guys,

distributor cap was not being held down tight enough, so i bent the prongs up a little. now the cap is very tight.

but now when i drive my car at about 3500 and let off the gas or shift, i hear this strange ticking and whipping noise.

kinda sounds like someone whipping a metal cable in the air. but other times it sounds like a ticking sound.

only happens when i let off the gas.

i have a solid cam .. lifters ??? wires? rotor hitting the cap??

any ideas as to what this might be??

thanks guys!!

"only happens when i let off the gas.' 'any ideas as to what this might be??" - Could be the sound of the guy in the Mush-tang behind you catching up! :D

"rotor hitting the cap??" - Would be first place to look - IMHO - you just went there before sound started so recheck to see if cap is on straight, no cracks or pieces inside, rotor contact not hitting inside & etc...

ill check the rotor and cap today...

the whipping sound happens only once when i let off the gas. followed by a metalic clink.

kinda sounds like when the straps break/bolts give in the movies... real dramatic sounding.

ive checked my rear suspension which i also just redid... nothing seems obvious.

the ticking sound is "tap tap tap tap......" fading away after i let off the gas.

theres also a different ticking noise when i hit the gas pedal.

thanks guys!!!

i thought of another way to describe one of the sounds....

sounds like a big mud flap flapping under my car when i let off the gas.

could this be vacuum leak?

thanks!!

Jeff, you said you were working but ai thought you were sticking around for the meeting tonight!! I thought about what you were saying before you took off and after reading your post kind of agree with Vintage. Caps only get held on by the spring pressure and often seem rather loose to me but never seem to give problems being that way. Check out the rotor and under the cap for scraping, I think you mentioned seeing some scrape marks before. If the rotor isn't seated completely it could be cocked a bit and making it so the cap is overly tight could be it to rub more.

How throttle sensitive is the noise? Can you hear it setting still and reving the engine?

Could you try rebending the clips or replacing the cap and rotor to seeing if the sounds are still there? Rhat

Ticking can also be the sound of an electrical spark jumping. Try in the dark.
I also think exhaust leaks should be restricted to one type of noise but they evidently like a whole span of noises they make and get to pick their time for making them which isn't all the time. Check to make sure your header bolts are tightened down.
I'm kinda wondering if the work in the rear included exhaust work which made it so you could hear things under the hood which lead you to believe the problem just appeared.
Good luck.

exhaust is getting replaced very soon. hopefully this week! i know i have a few major leaks...

im also gonna go after a new cap as soon as i get out of work

i also got new plug wires, looms and valve covers. sick of being bubba. ill replace them one at a time to see if my problem goes away.

its very throttle sensitive. as soon as i let off the gas, its there. cant hear it when i have my foot on the pedal.

kinda like if the cars working hard (accelerator/blades are open) the noise isnt there, but as soon as i let off, its back

lifter? vacuum leak?


dennis, i know... i wanted to stay and had planned on it earlier in the day, but got sidetracked and ended up working till 11:15 pm...

boss is getting anxious... 10M on the line....

thanks guys!

Check your motor mounts, especially the passenger side. You might have some engine lifting and the fan might be hitting the shroud. Also check the frame bracket to chassis bolts, they sometimes come loose, but normally the drivers side.
You can test for it by applying the parking brake, open the hood so you can see the engine, start the engine and put it in reverse and slip the clutch or if an auto trans, give it some gas in reverse.

Be careful and do this in a safe place, not the garage, the parking brake may slip.
David

My car aslo had a strange ticking sound that was kinda delayed after i took my foot of the pedal.

But it seemed to go away when i turned up my timing a bit. It sounded like the engine was working hard.