Lifters? Plug wire?

[LarryJoe]

So I noticed this noise the other day. Now don't get me wrong, I've known about lifters and mine will usually tick in a steady rythm until the motor warms up. But when I came home and was done driving today, I noticed the ticking was in a pattern. Like tick, tick, tick, tick....(pause) tick, tick tick, tick and repeat. Can the lifters tick intermittently and in a pattern like that or does that mean it's something else?

[WES_393]

Lifters can tick very intermittently. Mine would tick for over half an hour, stop for a few minutes, and then come back for a minute, then gone, etc. Swapped them out for some revised lifters and haven't heard a noise since. If it were a rod knocking, a spark plug wire, etc then it would be constant and would get louder/faster with RPM. Not simply go away like lifter tick.

[canada4g63]

Pull the VC off and see if oilo its still flowing or a valve is getting stuck open.