look at the service manual & think I have my answer about tightening rocker arm assembly.

sorry if this is a dumb question, but how do you check the rocker arms on these engines & make sure that they are tight....i'm hoping maybe it's loose rocker arm....i sure hope it isn't a bent push rod.....i don't really know how that could have happened....

--- Update to the previous post...

sorry, took a look at the service manual & think I have my answer about tightening rocker arm assembly.

Not a dumb question at all, I had to sit there and think about it lol.

The rocker arms will slide side to side a tiny bit because they are just in between snap rings (hmm, maybe not on 24V's), that isn't the critical part, they have to "rock" properly with the proper valve lift and everything. The only way I know how to check if a pushrod is bent is to take them all out, find a flat surface and roll them. I suppose if you had a dial indicator you could set the valve lash on the engine so everything is the same, then put the dial indicator on the same spot of the rocker (either the valve side or pushrod side) and check to make sure the lift is the same on all the valves, since a bent one wouldn't lift as much.

I read your other posts and you were thinking there shouldn't be any play when you set your valves, well there should be the amount of play that the valve lash is set to. So when the exhaust valve is not in use, it should have 0.020" play between the top of the valve and the rocker, it will feel loose but that is normal.

The rocker assembly itself would be the rockers attaching to the rocker shaft (guess I never read what thats called) and I think on the 24V you have a bolt on every rocker. Not sure how you would know if it was loose other than just going through with a torque wrench on every bolt to make sure none have loosened up. There are only 2 bolts per rocker shaft since the shafts are individual for each piston (though that pic looks like the intake and exhaust are split, so there would be only one bolt per rocker assembly, I'm not sure). The torque spec for those bolts (seem to be the "rocker pedestal bolts") is 27 ft. lbs.

Maybe the Hyd adjuster is bad?

Sorry BlueOx there is no hydraulic lifter per say in the this engine... Solid tappet that ride the cam...

Sorry BlueOx there is no hydraulic lifter per say in the this engine... Solid tappet that ride the cam...

Ok,I thought what the 2001 dodge service manual is calling the socket on pg.1409 fig 61 #5 was a little hyd adjuster that helps cut down on valve adjustment.

Thanks for the the help guys. I am going to try to pull the cover again and check it out. I will post how it goes.I was just wondering about something. I know somewhere I have seen something about that part of the engine is more susceptible to heat problems? Something about heat buildup under load because exhaust not being able to get out properly? Does that sound familiar to anyone? I'm guessing this only happens under real high EGT's. I've never had any problems with overheating but I was just wondering if this could have anything to do with my problem?

Thanks for the the help guys. I am going to try to pull the cover again and check it out. I will post how it goes. I was just wondering about something. I know somewhere I have seen something about that part of the engine is more susceptible to heat problems? Something about heat buildup under load because exhaust not being able to get out properly? Does that sound familiar to anyone? I'm guessing this only happens under real high EGT's. I've never had any problems with overheating but I was just wondering if this could have anything to do with my problem?

Yeah - that happened to me. Obviously check all the suggestions with the rockers/rocker rods/bolts ...... also check for leaks and missing exhaust manifold bolt #6 as they are know to fall out. But at the end of the day you could have a burnt/cracked valve. Cost me around $1500 to have the head pulled, the deck resurfaced, new valves and new gaskets and labor. Sucks - but what do you do. good luck.

Well, I pulled the cover again & checked everything over again very carefully. What I found was that there is a little more side to side movement of the back rocker arms on both intake & exhaust (no.6)???? just slightly a little more than the others when i check the valves on BDC. I'm not really too sure if there is anything that can be adjusted to fix that....I'm pretty sure that this is the noise that i'm able to hear from inside the cab especially since no.6 is right by the firewall....The rocker arm assembly bolts are both tight on intake & exhaust & lash is set correctly, but they just seem to move slightly side to side....they will make a slight popping sound if you move the rocker arms fast from side to side....the others make a little noise when you move the rocker arms side to side but not as noisy as back two..don't know if i should just live with the noise or i need to check on getting it fixed....

--- Update to the previous post...

Yeah - that happened to me. Obviously check all the suggestions with the rockers/rocker rods/bolts ...... also check for leaks and missing exhaust manifold bolt #6 as they are know to fall out. But at the end of the day you could have a burnt/cracked valve. Cost me around $1500 to have the head pulled, the deck resurfaced, new valves and new gaskets and labor. Sucks - but what do you do.

good luck.

i'm pretty sure it hasn't gotten to that point yet....hopefully.....it looks like it's just side to side movement of rocker arms making some excessive noise....i don't really like hering it though...

--- Update to the previous post...

This problem is all starting to come together & make sense now. I always wondered why this started out happening when the truck would warm up. It progrssively got worse & i could hear the tick when the truck was warm or cold.

I noticed that when I moved the rocker arm side to side movement that the valve lash was changing. It was totoally out of tolerance when moved to one side & ok when moved to the other side. I think I'm just going to park it & not run it before I tear something up. I'll order the parts to fix it. I'm just wondering if it's going to take a whole new rocker arm for intake & the rocker shaft or if it's only one other the other. I guess I'll order both so I don't get stuck not being able to fix the problem. Anybody know if it's a good idea to order these kind of parts from wholesalemopar.com or if i should get them from a better place?

Anybody had this sort of thing happen on these engines. It's driven me crazy for the past couple of years.

How much side to side play are we talking? Mine slides between the snap rings 1/16" or so. I don't know how the 24V's are set up. I would like to hear more about this though.

