Hello all. So I did a search of the forums to see if others had similar problems, and I never found anything with the same set of issues as mine. I have read about the ticking at start when the engine is cold, and that seems to match up with what I have. However, the ticking still remains the entire time I'm driving, but does quiet down a bit. The other thing that I didn't seem to see anything about was this: when I accelerate, around 3500-4000RPM, the ticking gets progressively louder as the RPMs rise, and it is a bit louder than the standard idle ticking. It's strange because the ticking is almost non-existent between 1400-3000RPM. Any help on this would be appreciated!

 

As you mentioned, the 3100/3400 has a tick noise. Typically, it's only noticed at cold start for a few minutes and goes away. Because it is a valve tick, during the time it can be noticed, it will become faster as RPMs increase, but should not become louder.

By the fact you mention it get louder with higher RPMs and continues the entire drive, I am going to potentially error on the side of caution here and recommend you have a trusted mechanic take a listen.
Also, the tick that these engines is known for comes from the upper part of the engine (as it is a valve tick). If by chance, you are noticing sounds like it's from a lower part of the engine, you may have a serious problem (such as a spun rod bearing), hence why I am recommending you have a professional take a listen.
If the noise sounds like a metallic rattling on the side with the belt, you might have a water pump beginning to fail.

Now, my wife used to have a 3100 in a '94 Grand Am. It developed what we believe was a sticking lifter (no noticeable performance issues, but an obnoxiously loud tick that was isolated to a specific region of the front head). It would go away after about 10 minutes of running the engine. Per some advice of a trusted motor-head friend, I used an oil additive. I used Motor Honey and in about a day, no more noise. Changed the oil, give it about a day and the noise came back, so used another bottle of additive. Using normal oil change intervals, took about 4-5 oil changes where I had to drop in the additive and then the noise went away for good.

 

Thanks for the reply. I was thinking about taking it to my mechanic soon anyways so he could quote me for a window tinting job, and tell me why my wheels are wearing the way they are. I might grab a bottle of that Motor Honey in the meantime to see if that helps. I just did an oil change this past Friday. Before that oil change, the ticking was constant and was louder than it is now. Hopefully it's nothing major. If it is, at least I have a reason to get an L67 then haha.