So I have 1999 S10 Blazer 5 speed with 206k I bought about a month ago it ran great when i got it no noises quiet which is rare for a 4.3 well about 2 weeks ago i started getting a tick sounded like a stuck lifter

So after some various diagnostics i pulled the intake and the lifters and push rods push rods all straight and had decent oil flow pulled the lifters soaked them in gas tore them apart and found sludge dirt grime metal shaving not terrible but enough so replaced the lifters put it back together and changed the oil and filter and the ticking went away partially

so now the main noises are gone i did notice some front to back play in the balance shaft but not terrible but i still have a tap or knock tested the rob bearings for noise change and no change but it only does it warmed up after that its only between no throttle to 1/4 throttle and it goes away i also did notice some odd wear in the distributor gear

I just wanna get the little man with the hammer out of my engine and timing chain and distributor and next in line to be changed but if anyone else has some input on this i would be appreciated

also for the history the intake gasket went i dont know how long the previos owner drove it like that before it was replaced but it was driven for a period of time with a bad intake the clutch was replaced along with the components flywheel etc no issues there the distributor was replaced with a used one with unknown miles and all this was done a month ago right before i bought it something else is that the garage changed the oil after the intake and it was the blackest oil i have ever seen for only running a month on it with less than 2000 miles on it