Hi. I'm new here. I have a 350z with a loud valve tick on the passenger side. I've heard it can be a gap between the valve and cam lobe. I would prefer not to have to pull the head off
Here is a video of the problem.
https://youtu.be/drXRfa2-ITg

 

it may be the early onset of bearing failure

 

Bearing failure? In what?

 

your engine

 

You mean rod bearings? It really sounds like it's top end

 

many people have had the same noise (as best as I could decipher through a youtube video, through the hood of the car) and many people have spun bearings … I don't know many people that have had valve tick(that was actually bonafide valve tick).

It may be valve noise? If you don't know and/or don't want to jump into the engine than take the car to a knowledgeable mechanic for their opinion and/or drain the oil and check for bearing material and/or have an oil analysis done.

If you can fix this now before the bearing really goes to shot it'll be significantly less expensive to fix verses letting it get worse and eventually failing and furthermore catastrophic failure.

from way back in the day:

from just back in the day:

from a little bit past back in the day:

 

I'm sorry for the poor video quality. I'll try to get a better one when i get home. It definitely doesn't sound like the videos you posted

 

no worries - my piece of advice would be have it investigated. The more information you know from a trusted source the better decision you can make and the less costly the repairs.

 

Here is an updated video.

 

Sounds like valves/lifters/injectors. I have had that same sound since the day I bought my Z 8 years ago. I put a slightly thicker oil in it and the noise became less noticeable, but it is still there. You can try that to see if it works, provided it is one of the first two things I mentioned.

For comforts sake, I would take it to a mechanic and just have them check it out.

 

Welp. I'm pretty sure i found the cause of the ticking. Cylinder 3's rear most exhaust valve has an extreme amount of clearance. Probably about a 1/4 inch. What could have caused this and is it fixable?

Here is a video. It may be hard to see tho.

 

measure cam lobe to see if it is worn. then remove cam.and pull valve/spring and check/measure.

 

I believe i found the issue. I pulled the bucket off the valve and it looks like the inside center is pushed in more than it should