Lower intake manifold loose= ticking/wobbly intake reading?

[BlakeOfDoom]

I replaced the heads on a 92 navajo. The truck has a misfire and is driving me nuts. heres the symptoms:

Vacuum gauge reading wobbles a bit, not steady.

ticking sound coming from coil/passenger side bank

No check engine light

No codes present

strong fuel smell

I have pretty much ruled out a stuck lifter, the ticking does not get louder when the oil fill cap is removed. Every now and then a subtle ting or clank is heard; All the injectors are happily clicking away (according to a stethoscope BTW) I have pinched all the vacuum lines running to the tree, no difference. disconnecting the maf sensor makes no difference.....so here is my question....would a loose lower intake manifold be the culprit? someone came by to check it out and said it could possibly be a tight valve, but I'm not sure. I have replaced the plugs, coils and wires, no difference and the ticking is still present (yes all the connections are tight and secure)

My next step would involve throwing into a shop, but a professional diagnosis costs a substantial amount. Any ideas what it could be?

 

[boggs1227]

last year mine was pinging quite bad and found out that almost all of my lower intake bolts were finger loose.....cranked them back down and no more ping so i would say yes that the lower intake being loose could cause this but i'm ot sure about the gas smell ...maybe loose right around a runner and everytime the injector sprays then it's getting past the gasket .