oil and coolant is good. changed plugs. starting having this engine tapping noise on the driver side. i believe i narrowed it down to which valve is probably stuck. i have already tried seafoam and mystery marvel but no luck. does anyone here know anything i can try to unstuck the valve besides tearing engine apart. cuz i really cant afford to do that. thx

 

dought its a valve..prob a lifter...did this just start? try a quart of ATF in the oil for a bit..it has cleaning detergants.....

 

I have an F-150 with a similar problem. It has built up so much sludge that it was restricting the oil flow to the hydraulic valves. Used a product called motor flush. It broke so much of the buildup off that it comletely clogged up the system amd made the pressure guage read 0. So get ready to turn off the ignition when you put the cleaner through, usually as the oil drains back out it will clear the lines. change the oil and enjoy. good luck to ya.

 

Are you sure you don't have an exhaust leak??

 

Have you checked your PCV it has a valve in it that makes a tapping sound, just a thought.

 

would a rough start be a sign for an exhaust leak?

 

Well not really.. when you say rough start.. does it idle bad, or you have to crank long??? An exhaust leak can sound really bad at cold start, and could make it sound really rough.

 

rough idle at startup but smooths out, then you can hear the tapping noise and when i gas its louder. I have tried ATF fluid and seafoam but still noise. only way to tell either intake or exhaust manifold leak is to take those pieces off?

this is funny but i dont have any hose so i used a long screwdriver and placed the bit end on the valve cover and put my ear to other end to pinpoint where the noise is originating. 95% sure it is coming from cylinder #5. sucks cuz nobody rents that tool i need to take out the rocker arm to see if thats it and $100 a pop not reasonable either.