Checking my plugs this weekend

[o0five0o]

Ok guys/gals, im gonna be checking my cars' plugs this weekend. I put new plugs in last july, they we A/C delco rapidfires, properly gapped. For the last couple weeks, when i turn on my car, you can hear a ticking sound. When i rev the engine, it ticks faster. It ticks ALL THE TIME, even after the car is warmed up. Could this be a loose spark plug, it sounds like its only coming from one cylinder. What should i look for with the plugs? ANd should they already be bad? If it isnt the plugs what could it be? Piston slap? Bad gasket? I hope not, with 52,367 miles on the car, it better not be the problem, or Pontiac will get a damn dissapointment letter.

[Jason Lesbirel]

It shouldn't be piston slap, that will go away after a moment or two of running. I'm not familiar with any noise caused by the spark plugs that would sound like a tick, either.

Are you the original owner of the car? If you are, with what frequency do you change the oil? If you're not, then it's possible that the service hasn't been timely, and you may have an oil journal gummed up, and as a result not enough oil is getting to where it needs to be.

Have you checked the oil level? You may be down on oil as well. Or worst case, the oil pump might be in the early stages of death.

[o0five0o]

Yeah, im the original owner of the car, and oil changes have been every 3,000 miles. ANd the oil was changed last week, should i do an engine flush? Or time to change the oil pump?

[James806]

Wait until the car is ticking at night, or pull into a really dark place. Then turn out all the lights and leave the engine running. See if you see arching or shorts in the wires. It must be making the tick noise for you to see the short. If you see an arch at one of the plugs then that plug may be bad. Change that one plug and then the wire and see if it still does it. If the wire change fixes it, change the other wires to match. I don't think is a good idea to mix old & new plugs. If not check your coils.

If it does not fix it, it may be your ignition coils.

If you do not see any short at all... may be lifter, pcv sticking, or any number of other things. But check wires first. They are easiest and cheapest fix. Process of elimination. Don't automatically assume it is a big problem that will be a major repair.

[tenspeed]

It vote for the noisy lifter.

[Livefast]

Its probably your lifers. My freind described the same noise and it was his lifters that were making it.

[o0five0o]

How much would something like this cost to fix? Is it something i should get fixed right away?

[wiccanferret]

I've also heard of the timing chain smacking the cover when it gets old and stretched a bit. Just another thought.

I would get a few opinions from a few shops...they shouldn't charge you for a listen and guess. Then you can get estimates.