I had a similar noise last year. I checked and checked my valves but it never went away. Mine was a cracke piston that finally went boom.
![](http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb53/Wermz/WermzCrawl/EngBld1/OldBusted-01.jpg)
I would start with the valves, if that doesn't do it then I would go deeper. The Red Line assembly lube worked really well for me.
![My Two Cents :twocents:](https://board.marlincrawler.com/Smileys/marlin/twocents.gif)
thanks for the suggestions guys.
never really messed with the bottom end of a 22r so could be a learning experience.
It is a good learning experience, I'm glad I did it.
![Thumbs Up :thumbs:](https://board.marlincrawler.com/Smileys/marlin/thumbs.gif)