I got 1 and 2 lobes like bunny ears then measured the valve lash on 1 and 2. When they were equal measurements that was TDC for me.

@Reptoid Overlords Yes it does have a larger cam. To me it sounds almost separate from the valve train noise. 
@siteunseen I’ll have to try that.

37 minutes ago, RMin280 said:

@Reptoid Overlords To me it sounds almost separate from the valve train noise. 

@siteunseen

It does seem to not be valve actuation sounds, but I still think it is related to the valve train/cam/chain/sprocket.

The reason I suggested to rotate the cam back and forth is to examine the amount of wear on the sprocket, and the individual chain links.

It is possible that wear of the pins and rollers on the chain is causing them to not pass over the sprockets cleanly, and the click is resulting from those worn pins and rollers binding.

 

 

I turned the cam to see if there was any play and there isn’t any. I also turned the engine over by the crank bolt and that sound wasn’t there. I think it’s something different when it’s actually running. 

I'd spend some time figuring out what you have and what shape it's in.  Get the numbers of the cam, find TDC, get a proper set of timing marks installed, set your distributor correctly to TDC, measure cylinder pressures to see if they're all balanced, etc.  Kind of seems like you just bought this Z with a modified engine and started driving it.  How did the PO set up MS if he couldn't even use a timing light to see the timing?  Your "doofer" is miles away from the damper. (p.s. apparently doofer is British for doohickey).

Here's some stuff on what you probably have under the distributor cap.

https://www.diyautotune.com/product/54-mm-optical-trigger-wheel-for-nissan-l28et-or-vg30e/#tab-ywtm_78211

https://www.diyautotune.com/support/tech/hardware/nissan-trigger-disc/

I know most if not all of the modifications but didn’t figure it mattered here. I’ll find tdc and mark it on the damper and do a compression and leak down test but I’m not touching the distributor. The car was at Godzilla raceworks and got a new ecu since the old ms2 had an issue and was too old for them to work on. If I mess with the timing on the distributor I’ll need a new tune. What do you mean my doofer is miles away from the damper? As in it’s not as close to the damper as it would be for other L series? 
 

What else would I do with the car? I bought a modified 280z, fixed several issues, and now I’m driving the car and going through everything to make sure everything is in good working condition. Should I be doing something other than driving my car? 

Reptoid showed how a normal timing tab and damper pulley work together in post #11.  You have to be able to eyeball where the mark is when your timing light flashes.

Unless you put up a new video nobody knows what the actual noise is that you're hearing when the engine is running.  Your video was the wrench on the camshaft sprocket.

Here's Reptoid's picture and yours.  All I'm saying is know what you're working with.  We're at post #42 and there's still no reliable way to check ignition or cam timing.  Engines are all about timing.

 

Edited October 16, 20222 yr by Zed Head
+ to

My mistake, I have been so busy with schoolwork that I forgot to take a video of it running to show y’all.   

I’ll try some of the things y’all suggested this evening and see if I can figure something out to check cam and ignition timing.

You might take a close look at the wear pattern on the rocker arm pads.  Kind of sounds like valve train noise on one or two cam lobes.  Just a guess.  With an aftermarket cam the right lash pads might not have been used.  Definitely sounds like it needs fixing.  The engine sounds pretty good overall but the noise is bad.

What should the wear pattern look like if it is correct? 

19 hours ago, RMin280 said:

What should the wear pattern look like if it is correct? 

Sort of like this, but centered on the pad.

The pattern is too close to the pivot.

The pattern on the lash pad looks OK.

The cam followers have three wear points, where the follower sits on the pivot ball, where the cam lobe rides on the middle of the follower, and where the follower rides on the lash pad (which sits on the valve stem).

Look for a clean, smooth pattern, no grooves or excessive wear, and it should be centered on the pad.

 

 

Edited October 17, 20222 yr by Racer X

Do I need to take everything apart to check the wear pattern or can I check with everything still together?