99 R/T with 157,000.

The noise just started last week and is a sort of grinding/rattling noise that appears to be coming from the valvetrain. It only makes the noise during light revving or slowly getting off the line in first gear. Any ideas? I want to see if anyone has had any similar problems before I go tearing it apart to figure out what the deal is. Seems to have no issues with power or driveability but it is fairly noticeable from both outside the car and inside. Thanks

 

One time I heard a noise on my sohc in the head. I pulled the cover and found the inside metal liner of the valve cover came off and was sitting on top my rocker arms. Otherwise your rocker lobes may be worn out.

 

Ok....i'll keep that in mind. One thing that confuses me about that though is that the noise just started one day without any warning. No significant reason that I can see as to what caused it or why it started. But like I said, it is quite noticeable...

 

pull the VC

 

Pulled the valve cover today and I dont notice anything out of place visually. I tried cranking the engine a bit but kept having trouble getting oil in the cylinder 1 spark plug tube. I still didn't necessarily notice anything out of place. Any guesses on things to check or where to go next?

 

push on the rocker arms and make sure there nice an tight

 

The rocker arms are tight as well as the cams...