Full story here:
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/3rd-gen...nt-in-oil.html

So i ordered the 2 heads and put everything back you yesterday. When i went to start, nothing. battery was dead lol. but with a new battery it started right up. i drove i did notice that it was idling high, but i had a vacuum line off, one i reconnected it, the idle went down, but now i can hear a tapping from under the passenger side valve cover.

i drove it and it runs fine, no problems or smoking. the tapping is present at idle only, once the rpms get about 1k it's gone.

does anyone have any idea what this could be? i'm hoping it's not the valve cause i JUST put the new heads on.

Here is a video of the tapping. can't see anything, you can hear it. Camera is right at the front passenger side valve cover:

http://s203.photobucket.com/albums/a...MVI_0086-1.mp4


Also, does anyone know what this nipple connects to. it's located on the TB, i don't remember anything going on there but i could be wrong. It's a vacuum line and when i block it with my finger, sometimes the truck almost shuts off, other time i do it nothing happens. Pretty strange...

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/a...c/IMG_0088.jpg

Thanks in advance for all your help.

 

Pull the valve cover and make sure your pushrods are seated right and that your rocker arm is torqued down correctly.

 

i'm planning to do so tomorrow, hopefully it's something simple.

 

I was about to say ^^^ Had a slight tapping in my old cavalier, i didnt care about the car and left it... not a good idea lol. Bent the rod...

 

Also make sure no exhaust bolts are loose and broken and causing leaking.

 

well, i pulled the valve cover, nothing seemed out of place or loose. checked the exhaust bolts, nothing missing or broken.

Anything else it could be? i read another post about it being the INJECTOR! is that even possible?

 

does anyone know how to check and see if the hydraulic lash adjusters are bad?

 

HYDRAULIC TAPPETS

DIAGNOSIS AND TESTING - HYDRAULIC TAPPETS

Before disassembling any part of the engine to correct
tappet noise, check the oil pressure. If vehicle
has no oil pressure gauge, install a reliable gauge at
the pressure sending-unit. The pressure should be
between 207-552 kPa (30-70 psi) at 3,000 RPM.
Check the oil level after the engine reaches normal
operating temperature. Allow 5 minutes to stabilize
oil level, check dipstick. The oil level in the pan
should never be above the FULL mark or below the
ADD OIL mark on dipstick. Either of these two conditions
could be responsible for noisy tappets.

OIL LEVEL

HIGH

If oil level is above the FULL mark, it is possible
for the connecting rods to dip into the oil. With the
engine running, this condition could create foam in
the oil pan. Foam in oil pan would be fed to the
hydraulic tappets by the oil pump causing them to
lose length and allow valves to seat noisily.

LOW

Low oil level may allow oil pump to take in air. When
air is fed to the tappets, they lose length, which allows
valves to seat noisily. Any leaks on intake side of oil
pump through which air can be drawn will create the
same tappet action. Check the lubrication system from
the intake strainer to the pump cover, including the
relief valve retainer cap. When tappet noise is due to
aeration, it may be intermittent or constant, and usually
more than one tappet will be noisy. When oil level
and leaks have been corrected, operate the engine at
fast idle. Run engine for a sufficient time to allow all of
the air inside the tappets to be bled out.

TAPPET NOISE DIAGNOSIS

(1) To determine source of tappet noise, operate
engine at idle with cylinder head covers removed.
(2) Feel each valve spring or rocker arm to detect
noisy tappet. The noisy tappet will cause the affected
spring and/or rocker arm to vibrate or feel rough in
operation.
NOTE: Worn valve guides or cocked springs are
sometimes mistaken for noisy tappets. If such is
the case, noise may be dampened by applying side
thrust on the valve spring. If noise is not appreciably
reduced, it can be assumed the noise is in the
tappet. Inspect the rocker arm push rod sockets
and push rod ends for wear.
(3) Valve tappet noise ranges from light noise to a
heavy click. A light noise is usually caused by excessive
leak-down around the unit plunger, or by the plunger
partially sticking in the tappet body cylinder. The tappet
should be replaced. A heavy click is caused by a tappet
check valve not seating, or by foreign particles
wedged between the plunger and the tappet body. This
will cause the plunger to stick in the down position.
This heavy click will be accompanied by excessive clearance
between the valve stem and rocker arm as valve
closes. In either case, tappet assembly should be
removed for inspection and cleaning.
(4) The valve train generates a noise very much
like a light tappet noise during normal operation.
Care must be taken to ensure that tappets are making
the noise. If more than one tappet seems to be
noisy, it’s probably not the tappets.