Chrysler Repair: 2000 chrysler sebring conv, 2.5L 6cyl, 96k,

Question

clean 2.5L   HI Mr Finston. I have a 00 sebring conv w/2.5L with about 96xxxk miles. My question is this-
  After I installed a distributor, (the one in it went bad) the car is ticking on the left side of the front valve cover real bad. I used a car stethescope thing to listen. When I hold it on the valve covers 10mm bolts on the left of the cover, the ticking is louder than when I hold it on the bolts of the right side of the valve cover. Weird! Anyway Mr Finston, I think the time has come to do the timing belt as its at 96k miles. And that is all located under the left side of the valve cover. But I dont think the two are related? Before I changed this dist, there was never a ticking going on like this. It sounds like an old cars valves when theyre ticking. Remember back in the day when cars had ticking valves for various reasons? Thats what the left side of the v/c sounds like. But why worse sounding on the left? Why now and not before I swapped dist out? Weird. I wish you were right up the street! I would bring it into your shop if you had one in a split second! Thank you, Marc C.

Answer
Hi Marc,
I don't believe that the timing belt would provoke valve noises. Still, valve noise can appear due to:
high or low oil level
thin or diluted oil
low oil pressure
dirt in tappet adjusters
worn rocker arms
worn tappet/lash adjusters
warn valve guides
excessive runout of valve seals or valve faces
problem with hydraulic lash adjuster assembly.
You could remove the valve cover and see how firm the valve adjusters are by pressing on rocker arm above the valve adjuster to see if all feel very firm, not spongy.
The timing belt is normally not listed for change until 105,000 miles and again I don't believe it would be involved in valve noise. Still, the changing out of the distributor wouldn't likely cause that problem either. So something elso must have happened in the process if it began immediately after the change out. Other than the noise, does the engine seem to be running about the same as before?
Roland