Technical What's this noise on start up?

i see yall telling him to go a half turn to preload the lifter. i was shown to adjust hot and back off till it taps then tighten till it stops then a quarter turn. i've never had a problem with em. on the busted piston. i have a 302 ford out in the yard that is quite when cold but as it warms up it starts getting a knock, turned out to be a missing piston skirt.

 

I used to do all those valve adjustment tricks, I still have a valve cover with the top cut out that I used 30 years ago, but once I was told about the EOIC and half turn preload, I've been doing it for the last bunch of small blocks I've built. No issues period.

 

Don't think the cam has a flat spot or a wrist pin rattle do you? HRP

 

Lloyd ,
I know the guys are just trying to help ,,,and I appreciate that .

But,,,,you know in your heart that is not a lifter noise ,,,internal problems,,,,,sorry .

But,,,,,on the bright side,,,,,I really like that tunnel Ram!
It’s gonna be cool to have that dude shining up front,,,,I like it !

Tommy

 

I'm thinking wrist pin. New cam and lifters and the noise was present when I fired it up for break in.

 

Hush your dirty mouth Tommy lol... yeah I'm in that denial stage. Next is anger, I've still got a few stages to go. The truth being that I wanted to have her truck ready for the reunion, but this is a set back. As busy as we are it's not possible to get both ready for the trip. She's told me that i should just focus on mine, but that's not how I am, she comes first. I'll mope around here for a few days and get a game plan. Yeah the TRX is cool, the chrome is peeling on it, but that's just vintage

 

That’s chrome,,,,I thought it was polished .
Either way,,,it’s cool .

The reunion is still a ways off .
You can get that engine running just like a sewing machine in no time .
Your last name is Singer,,,,right ?
Lol .

Tommy

 

Engine is just the tip of the iceberg lol.

 

Wait till you hit the bargaining stage. Then it gets real expensive!

 

It's more a time issue than expense lmao! I wish you could buy more time!

 

Well it's not actually a valve adjustment "trick". It's a commonly recommended way to adjust hydraulic lifters. As a matter of fact I've adjusted solid lifters using a similar procedure with the engine at operating temperature only using feeler gauges and a vacuum gauge connected to full manifold vacuum. They run very quietly but you need to do periodic readjustments. Maybe every couple of years?

Sure, it can be a little messy doing this on a running engine. So you throw on a couple fender covers or moving pads and wipe up a bit of oil when you're done.

 

Cracked Flexplate?
Had a similar ticking in a 86 30,000 mile O.T. Chevy pickup that sounded like valve train problem and it kept getting worse, took me a year to nail down the flexplate cracked almost all the way around ourside the crankshaft flange.
When installing a new flexplate witnessed the plate flex while tighting the converter bolts, the torque converter center didnt fit all the way in the crankshafts recess so it couldn't slide up tight to the converter mounting pads by about .050. So bolted it up using 1/16 washers as spacers to stop the flex, noise is gone and the truck is still going.

This might also happen if the torque converter center was hitting a manual transmission pilot bearing

 

I've done it that way many times, like I said I still have a valve cover with the top flapped to keep the oil in. But I like the way I'm doing it now better.

 

I'm the opposite, can't stand the heat. One of the places I'm looking into after I retire is Cedar City .

 

Well as a wise man once said;

"You do it your way, I'll do it mine."

 

Not the fuel pump.
Drats.
I'll be angry for you.
%*[&=÷@×&#!!!")mf**o#@!!!

 

I chased my tail for weeks as a kid , let I started chasin other tails ! What I found after weeks was a broken fuel pump arm return spring . Not saving thats your noise but , it sounds similar to your mysterious tap .

 

That last video is without the fuel pump on it. Still there....

 

It sounds like you ran this engine before the cam change, and the noise wasn't there, correct? So why then do you suspect a wrist pin or busted piston?

After the cam change (and new lifters?) you noticed the noise as soon as you tightened that leaking header. This is an obvious indicator that the issue is valvetrain related. Or did I miss something in reading 7 pages of replies?

We can assume either:

1. That the noise was there immediately at the beginning of the cam break in, but you couldn't hear it due to the leaking header, so it is likely that:
a. there is a bad lifter
b. there is a valve kissing a piston
c. coil bind
d. your valve springs are so weak that the valves are bouncing off the seats and touching the pistons

2. The noise wasn't there at startup, but a lifter/lobe went flat during that 15 minute cam break in time period when you couldn't hear it.
a. Can you see the pushrods rotating when it is running? If so you can likely rule out a flat cam lobe or lifter.

 

I have never had a head where I could push the valves open with my hand. That is why they made valve spring compressors. You have the wrong springs or attaching hardware, or the springs are wrong or the spring pockets have been machined wrong. Or the valve stems are too long for the heads.

 

Its always a simple easy fix, till you find that no one will know till you find the root cause...did you use a screwdriver stethoscope? since the trans was dry started did you fill the engine with oil? Thats an expensive engine to roll the dice with...

 

I can go with a wrist pin. They are not always isolated by taking a plug wire off... hit or miss. I use a piece of wooden dowel to "listen" for noises. Or a piece of garden hose works. It is def a 2-person job.

 

History. I bought a 55 Chevy truck that was about 99% complete, and I bought a 50 cab and doors. The 55 had a "newly rebuilt" 350 in it. The truck ran and drove. I fired the engine with the 2bbl that was on it, long enough to see that it would run and seemed solid. Did the cam swap and put a tunnel ram, carb, and distributor on it. I say wrist pin or busted piston because of the location that the sound is coming from. But until I start taking it apart, who knows. I've checked the simple things. Fact is, I didn't build this engine. I've built a lot of small block Chevys and never had a failure of any kind. So the whole thing is coming apart and being done my way, then I won't have to worry. Thanks for the leads, I appreciate the help. When I figure it out I'll revisit and let you guys know.

 

Lloyd do you have a Stethoscope to check the Noise.?
That's what I use that you can Really Pin Point the Noise
and Did you Crank it by Hand to see if you Can Hear it.?
Before you Tear it Apart.!

Just My 3.5 Cents

Live Learn & Die a Fool

 

Maybe just me, but I’ve never seen a bad wrist pin. Is a bad wrist pin too tight making the piston rock in the bore or too loose knocking in the rod or piston? Typically when someone says bad wrist pin it’s piston to cylinder wall clearance in the cases I’ve seen. Canceling that plug will stop or change the noise if it’s a clearance issue. Having said that, there is definitely something wrong with those valve springs.

 

Hey buddy, yeah I have turned it by hand, and cranking it with the distributor unhooked. All normal. I've got a birthday party to attend today and back to the firehouse tmrw so I'm not gonna mess with it until next week. Think I'll just pull it out and throw it on the stand

 

That's a Bitch I had a Noise on my Chevy SBC and it was the can
under the intake manifold that came loose & Rattled every so
often it drove me nut's I knew it was there but sometimes it Stoped

Just my 3.5 cents

Live Learn & Die a Fool

 

Who rebuilds an engine and not paint it???
Some people just paint an engine without rebuilding it!
I am curious as to what you will discover.

 

I guess the guy i bought the truck from? Like I said, it was a running, driving, truck. That had been in 2 body shops that didn't finish anything, so I have no clue on when any work was done. As I said above, rebuilt only means core from here on.

 

At this point I think the best thing to do is pour a cheap beer in a glass, add two olives and have yourself a South Dakota Martini. Works every time.

John