Moderate ticking sound in top side of engine just under the intake

since you have no noises or ticking at all, you likely have a failed oil pressure sender/sensor. It is located right behind the intake on the driver side on the back of the motor. You are "supposed" to remove the intake to gain access to it (and it is much easier to get to), but you can remove it with a short oil pressure sender socket and a swivel adapter... its close but it comes out.

intake valves on the R side of cyl.head.exhaust valves on L side looking at engine from transmission end. need to perform a compression test on each cylinder making sure that the psi doesnt vary by more than a cpl. psi between cylinders.FUEL INJECTOR is very likely.AND injectors make a clicking noise when energized.a click each time injector is pulsed.(thats each time the cylinder is fired=alot of ticking or clicking)the higher the rpm the more rapid the noise.injectors are on the intake side of cylinder head. opposite side from exhaust manifold(the manifold that your tailpipe attaches) unplug injector on no.2 cyl(if thats where your misfire is) while the engine is running, if the engine runs the same without staggering or stalling there is your problem. good luck and happy motoring ___O^-o

It wasn't the oil level. Mine started ticking around 14K and it still ticks like crazy at 168K when the engine is warmed up and cruising. Goes away under moderate acceleration.

There is a thermostatic flapper valve in the exhaust manifold that is likely the source of the ticking when the engine is warm.

If the rod is knocking you hear like a rhythmic ticking/clacking sound coming from the top side of the motor right under the intake. Changing or adjusting the rods isn't very hard to do and should be fairly inexpensive.

Thanks for choosing FixYa and welcome. That is possible. More then likely, it is a associated with the valve lifter. If it was a rod, you would hear a knocking sound compared to the ticking sounds a bad lifter gives off. As far as which lifter it is, the only way to know for sure if by taking off the valve cover and examining the lifters. You are in the right area though. Check your lifters and you should fine what is causing the ticking. Put all your focus on that area. Your friend sounds like he knows what he is talking about so he may be able to help you work on it if you are not able.

Well without hearing the tick it would be impossible to diagnose over the net. But it sounds like you have a handle on where to look.
While under the hood, exhaust and lifter ticks would sound different. A lifter would be kind of muffled while exhaust being in the open, not muffled.

Exhaust leaks are easier to see than finding one lifter ticking. Exhaust you can look around the manifolds and down pipes for black soot. You can also carefully pass your hand around things and feel for exhaust coming out.

Be sure to look at the manifolds themselves for cracks. If those manifolds have any heat shielding there could be a good place for cracks.

May be under the valve cover. Lifter may be going flat or tappets loose or bad pushrod. don-ohio (:^)

sounds like a valve out of adjustment im not completly sure what type of valve system this car has, most of the time if you have a ticking or knocking noise from the top side its in the rocker arm being too loose and its knocking around as it pumpes back and forth...
i would need a little more info from you such as what car, year and engine ...

Is it a ticking or knocking noise? or does it sound like something is leaking could be a bad manifold gasket which would be better than a ticking or knocking.

Sounds like when they did the intake,They drained the fluids but forgot to fill them back up and since the oil was near empty,I would say it's a lifter.But they can be reprimed or replaced a whole lot easier than some other possible causes.