I think I have done it!!

[sscam69]

I think I have blown a valve :cry

There is a pretty loud ticking sound coming from the engine bay. I drove it out to the local legal street races and back (45 min drive to and fro) with no problems. Everything was fine. Nothing sounded out of place or abnormal. Went to drop off some movies the other night and knock knock knock........ I thinks its valve train because of the frequency of the sound.

This sucks!! I was just about to replace the 3.08 with a 3.8 and take it to the track to see what she could do.

Haven't been around much looks like I have missed out on a few things.

Frank

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

Frank,
pull your valve covers and inspect your rockers. make sure all the valves are moving full stroke and nothing is loose. it is common to bend a pushrod, have a rocker nut back off or break a rocker stud. these are easy enough to fix, but still annoying. if your sure everything looks good under the valve cover, then a compression test will solidify your options. Brian

 

[sscam69]

Thanks for the heads up Brian

That was going to be my first plan of attack. I am hoping that its just my rocker arms but we will see. I will be taking a look at it today.

Frank

 

[Stallion]

Can you just take off the valve covers and keep the Vette running? I thought the covers were necessary?

Good luck with the fix and I hope it turns out well for you.

TR

 

[JonM]

Sure you can...just not for a very long time...the secret is "Ventilation"...oil usually falls onthe manifolds

Can you just take off the valve covers and keep the Vette running? I thought the covers were necessary?

Good luck with the fix and I hope it turns out well for you.

TR

 

[Stallion]

Jon, I guess I'm not 100% sure on the functionality of the valve covers. Why exactly is oil necessary under the valve covers? Just to lubricate the path of the valves? That's why, I assume, you can't have a leak in them?

Thanks, Jon!

TR

 

[sscam69]

Can you just take off the valve covers and keep the Vette running? I thought the covers were necessary?

Good luck with the fix and I hope it turns out well for you.

TR

Thanks a lot TR.

I hope it turns out well for you

I hope so to!

Jon, I guess I'm not 100% sure on the functionality of the valve covers. Why exactly is oil necessary under the valve covers? Just to lubricate the path of the valves? That's why, I assume, you can't have a leak in them?

Basically to protect the valvetrain from debris and prevent oil from going all over the place. Kinda cool how the the valvetrain is lubricated.

The oil from the oil gallery goes into the hydraulic lifters, from the lifters it is pumped up through the push rod and exits a small orifice on the rocker arm. The oil then falls over the springs and tips for the rocker arms.

I will try and get a snap shot for you so you can understand better.

Frank

OH and congrats on YOUR vette TR

 

[GerryLP]

Frank,

I think that you mentioned in past post that you had replaced the cam, lifters, push rods and the like. So I guess that the possibility of a collapsed (can't remember the proper term now) hydraulic lifter is not the cause. They need to be soaked in oil, but I think that your better brands may not require this.

Springs? cam lift too high for head?

 

[Stallion]

Thanks a lot, Frank.

So with the valve train it's quite a "messy" oil lubing process therefore the need for the vavle covers to keep it all in? I think I see what you mean.

TR

 

[GaryS]

It's a shot in the dark but sometimes ticking is only an exhaust leak at the exhaust manifold. Check all of the bolts for both sides of the exhaust manifold and feel around to see if you can hear or feel an exhaust leak.
Gary

 

[Big "O"]

Last time I heard a knock like that, it turned out to be loose bolts on the flywheel. The flywheel's bolt holes apparently got a little larger and caused an imbalance. I'm guessing too much torque applied between engine and trans applied. Engine never missed a beat.
Just my thought!

 

[sscam69]

I didn't have a chance to get to it today, but will tommorow.

I think that you mentioned in past post that you had replaced the cam, lifters, push rods and the like. So I guess that the possibility of a collapsed (can't remember the proper term now) hydraulic lifter is not the cause. They need to be soaked in oil, but I think that your better brands may not require this.

Springs? cam lift too high for head?

Yes I did. It has new lifters and springs that match the cam. I am looking at the cam card and the lift on the intake .477" and exhaust .48". It was a kit that I bought from Comp Cams. I have the stock heads, 462 castings I believe.

I don't think it was a requirement to soak them in the oil, but I did it anyways figuring it wouldn't hurt to do it. I used cam lube on both the cam and the lifters. I also used dyno (non synthetic) oil for the break in for 15 min @ 2k rpm.

So with the valve train it's quite a "messy" oil lubing process therefore the need for the vavle covers to keep it all in?

Yup its a pretty messy affair if the engine is on. There is oil squirting all over the place to keep everything well lubricated. My camera is on the fritz. The software does not want to recognize the camera :confused. I will try and get pics for you TR.

