Rep Power: 0

Would I be able to hear my rockers arms more if they needed adjusting when the engine is under a load? I have an 02 LX 5-speed with 111,000 miles.

 
Rep Power: 811

possibly, usually its a tapping sound at idle if the valves need adjusting.

 
Rep Power: 388

Was your head taken apart? Those things are a bitch to line back up properly.

 
Rep Power: 0

No, never had anything apart on the engine. I'm the original owner. The engine is pretty quiet at idle. I thought the noise was coming from the tranny (5-speed), but after reading the DIY on tranny noises, I don't believe that's where it's coming from. Since it's time to adjust the rockers (according to the service manual), I'm going to do that possibly this weekend. When accelerating from just taking off in first, you can hear the rattle and it gets faster as rpm's increase. When you change into second, same thing. After third is engaged and you start to accelerate, the road noise starts to take over and you can't really hear it. It's not a loud rattle, but it bugs me I can't figure out where it's coming from. It's been doing it for over a year and it hasn't got any worse, so it's no big deal, but I would like to fix it.