oldscutlass74

Have a tapping sound that i believe is coming from the valvetrain. Steps i took so far were 1) replacing the lifters (hydraulic) because they seemed to have lost their ability to retain oil and weren't staying hard when you pushed down on the pushrods 2) inspecting cam lobes (all looked good), 3) replaced pushrods (i went form 8.500 to 8.600 because my roller rocker arms were bottoming out on the studs, i did a geometry test to make sure the 8.600 wasn't too long, it seemed good to me). After adjusting the rocker arms properly (EOIC) I ran the engine for quite some time and then took the valve covers off again and everything was tight, but I still have the same tapping sound, it gets louder as the engine accelerates. I put a piece of wood to the valve covers while the engine was running and it sounds like the tap is coming from multiple spots on both sides. This tap just started after racing the engine for about 2 months (total of 2-3 hours on the engine I would say). Everything broke in properly with proper lube and oil. Was involved in one major accident with only minimal exterior damage to the engine (alternator bracket broke). Any help would be appreciated.

Ozzie

You might be able to isolate it better by using a mechanic's stethoscope. Also if you could post an audio it might help with a diagnosis.

Rallye469

An audio file or video would definitely help.
My car has a very loud valve train, scares me sometimes but I’m use to it. Not sure whether it was the RRP heads, roller rockers, roller lifters or tons of spring pressure...but it doesn’t always mean impending failure.

Is it intermittent or pretty regular. At idle or higher RPM?
-pete