oil leak/valvetrain noise misdiagnosed

[kamiphloj]

Folks,Maybe I can save someone a little trouble.
I had two symptoms,an oil leak apparently at the rear of the valve cover,and a tapping like excessive valve clearance..
I really don't like oil leaks.Besides the puddles,oil running over the bellhousing finds the clutch.
Brilliant idea,adjust the valves,and put in a new valve cover gasket.
Made it so.
I have some experience,and I was annoyed when I still had a tick and an oil leak.Another new Toyota gasket,and rechecked all the valves.The feeler gage was just right on all.Put it back together,carefully washed engine.Drove to see my brother in Severance,Co.He looked.Said it seemed to him it might be coming from around the fuel pump.
Was figuring on replacing fuel pump gaskets.Looked in my Chiltons to make sure the Gasket stack was correct.Saw the procedure to see if the oil seal around the fuel pump pushrod was good.Hmmmm.
New Napa pump.No ticking,no leaking.
The pushrod oil seal failed,oil leaking out bleed hole,pushrod floating without seal ticked

[CASE]

I thought that noise was my dist.rotor! It sounds like ruffly 80% of the old 3AC's out there make this noise, I've heard everything from fuel pump to engine side exhaust leak to broken rocker arm. I even did my heads and missed it. I got the valves to seat good, and new stem seals, assumed the push rods were doing their job,since they moved and wernt bent- never checked the gaskets!-It's too late for me, but I hope everyone looking for the source of this noise reads this before they go through another fuel pump-thanks!

[takza]

Had a pump that was sticking and noisy...but no oil leak. Mostly when cold...hard to start cause it wouldn't pump much.

[toyomonkey611]

my valve train noise went away when i torqued the rocker arm shaft. it was loose when i bought the car. i torqued it, readjusted my valves again. no more noise.