The past week I have noticed an on again off again ticking sound on my one year old PM3520B lathe. At first I attributed it to the fact that I had just taken apart my stronghold chuck to clean it and thought the chuck spindle collar was loose. Nope, it was OK. Then I thought it was the chuck not being on tight, as when I would nudge the chuck a scoosh on the lathe the sound would go away but then reappear after a few minutes of turning. Its been doing this on and off. Today it did it when I started it up and thinking it was still the chuck I switched out chuck bodies and jaws but it didnt do anything except delay it only to have it reappear. To rule out chucks, I put on the heavy 6 inch faceplate and heard it again. So it appears to be from the spindle end area. Is it the bearing? I checked the set screws on the spindles inside the headstock, they are all tight, there doesnt seem to be any play, the bearings dont seem to be warm. Its just this clicking sound. I do notice that on the far right of the spindle shaft, to the right of the sheeve, you can see under one of the 2 setscerws what appears to be a key sticking past the sheeve. I assume this is normal, and not a sign that the setscrew loosened, although I checked it for tightness anyway it was tight.
Looking online does not appear to offer any fixes. Any ideas on what is the cause, or else do I need to think about the bearing? Is it perhaps the end play collar on the motor end of the spindle shaft? Belt tension appear to be just a bit more than motor weight, its not overtight. Once again I am clueless.