valve tick after adjustment

[russianman92]

Hey I'm new to the forums so I'm sure the valve question has been beaten to death but have to ask. I heared a tick coming from the valve cover which increased speed and loudness when the engine hits higher rpm. Very noticeable and irritating so I decided to get a new valve cover gasket and do a valve adjustment. The rocker arms looked fine a bit dirty of course but no marks of wear except in the cam whrre there should be. I went ahead and did the adjustment. After which I started it up and the same thing no change in ticking. From what I have read m20 are notorious for that. I popped the oil cap off while the engine on and the sound was definitely from the head. I'm thinking I might have to rebuild my head?

Question 2.
I feel a light loss if power when flooring it. It feels around 4k+ it starts to feather its way up is the only way I can think to describe it. It's like power power power then pause for a fraction of a second then power again and repeat. I'm thinking injectors but not positive. Perhaps not enough air for high rpm? Or perhaps faulty distributor cap and rotor or wires?

And last question.
Pulling the throttle there is huge hesitation from idle. Manually pulling the throttle all the way quickly there is about 1/2 to 3/4 of a second delay before the engine actually revs. In that time it almost bogs down a bit. Thinking injectors here as well.

Thanks guys sorry for the many questions but rather many in one thread than keep reposting.

[Earendil]

Hey I'm new to the forums so I'm sure the valve question has been beaten to death but have to ask. I heared a tick coming from the valve cover which increased speed and loudness when the engine hits higher rpm. Very noticeable and irritating so I decided to get a new valve cover gasket and do a valve adjustment. The rocker arms looked fine a bit dirty of course but no marks of wear except in the cam whrre there should be. I went ahead and did the adjustment. After which I started it up and the same thing no change in ticking. From what I have read m20 are notorious for that. I popped the oil cap off while the engine on and the sound was definitely from the head. I'm thinking I might have to rebuild my head?

You have read correctly, M20 motors tick like a :curse:
That said, if you heard zero improvement, and you think it's worse than it should be, pop open that valve cover again and make sure all the distances are correct, and re-read the repair procedure and make sure you did it correctly. But in the end, if the hood is popped and you are standing over it, you WILL hear the tick, not the exhaust. If you're standing behind the car, you should hear the exhaust not the tick. That is my simplified measurement for tick loudness :)

Question 2.
I feel a light loss if power when flooring it. It feels around 4k+ it starts to feather its way up is the only way I can think to describe it. It's like power power power then pause for a fraction of a second then power again and repeat. I'm thinking injectors but not positive. Perhaps not enough air for high rpm? Or perhaps faulty distributor cap and rotor or wires?

If you are certain it happens at a particular RPM, than it's nothing you mentioned. If it happens intermittently at higher RPMs, suspect your cap & rotor, spark plugs, and anything else relating to spark. Fuel and air problems don't usually come and go in a split second, spark problems do.

And last question.
Pulling the throttle there is huge hesitation from idle. Manually pulling the throttle all the way quickly there is about 1/2 to 3/4 of a second delay before the engine actually revs. In that time it almost bogs down a bit. Thinking injectors here as well.

Not the injectors. Though I don't know what it could be. My father's 325ix is doing a very similar thing, and it started weeks after I did a full spring maintenance routine with new filters all around, new spark plugs, adjusted the idle sensor, all kinds of shit. I'm honestly not sure what this issue is because I've never seen it on my car. And if I haven't seen it on my car, I don't know how to fix it or what it is ;)

Hopefully someone else will chime in on this one.

[Fidhle007]

The ticking could actually be an injector. It's notorious on M20s. Changing your fuel filter and running a few cans of a high-quality fuel system cleaner (Like LubroMoly's Jectron) may help and certainly won't hurt anything. The long shot there is replacing the injectors but that's not all bad, it's a great time to go to some 19lb ford injectors, right?

The hesitation is probably due to the massive vacuum leak you undoubtedly have. If you were able to pull the oil cap off the running motor without it dying almost immediately that's a clear indication that air is entering the intake system somewhere else aft of the AFM. Addressing that along with freshening up your ignition system and aforementioned fuel filter will probably clear up most of the hesitation.

[Earendil]

The ticking could actually be an injector. It's notorious on M20s.

I forgot about this. This is also quite true.

The hesitation is probably due to the massive vacuum leak you undoubtedly have. If you were able to pull the oil cap off the running motor without it dying almost immediately that's a clear indication that air is entering the intake system somewhere else aft of the AFM.

I would really love an explanation as to why a lack of engine death on pulling the cap off is an indication that there is a vacuum leak. Not because I doubt you, but because my rudimentary knowledge of the system can't get this to follow.
Isn't removing the oil cap INDUCING a vacuum leak? Wouldn't this just be increasing any symptoms that a different vacuum leak in the system would be causing?

[jlevie]

If there are no intake leaks, the crankcase will be at the same pressure as the intake. However, if there are leaks manifold (and thus crankcase) pressure will not be as low as it should be. In which case removing the oil filler cap may not cause the engine to die. The only sure way to find all of the possible intake leaks is to have a smoke test run.

The loss of power above 4k could be a bad WOT switch in the TPS. There are other possible causes, but check that first.

[blefevre]

I bet they are unrelated. M20's tick VERY loud. It's just how they are. Start tracking the loss of power with the other suggestions, don't assume they are related.

[rodpaine]

I suggest you check the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) for proper pressure. I had one several years ago that was leaking gas back to the tank when it wasn't supposed to. Had much the same effect on engine performance that you have described.
FWIW,
-Rod

[russianman92]

I suggest you check the Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR) for proper pressure. I had one several years ago that was leaking gas back to the tank when it wasn't supposed to. Had much the same effect on engine performance that you have described.
FWIW,
-Rod

Wow great info guys thanks! I'll triple check everything but if I go the expensive route and say rebuild the head you would think the ticking would stop? Real quick what he said about the fuel regulator. I do smell fuel when u start the vehicle up most of the time. Could that be an indication combined with symptoms you mentioned as that being pretty much bad? Hmm so to test for leaks i assume it must be done in a shop with the right equipment? I'm gonna check the plugs wires and distributor cap and let you fuys know what I find.

[blefevre]

If you rebuild the head it will still tick.

[Fidhle007]

I would really love an explanation as to why a lack of engine death on pulling the cap off is an indication that there is a vacuum leak. Not because I doubt you, but because my rudimentary knowledge of the system can't get this to follow.
Isn't removing the oil cap INDUCING a vacuum leak? Wouldn't this just be increasing any symptoms that a different vacuum leak in the system would be causing?

Jlevie covered this already but here it is anyway: If you induce a vacuum leak suddenly (like opening the oil cap) it will throw off the car's reading of how much air is actually coming into the engine and it will die out. If there already is a vacuum leak however, the ECU will be working to compensate for it and won't freak out as much when the extra air is added.