Technical 53 Chevy SBC 350 Ticking Noise - Bad Lifters?

I'm having a hard time adjusting them while running. I hear a lot of ticking/clacking in general that it's hard to hone in on the noise of one particular rocker when i loosen it and try to hear the clacking noise. Any advice?

 

Oil pressure is at 55 psi at idle

 

Also to note, now that I ran for a few minutes I cannot push the rocker arms for #2 intake or exhaust in anymore so maybe nothing wrong with the lifters. I didn't clean or do anything to them.

 

Not a bad idea but you might want to plan on an oil change afterwards, depending on how much of the cleaner you use. Don't get impatient... Let things soak overnight at least. Nothing's going to instantly unstick a gummed up lifter. Clearances inside the lifter body are awfully tight.

 

Thanks, I ran the motor for a few minutes and I can't push the #2 intake or exhaust rocker arms in any more. i didn't clean anything. Same with #1 intake,exhaust and #3 exhaust, now I can't push them in.

Should I still bother cleaning anything? The problem im having right now is adjusting the rocker arms while running since I can't really hone in on the noise coming from only one rocker arm i hear general clacking noise in the background so its tough

 

skip the carb spray, internal engine gunk, roller tip rockers, cam profile. atf down carb would help clean up valves if you had a loud noise that sounds like a burnt/bent valve. get yourself a engine stethoscope to help figure out where noise is coming from. you also need to know what the oil pressure is doing too - a bad oil pump can cause lifter problems too. do as pat59 said, and I think that you have done before. before doing this again you might want to go to Napa parts store, or others?, and get some oil deflector clips to help contain oil within top ridge of head. of course by now you have plenty of a oil mess to clean up. plus, all of the built up oil crud on suspension, etc shown in other threads by you. if you can, with engine running, figure out which lifter quiets with extra turn. that may be the failed lifter. possibly you can replace that lifter. but, with engine being in operation for so long may not wot work because bottom of lifter is worn to shape of cam. to change the cam and put in all new lifters you do not need to pull the engine. this must be tough since you have not corrected the brake problems either. if you get it running and try to sell it likely will not get much for it if you tell the new owner all the problems. you are learning the hard way that many have learned - nothing is easy or cheap.

 

Thanks, if I loosen the number 4 exhaust rocker arm until it clacks (or until I notice a difference in noise) then go about 1/2 turn it seems to go away then the noise comes back. I tried an additional 1/4 turn and it still did the same. I didn't try this on other ones. Any ideas?

Yeah the brakes at least seem doable and straightforward. not sure on the ticking. I am learning from this, never buying a car like this without a lot of cash to play with to make sure its a solid legit car.

 

#1 intake has a brand new rocker but does seem to pivot after running. What do I need to do to correct this? I had this set at 1/2 turn past zero lash when I had it at TDC and the motor off.

 

Also I've had the car a year and four months and maybe have put 500 miles on it max. supposedly it had 250 miles before I got it after the rebuild. I'm skeptical. The motor was rebuilt as the pistons had stamps on it and looked clean. The person who built the motor may have done a lousy job. not sure. the old oil on the frame, etc was there from the previous owner probably from many years of driving with another motor.

 

Is there any metallic particulate in the oil? It'll sort of look like metal-flake paint. That should tell you if the cam/lifters are going out or not. I see the exhaust stud of number 3 seems to have more threads of the stud exposed than the others (?). When you're adjusting the valves, back off till you get the clatter; wait, then tighten 1/4 of a turn at a time, waiting about 10 seconds between turning another 1/4 turn., and do this until you've done 3/4 of a full turn. If you have an extra valve cover, cut a long slot that is wide enough to fit a socket through the slot to adjust the lifters; it really saves on oil splash and helps to minimize other valve train/engine noise. You can also use a hole saw for each rocker arm through an extra valve cover if you want it to work even better. The clips work, but the fan still will blow oil all over. Lastly, consult a Chilton's or Motor's manual for other tips, such as holding a finger against the spring cup, and feeling for a jolt or slap as the valve closes as a sign of a bad lifter. I would't use ANY type of cleaner/flush on the engine until you get this figured out. Is there any real resistance when you tighten the rocker arm nuts? They are a stressed fit, and do wear out themselves or the studs, and won't hold an adjustment. Usually new nuts take care of that. I'm just going to assume the proper camshaft break-in was done, unless you find metal in the oil. That's all I've got without actually being there. Keep us posted. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

Thanks so much I really appreciate it. I've been depressed and I feel there is still a little hope so it's great to get some responses here!

