Mini me ticking noise
 

Ok my del sol with a z6/b7 mini me is making a ticking noise when i accelerate. the noise gets worse as the rpms go up and at idle (around 700 rpms) you can slightly hear it. Also when i am cruising and i am just maintaining a speed by feathering gas a hear like a pumping sucking sound which seams like it is coming from the valves. I checked valve lash and that wasn't it. Does anyone know the sounds i am hearing or do i just sound crazy. motor has about 135000 on it. Thanks for any help and also for keeping the insults to a minimum lol.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

Describe this noise a little more. Is it a fast tick does it speed up with rpm or is it more of a rattle? I'd check the cam bearings.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

valve guides?

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

Ill check both. Yea the ticking speeds up when the rpms go up. The second noise i discribed is more like a low sputtering.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

does the ticking ever kind of go away? like if you reach a certain speed or rpm? i kinda have the same issue with my b16a i have NO idea what it could possible be, i've check valve lash and stethoscope searched the engine but could not track the noise.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

I'm not sure if the head you're using for your mini-me has lma's (lost motion assemblies) but if it does, they have a bad rep for getting sticky and causing a ticking noise. They're used to keep tension on the vtec rocker arms while the engine is running in "non-vtec mode" so they don't just bounce around. When it switches over to vtec, the valve springs take over the job. When the lmas get worn out, they compress but they don't return qucikly enough, the ticking you're hearing may be the slap of the rocker against the lmas.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

Yea the ticking does go away when i get to a higher rpm im not sure if its because i can't hear it over the cai. I also used a stethoscope and came up with nothing.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

I do think the d16z6 head has a LMAs so ill have to check that out.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

Possible spark knock from bad gas?

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

pretty sure its valve lash. had similar problem in a friends VW

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

im pretty sure you need your valves adjusted. its very good to adjust your valves every oil change.

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

could be the water pump going out.. that happened not to long ago to me..
i always thought it was bad valve lash and it destroyed my engine.. was the same thing b7/z6 with the bottom end about the same mileage

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

I just checked my LMAs and the second one in from the drivers side is very stiff and i have to hit it pretty hard with my palm just to get it to move a little. The rest bounce but don't feel as smooth as they should be so im just going to replace those and let you what happens. Thanks for all the replies

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

Pretty sure they're quite pricey, but good luck. Let us know what happens.

Oh, the one LMA that is really stiff...does the corresponding vtec lobe on the cam seem to have irregular wear on it?

Re: Mini me ticking noise
 

I don't know if the lobe was worn since I didn't need to remove any internals from the head to check the LMAs. They are the 4 button looking things on the top of the head as soon as you remove the valve cover.

They are about 31 a piece from majestichonda.com, I'm fine with that price. Ill let you guys know how i make out once i get them in the mail.