Post by merkurhardlyknower on Jul 30, 2023 19:25:12 GMT -5
Hello,
I finally got my engine and car together enough to run on the road. No more smoke out of the tailpipe, the coolant seems stable, and the cooling system seems capable of keeping up with the heat. Unfortunately, one thing I have not been able to diagnose is a tick in the valvetrain.
When starting the engine, there is a noticeable sewing machine type of noise coming from the engine that increases in tempo with the engine, and does not go away after warming it up or going on a drive. I have had the head serviced due to a head gasket issue and asked them to service the valves while they had it, and while trying to fix the my new problem I replaced the HLAs with Mellings JB-2012, in which I soaked for 3 hours in an assembly oil and motor oil blend and broke-in with 20 minutes of varied RPM idle. I still have OEM springs, cam, and rockers. The machinist did not mention anything about the condition of those remaining parts, but I know on the third cylinder exhaust valve there is a slight divot on the edge of the lobe.
Before replacing the HLAs, I shook the rockers and all but 1 and 8 were loose in the head. I assume whatever is causing that is my problem, as the head I had for the NA engine still has the rockers held tightly by the lifters. Did not check to see if the springs were broken or split, but they all compressed well with the tool I used while replacing HLAs. After replacing and breaking them in, I tried to double check and make sure the issue was in the valvetrain by pulling a spark plug wire and running the engine, which did not affect the ticking noise except that it caught up with the speed of the engine.
Aside from the ticking, the car runs fine. No smoke, no overheating, does not seem down on power, and the car reacts well to boost except for a weird whine at 10+ PSI that might or might not be normal.
I have a few different ideas as to what it could be at this point:
1. I need to drive the car for a while and let the lifters work. Maybe a liquid moly additive would help, but letting it run would allow the lifters to soak in enough oil to lift enough.
2. The springs are old, and are not lifting the rocker enough to fully contact the lifter
3. I am not getting enough oil to the head due to a blocked or malfunctioning oil pump, and the lifters cannot pump up.
4. Cam and followers are worn enough to rattle, and I should replace them with a roller setup from a junkyard Ranger.
Before I shoot the parts cannon and pull the engine to install them all, what should I focus on trying to find? Any and all suggestions welcome.
I finally got my engine and car together enough to run on the road. No more smoke out of the tailpipe, the coolant seems stable, and the cooling system seems capable of keeping up with the heat. Unfortunately, one thing I have not been able to diagnose is a tick in the valvetrain.
When starting the engine, there is a noticeable sewing machine type of noise coming from the engine that increases in tempo with the engine, and does not go away after warming it up or going on a drive. I have had the head serviced due to a head gasket issue and asked them to service the valves while they had it, and while trying to fix the my new problem I replaced the HLAs with Mellings JB-2012, in which I soaked for 3 hours in an assembly oil and motor oil blend and broke-in with 20 minutes of varied RPM idle. I still have OEM springs, cam, and rockers. The machinist did not mention anything about the condition of those remaining parts, but I know on the third cylinder exhaust valve there is a slight divot on the edge of the lobe.
Before replacing the HLAs, I shook the rockers and all but 1 and 8 were loose in the head. I assume whatever is causing that is my problem, as the head I had for the NA engine still has the rockers held tightly by the lifters. Did not check to see if the springs were broken or split, but they all compressed well with the tool I used while replacing HLAs. After replacing and breaking them in, I tried to double check and make sure the issue was in the valvetrain by pulling a spark plug wire and running the engine, which did not affect the ticking noise except that it caught up with the speed of the engine.
Aside from the ticking, the car runs fine. No smoke, no overheating, does not seem down on power, and the car reacts well to boost except for a weird whine at 10+ PSI that might or might not be normal.
I have a few different ideas as to what it could be at this point:
1. I need to drive the car for a while and let the lifters work. Maybe a liquid moly additive would help, but letting it run would allow the lifters to soak in enough oil to lift enough.
2. The springs are old, and are not lifting the rocker enough to fully contact the lifter
3. I am not getting enough oil to the head due to a blocked or malfunctioning oil pump, and the lifters cannot pump up.
4. Cam and followers are worn enough to rattle, and I should replace them with a roller setup from a junkyard Ranger.
Before I shoot the parts cannon and pull the engine to install them all, what should I focus on trying to find? Any and all suggestions welcome.