I have not seen any metal particulates in the oil. The only thing I know for a fact is that the pivot balls go on the studs a little tight, and to take the rockers off I have to pull like a mad man and wiggle. I oiled them really well when I put them back on to readjust but it was a huge pain to get the rockers off. On the driver side it was tough but I did them all. On the passenger side, I couldn't get some of them out so I wiggled them until I felt lash in the push rod and then tightened. That's when I was setting them cold. I was going to buy a new set of roller rocker arms but then felt I could push the lifters on #2 cylinder in by 1/8th inch and thought maybe it was the lifters and not the rockers.

I will look at the other things you mentioned a little later tonight. Thanks so much!

 

Excuse me a minute.
Why...or how , is the #1 rocker sitting like that?

 

It pivots during running, that's what I was telling you. Watch your first video again. Check your pushrod, roll it on glass, check your rocker stud is straight, check the rocker arm and ball.

 

If a rocker is pivoting on and off center, I'll bet the pushrod is bent.

 

Why is the pushrod hole drilled out on that cylinder....with no guide plates?

 

See that's what I don't know! I put a brand new pushrod in it so it should not be bent. New rocker arm as well. I'm not sure why it wants to return to that pivot state.

Anyone had idea? I'm so frustrated with this valve adjustment process and I wonder what is really wrong.

 

It's weird but both #1 cylinder pushrods were replaced.

 

This why I asked you about the hole for the pushrod..Look at the hole for the no. 3 intake...See the difference?

 

I just went in my garage and took these photos. Hmmm any thoughts?

 

Okay I did the best I could with pic...This no.1 intake pushrod hole appears to be round in this photo..The ones next to it do not appear that way.
Is that what I'm seeing ..yes or no?
Because other wise , if that rocker is set with zero or more preload, then it's just about physically impossible for the rocker arm to be off that much without something bad wrong there...and it should be readily apparent.

 

I would start taking a good look at those rocker studs, the #1 cylinder especially. It may be pulled up enough to cock the rocker arm. Look at the bottom of the rocker too.

 

Why is it weird?
& Why is it that they were replaced?

Did you perhaps find them bent?
Replaced them
Then they bent again?

The control for the rocker arm staying perpendicular to the crank center line is the push rod. The control for the pushrod is the lifter cup and the push rod hole or guide plate but FIRST We must posit the pushrod is straight.

posit

verb

1. 
   
   
   • To posit is defined as to assume as fact, to suggest or to set in place.
     
     An example of to posit is to present a theory of how something happened

 

The rocker stud could be bent, but that won't cause oscillating of the rocker while running, it will just stay cockeyeded.

If the same guy that built your car was into that engine, there's no reason to suspect he got this right either, is there?

 

I'm quite surprised that there isn't a shooting gallery of oil spraying out of the rockers when running. I don't recall ever running an SBC without rocker covers and not having oil shooting everywhere. Do you know if there are oil restrictors installed in the lifter galleys? Given that you don't have oil shooting everywhere, and the ticking is at the lifters furthest from the oil supply, I suspect you do. Seems to me that you just have a lifter or two on the passenger side that bleed down too fast. Regarding the wandering rocker, swap the intake and exhaust rockers and balls and see if the problem follows the rocker or not. If it stays with the rocker then you know that there is something wrong with it. If it doesn't, then carefully check the intake rocker stud, pushrod and the pushrod hole in the head. Also make sure the tip of the valve stem is square and not forcing the rocker sideways.

 

Thanks, I replaced the push rods because someone told me I should do that. They were not bent. They had slight marks where they rode against the cylinder hole but they weren't scored too bad. Since they were cheap, I decided to replace them.

 

The shape of the hole is more like a D. In this photo it looks rounder because the rocker arm was centered. This was immediately after I adjusted when cold and at TDC #1.

When it ran, it pivoted and then it's harder to see the shape of the hole. It must have been doing this for a while. I'm not sure.

 

Thanks, when I get home I will do that. It has a new rocker arm and new push rod. I took the head to a machine shop but they only serviced the #1 exhaust as it had a bad spring or something else wrong and it was all burnt up with black oil.

 

If the rocker studs aren't pulling out, sounds like it could be a bad cam lobe.

 

Yea I know but he said an "engine builder" rebuilt this motor. I'm so frustrated and sort of questioning a lot of my decisions.

 

Thanks. Oil wasn't shooting everywhere when I ran the motor with the valve covers off but it did squirt on the lower part of the head and then it dripped all over the exhaust manifolds and smoked up. How do I check for oil restrictors? I'm not sure how to look.

What I do remember is, when I replaced the rocker arms for the #1, one of them had really funny wear at an angle and side of the rocker arm where the push rod rode. This was probably the #1 intake and not the #1 exhaust but I forgot and I think I threw them away but I will look in my garage to see if maybe I saved them.