It's a shot in the dark but sometimes ticking is only an exhaust leak at the exhaust manifold. Check all of the bolts for both sides of the exhaust manifold and feel around to see if you can hear or feel an exhaust leak.

Thats what I thought initially. In fact the guy who did the exhaust welded it to the frame and the weld broke leaving a hole the size of a quarter in the exhaust. I patched it up and when this new sound started I thought it was exhaust. I listened but its not a raspy sound typical of exhaust leak. I will check again anyways, doesn't hurt.

Last time I heard a knock like that, it turned out to be loose bolts on the flywheel. The flywheel's bolt holes apparently got a little larger and caused an imbalance. I'm guessing too much torque applied between engine and trans applied. Engine never missed a beat.

Funny you mention flywheel. Just recently when I have my foot pressed on the clutch waiting for the light to go green you can hear a squeaky sound. Kina like something is just barely rubbing but with a high pitched squeak. Dunno, any quesses?

Thans for your guys replys. Diffenetly some other possibilitys.

Gerry LP Good News!! My fiance is going to get a position at Sandia. They are in the process of putting it in writing. So it looks like I'll be moving up to Albuquerque. I am also working through her contacts to get a position up there of some sort. As soon as we get the "official paper" we are going to start looking for apartments up there. Things are finally looking on the up and up

Frank

 

[Stallion]

Okay, sounds good, Frank. Sounds like there may be many of things possibly causing this. Good luck in the search for the problem. I'm sure you'll find it soon and fix it.

TR

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

Frank,
the squeal with the clutch depressed sounds like a dry throw-out bearing. if the squeal only happens with the clutch depressed, start there. it may also be a dry pilot bering/bushing. the pilot bearing, or bushing depending on what was installed, is pressed into the crank's flywheel flange. they get dry and become annoying. other things that cause squeaks are misadjusted clutch linkages and bent throw-out forks. these are easy to identify by the clutch grabbing when the pedal is just off the floorboard. i have seen clutch disks that give off a brake pad squeal during engagement. best of luck finding it, they are trying on the nerves. Brian

 

[GerryLP]

Gerry LP Good News!! My fiance is going to get a position at Sandia.

That's great news, Frank!! I told you -they gather all the brain power they can, and looks like your future wife has the brains in the family....:L...just kidding....:L

Definetely let me know when you come up house hunting or whatever. I'll give you the 7¢ tour (prices have gone up).

 

[sscam69]

and looks like your future wife has the brains in the family.......just kidding....

:L Very Funny (in scarcastic voice):L

Gerry we will be renting an appartment or a house (we both prefer a house,like the idea of privacy and I'll have a place to wrench) for a while.

misadjusted clutch linkages

I am thinking thats what it is, more like I hope. After installing the cam and pulling off the heads I saw how well the mechanic did the rebuild, lets just say the details that go into building an engine that separate it from a good build and a bad one were all pointing to bad

 

[sscam69]

The verdict is in!

The verdict is in!

My engine ate a pushrod. Its floating around in the oil gallery. Something else is going on as well. Right bank is dry, no oiling . Left bank looks very healthy.

I will post details later on with pics of my puters stops being a PITA.

 

[GerryLP]

Frank,

WOW! :eek I hope that you can show us a pick on the damage. What do you think did it?

 

[AKRAY4PLAY]

Frank,
no oiling is way bad!!!!!!!!!!!!! if the guy who rebuilt your motor installed threaded plugs in the bell housing area of the cam plug, it sounds like they were threaded too far. if that happens, the oil passage gets shut off to the lifters and head on that side. my old roommate had a rebuilt motor that lasted two years like that, but one night of hard running welded his cam in the block!!! try pulling the intake and running the oil pump with a drill. you should see oil at the lifters. expect to see oil coming up through the dist. hole. the best thing to do is get an old junk distributor and pull the timing gear off. then it makes a great driver tool for the pump. it will enable you to inspect the whole oiling system without turning the motor over. if the pushrod that cratered is on the side with no oiling, then the lifters are collapsed and need replaced. bottom line, get ahold of the motor man by the throat. it is starting to look bad, SORRY, Brian

 

[vigman]

Oops... yeah VERY BAD

I agree with Brian,
So the oil restrictors are on the BACK SIDE of the block ( tranny side) the hot setup used to be 2 allen set screws on the feed rail going to the lifter galley..Hot Rodders reduced the amount of oil going up there by screwing the allens in blocking the path.. espically if 1 side is oiling like gangbusters that would seem to be your problem.


Sorry Bro!


Vig!