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http-~~-//www.youtube.com/watch?v=_X7WS2ZjYag

Sounds normal to me. I wouldn't stick money into the overhead. There is oil flow in the gaps when the engine is running and the chances of the bridges slapping side to side are nill when under load. Unbolt one and see if it is worn. it is normal to see a wear pattern but if it has grooves or ridges on the button that contacts the calve stem then I would replace it but unless the bridge adjustment came loose and run that way for a long period of time I have rarely seens them as an issue.

How much side to side play are we talking? Mine slides between the snap rings 1/16" or so. I don't know how the 24V's are set up. I would like to hear more about this though.

i'm not sure about the exact amount of movement in it but it's definitely more than any of the other arms on the intake valves....it's so much play that when i move it forward it closes the gap & i can't even move the feeler gague so i can only imagine what was happening after the truck warmed up. definitely don't think this is normal.

i'm not a mechanic but I am thinking about attempting this repair myself & replacing the parts. It looks like I will need a new intake rocker arm & new rocker shaft to fix the problem. It's just the no.6 intake. Do you think this is a good idea for me to attempt this myself or is this more of a difficult repair than I imagine?

--- Update to the previous post...

Sounds normal to me. I wouldn't stick money into the overhead. There is oil flow in the gaps when the engine is running and the chances of the bridges slapping side to side are nill when under load. Unbolt one and see if it is worn. it is normal to see a wear pattern but if it has grooves or ridges on the button that contacts the calve stem then I would replace it but unless the bridge adjustment came loose and run that way for a long period of time I have rarely seens them as an issue.

but if i set the valve lash at .010 on the intake & then when it's moved to the opposite side & the tolerance changes so much that the feeler gague can't be moved that doesn't really seem right to me......

Setting valves is a "Tolerance" not an exact setting it will change when temps change and there is a safety tolerance determined into the equation a couple thousanths one way or the other isn't going to be detrimental. Do not forget the film of oil that is in between all parts. Like I posted before loosen the adjustment screw all the way and take the push tube out of the pocket and then lay the rocker back and inspect the button for damage.

Setting valves is a "Tolerance" not an exact setting it will change when temps change and there is a safety tolerance determined into the equation a couple thousanths one way or the other isn't going to be detrimental. Do not forget the film of oil that is in between all parts. Like I posted before loosen the adjustment screw all the way and take the push tube out of the pocket and then lay the rocker back and inspect the button for damage.

ok, thanks. I will be pull it out & check it first to see if it's wearing weird before doing anything.

Like johnfak said check your exhaust manifold on #6. they are notorious for coming loose and allowing exhaust gas to escape. Sounds just like a bad rocker clearance. I had it happen to me and when I replaced the exhaust manifold with a 3 piece one because it had a crack near the turbo flange, I found that the manifold gasket on #6 was 1/2 burned away. That is what caused the noise and it had blasted some of the insulation off the firewall right there making it louder in the cab. It's worth checking before you start replacing parts on the head. Start it up cold and have someone give it a little throttle while you check it for a leak between the manifold and the firewall at the head.Jim

I did find something kind of interesting.....I took the rocker arm off that I thought had a lot of play in it. The rocker arm shaft had some scoring going on around the bottom of the shaft where the rocker arm rubs against it.....I'm starting to think that it was getting in a bind at times.....I noticed that the shaft would bind up some when you would move it around inside the rocker arm.....I ordered another rocker arm shaft & it fits perfectly in the same rocker arm....no binding at all & feels smooth when turning it.....After putting everything back it doesn't have as much play in it anymore & the noise has quieted down.....I hope this takes care of it permanently....

--- Update to the previous post...

Like johnfak said check your exhaust manifold on #6. they are notorious for coming loose and allowing exhaust gas to escape. Sounds just like a bad rocker clearance. I had it happen to me and when I replaced the exhaust manifold with a 3 piece one because it had a crack near the turbo flange, I found that the manifold gasket on #6 was 1/2 burned away. That is what caused the noise and it had blasted some of the insulation off the firewall right there making it louder in the cab. It's worth checking before you start replacing parts on the head.

Start it up cold and have someone give it a little throttle while you check it for a leak between the manifold and the firewall at the head.

Jim

those bottom bolts on the exhaust manifold seem like they are pretty hard to get to.....any tricks on getting to those bolts without taking a bunch of things apart to get to them.....are those brackets they put on there between manifold bolts just to keep them from working their way loose?

those bottom bolts on the exhaust manifold seem like they are pretty hard to get to.....any tricks on getting to those bolts without taking a bunch of things apart to get to them.....are those brackets they put on there between manifold bolts just to keep them from working their way loose?

I'm not sure what brackets you are talking about. When I changed out my manifold, I was able to reach all the bolts with some difficulty after I had removed the turbo. Havn't had to do anything since because the 3 piece manifold compensates for the expansion differences between the head and the manifold so the bolts stay tight. I have checked #6 several times but it isn't easy to do. Jim

I'm not sure what brackets you are talking about. When I changed out my manifold, I was able to reach all the bolts with some difficulty after I had removed the turbo. Havn't had to do anything since because the 3 piece manifold compensates for the expansion differences between the head and the manifold so the bolts stay tight. I have checked #6 several times but it isn't easy to do. Jim

thanks for the information. i've checked most of bolts except for the ones that are hard to get to behind the turbo & lines.....on the bolts they have these metal brackets that span in between all the bolts....must be something they started doing so the bolts can't move any....i removed the metal bracket on the back ones & tightened them up....only thing i have seen that bothers me is there seems to be oil leaking some around the valve cover gasket towards the back....kind of oily back there.....not sure if this could cause any problems but i guess i should get another gasket so it won't be leaking onto the exhaust manifold or engine towards the back....