Hey guys looking for a little help . I'm trying to trouble shoot a 327 with a tick . Not my engine but trying to help a buddy out with an engine he recently picked up. The PO replaced the cam ( still trying to the cam card with specs ) , timing chain and gears , lifters (hyd ) , valves . PO claims it ran fine until it it gets hot then the tick starts . It sounds like a collapsed lifter to me but I'm trying to pick the brains of folks that have run 327s . I've never had a 327 that didn't run right and run strong. Thanks for any help you can give . Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
If he is using the original style valve covers, they can contribute to lifter type ticking if installed backwards. If you look carefully you can see that the wall on the intake side is vertical but the exhaust side has a bit of a taper. If installed backwards (or upside down?) the rocker arms can contact the ID of the covers resulting in a "tick tick" sound. Just one possibility.
Another possibility is not a lifter tick at all. I chased a noisy lifter for a month a few years back then just by chance I passed my hand over the rear of the engine and felt hot air, my lifter tick was a leaking exhaust gasket. It is worth a try before you pull out all your hair.
Another vote for fuel pump. Easy enough to check, the little return spring on the arm will be broken.
You mentioned you get the noise when the engines hot. If the parts are from China the materials used often expand at a rate greater than an American parts will. I have used a child's small/promo bat, to see if the if the noise changes when pressing the bat at the valve side and the pushrod side of the rocker, slightly loosen any offenders. Modify a old set of v/cvrs, to retain oil while running w cvrs off. Heavier weight oil may help too. Good luck Sent from my SM-G550T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Could be anyone of the things previously shared,I had a strong running 327 in my 40 Ford sedan and it developed a ticking sound on the way home from the N.S.R.A. Nationals in Columbus in the late 80's,when I got home I checked for exhaust leaks but found none so I decided to drive it until it blew up. I drove the car for another 7 or 8 years and sold it to a friend,he drove it a few tears and put a new crate 350 in the car and his son was building a Chevy II and tore the engine down for a rebuild. He found one loose wrist pin. HRP
Old mechanics trick. Take a hose and hold it up to your ear and start chasing the noise around. Keep your hands out of the fan!
Yep, that'll work. I prefer these though, you can get them pretty cheap and if you happen to touch a moving part you won't get stabbed in the ear.
With the engine off, lay a straight edge across the tops of the rocker studs. See if you might have one or two that are noticeably higher than the rest. If the engine has press-in studs it may have some trying to back out of the heads. Not uncommon when running stiffer valve springs.
Thanks guys ! I'll take a look at all these . It really threw me that it only ticked after all those new parts were put in .. and then only when hot . Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
This is a long shot but possible. With the noise present, spray soap or belt dressing on the belts. I had one that sounded like a bad rod once it warmed up! Easily checked and then stroked off the list!
I got one of these a year or so ago. I can't recall whether there was a particular issue i was chasing down but I've used it many times since. Amazingly sensitive - totally different from a dowel or socket extension. You can really hear what's going on and it's interesting to just listen to things for the heck of it! It's surprising to find how quiet most things are - water pumps, rockers, superchargers - does kinda make you wonder where the noise comes from! That'll be the combustion / exhaust I guess. Excellent tool. Chris
I had a 327 in my 47coupe that was built in the late 80s. Had a small tick in it also. Never did find out what it was and just drove the damn thing. Fuel pump and rod sounds like a good place to start.
Listened to a tick for years in a 67 327, sold the engine to a friend and he listened to it for a few. When torn down turned out to be a wrist pin, probably would have went on forever. Ralphie
ck lower balancer pulley may be cracked if original or get up to temp where the noise is there and take off fan belt and see if gone. cracked pulley if gone water pump or lower pulley
Like mentioned, get these: With the mention of new parts installed, I'd also be suspect to a shitty lifter. Taking into account the quality of some of these 'new' (read off-shore) parts.
Me too, pull up on the pump with the engine running and you can feel the tick. I found 305 doing it the most. Broken return spring on the cam lever. First one drove me nuts!
Only starts when warm? When it starts to tick take the belt off and restart it Had an alt lock a motor up once Worth a try Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I had an elusive tick in the 307 in my '38 Ford pickup. Turned out to be a cracked water pump pulley. Took the fan off, discovered that the fan was all that was holding the pulley together. When I took the pulley off, the center of it fell out, one continuous crack connecting all of the bolt holes. Stock '55-'68 SBC single groove water pump pulley. Never saw another one fail like that, but now I know to inspect used pulleys very carefully for cracks. Had a good pulley on hand, changed out the pulley and the tick was gone.
Exactly what porknbeaner said, I had one that we swore was a collapsed lifter, or bent pushrod or fuel pump rod etc.. everyone is waaaaaaaaay overthinking this one. It is surely a header gasket exhaust leak.
^^^^Header leak is a good first check too. If it does happen to be the cause, check the flange with a straight edge before just throwing in a new gasket. I've seen some no-so-straight flanges, even on some 'quality name brand' headers. Had me 'Hooked' for a while....
I would pull it out and install a real engine with the distributer on the correct end of the cam ! There are many issues that cause strange noises in a moving mechanical engine . I would suspect a rocker arm ball , valve guide , or fuel pump . Maybe a chain slapping the cover . I have been driving a Shovelhead and a Cummins Diesel for many years now so don't sweat the small stuff it will get worse and ease finding it or stay the same for many miles .