I have developed an engine tick that speeds up with rpm's. I originally thought it was my injectors, but now im second guessing myself.

I unplugged the two injectors that I thought were ticking, but the noise never went away. Now I assumed it was these two injectors because the pulse on them is way stronger then the others when touched. Any idea why the pulse is stronger on these two? Are they bad?

Now i'm thinking it might be the lifters. The tick is coming from the back of the engine on the drivers side. If I touch the valve covers I don't feel anything. I'm going to take the covers and take a look. Should everything be tight? Any sort of wiggle?

The engine was rebuilt 2 years ago. This was the first year that 5w30 oil has been used. For the break in I used 10w30. Could this be an issue? Should I still be using 10w30? There is about 3000km on the engine.

The car runs very strong, with no codes. The ticking is present right when the car is started and once it's warm. It never goes away. Any thoughts or ideas? Thanks!

It's not the oil.

You can take a big screwdriver and hold it on what you want to listen to. Then put your ear on the handle. Do all the injectors, different places on the valve covers,etc.

Do what Bill said. You can also get a mechanic's stethoscope at the store for a few bucks, but a long screwdriver pretty much does the same thing.

Matthew

Thanks for the replies guys.

I used a screwdriver and started listening in different areas, but could not find the sound. I've never done this before but I take it when using a screwdriver or stethoscpe, the sound will really jump out?

The sound seems louder under the driver sides dash.

Would an exhaust leak make a ticking sound that followed rpm? Maybe that could explain the rich smell?
How can you test for an exhaust manifold leak? I have headers.

yes... for sure.

put a wrench on the various manifold bolts and see what you find. One loose one and that's that.

Also, check the down pipes, if you have a stock exhaust.

A loose exhaust or hole can definitely make a ticking sound. I'd check that everything is snug, you might need to get a mechanic's mirror up there and make sure there are no pinholes around the welds or rusted areas.

Matthew

A leak between the header and the head will sound just like what you describe. It is a very small leak but should be fixed. I use Percy's XX carbon gaskets and they work beautifully. I get mine at Summit.

Well it turns out I had a loose header bolt. I tightened it up and the tick went away. I checked the other bolts and some were a bit loose. Does anyone have any tips on tightening the bolt closest to the passenger?
Thanks to everyone for their help!

the last bolt on the pass side? yea, remove the damned engine.

I find if you remove the splash shields, you can reach in there with a long extention and a swivel socket.

It's much like reaching #8 plug, really.