I have a lot of lifter noise. all on the passengers side. is there any way to adjust this or to see if something let loose under the valve cover? when i bought it it had no lifter noise and that was about 8000 miles ago. it does have a lot of miles 134k when i redid the intake manifold (put on a 4bbl) the cam appeared fine and a good number of the lifters were still still holding. unfortunately I'm not looking to do a rebuild on this at this time due to $$ and other uncertanties. also I have a lot of noise on start up until the oil pressure builds every morning. I did think it was an exaust leak but it dosen't sound the same as when i did have an exaust leak. but there is a hiss sound involved. so it makes me think bad valve. I suppose i could do a compression test on it... any other ideas? Nate
One other thing to check is when the engine is running wiggle the spark plug wires and check to see if any of them are loose. You can get some funny noises from them if they are not tight. Just a thought.
Get a oil guage first, make sure you're getting enough pressure. Sometimes lifters get a little bit of crap in them and don't seal to good, or they just go bad. You can get lifters at a parts store, I think I paid like $5 a peice or so...
i was getting alot of noise from my passenger side valve cover, it ended up being my oil pump was going bad, if the pressure gets low the lifters will tick. my .02
oil pressure my oil pressure at hot idle is a lil above 10 so guessing 11-12 just rebuilt the oil pump and installed a booster plate also. nate
Have you checked the oil level? Mine started ticking and I just had low oil level. It went away after I added some.:grin:
been doing it its been doing it since full (not over) and its still between the high and low on the stick.. although... I did use marvel mystery in it just before I stored it. (maybe 300 miles? on the oil change) and I changed the oil when I changed the intake. I'm pretty sure the lifter noise was there before the intake change. maybe I just hosed the lifters. o No: do I really want to tear it apart again? it would be nice to have it running quiet again though.....
you said you rebuilt the pump; did you set the end-clearance properly? It sounds like you might have some trouble there. If you use the standard replacement gasket is isn't uncommon to get too much clearance. HTH
if anything too little when reassembling i thought i may have had too little clearance. but it checked ok and like i said it runs at hot idle with 10w-40 at no less than 10 psi.
Nate, I've had exhaust leaks from both manifolds on my GS and at first thought I had a lifter problem also. First time I had a leak I could make it better by tightening a manifold bolt. I finally ended up pulling the head and installing an exhaust manifold gasket, and replaced the lifters at the same time. I could hear a noise on the pass. side and thought it was a lifter. Problem was solved on drivers side but I soon realized that the noise on the pass. side was from another leak. So I pulled both heads this time and installed exhaust gaskets on both sides. Did a 3 angle valve job and some mild porting while I was at it. I should have done them both the first time. Anyway, listen and feel around with the engine running while cold around the areas that the heads attach to the exhaust manifolds. It might just be a leak.
Nate, how is the noise these days? I'm wondering if you have worn valves, valve springs or valve guides and stems. Consult a good Troubleshooting section of a Chilton's or similar car repair manual to aide in further diagnosis. See you at Solid Gold McDonald's on sunny Wednesdays, Borchardt Speed Shop on Father's Day, and HOLZ on July Fourth! --Dennis in Milwaukee www.geocities.com/dennisoboyle/1969buickGS
yea i'm worried about all the same "worn valves springs etc... I hope not.. since is it really worth rebuilding the 350 when a 455 is so cheap.... and the cost is simmilar cept for the rearend i need to switch out... dude gimme addys of those locations you mentioned. i'll bring it by but it by no means is restored or show ready (nor will it prolly ever be) I don't know of any places around milwaukee to meet up with car guys. Nate
I'm in the same position... but I think Im just gonna find a used 350 (there's one in the parts for sale section that is beckoning me but I just simply don't have the funds right now) to drop in... wanna have it in before June 7th... gonna take it to a shop (where I know the guy knows old cars... not Buicks specifically, but he's the closest I can find... he has a fully frame off'd 65 Fairlane 500 with a 390 and a 4 speed, a concourse quality 56 Chevy, and another plain jane fairlane about to recieve a 390/C6 transplant) hopefully Friday to see if he can tell whats going on...
rearend you wont have to switch out your rearend if the 455 is stock. I beat the living god out of a 350 drivetrain with my 455 until I did my ford 9" swap. Even when my 455 made close to 500 HP, I still ran the th350 with no problem. It was built for that purpose, but a stock 455 isnt gonna do anything to drastic. I doubt you could put a car through more than my GS has been through, and nothing broke.
Thanks, Nate, Keep your head up, man, your car is really nice, rare, and probably runs better than many on the road today. I'll set you up with those car show places in a moment but because you mentioned "hooking up with car guys", the first thing to do is come on over to the West Allis Auto Club. Imagine having access to a car dealer service department. All the tools, knowledgeable mechanics who are your friends, overhead hoists, sand blasters, air wrenches putting out 400 pounds of torque, a cross-flow spray booth, a place to change your oil or restore your entire car, only about $150 per year. THAT is the West Allis Auto Club. I first came to the Club in 1969 when I was a kid and later joined when I did a frame-off, acid-dip restoration of my favorite car from the film "American Graffiti", a 1955 Chevy. Nate, the Club is located on South 100th Street and West maple Street, 1721 S. 100th St. To Get there, go to W. Greenfield Ave. Then, go to 101st and Greenfield, right by the big Credit Union there and across the street from that family restaurant on the corner, yeah, that's it. Now, go south on 101st Street until you reach Maple, turn, dude, turn, and YOU have arrived at the West Allis Auto Club. Come on in for a FREE tour, tell them that Dennis J. O'Boyle sent you. They call me BIG BLOCK but everyone knows my name as The VOICE of God on News/Talk 1130, WISN AM Milwaukee, yes, I'm an announcer too. The Club phone number is 414-258-9533 in case you get lost. Come on in, ask for Buick Dave and check us out, you will be amazed, I guarantee it. We have all the Chilton's manuals, YES, all of them, every year. At the West Allis Auto Club you'll find lots of people your age, men and women, getting by on a budget. There are all kinds of tools, you know, the special kind that you wonder about buying. Well, my friend, you don't need them because the Club has them all! Unique in all the world. California drools at what Wisconsin has when it comes to the West Allis Auto Club. On the Street Rodder Power Tour a couple of years ago, the editors couldn't believe what we offer for such a low price. As far as we know, no one in the world has a place like the Club. But, so what, right, that's not why you should care about it. If you want a really good place to hang out, watch cable t.v., listen to tunes, read car magazines, chat with knowledgeable car guys, cruise to the best spots in the area, AND fix your car, come on in. Now, Solid Gold McDonald's is located on S. 76th Street, Nate, near Southridge Mall. Wednesday after five p.m. from April through October, BE THERE! Hundreds of cars every week! Thousands of spectators! Come on in! Borchardt Speed Shop is on S. 27th St. just north of College Ave. Talk to Mike, he knows engines and can dyno tune yours on the chassis dyno AFTER he analyzes the problem. Or, just call Mike and ask him or his wife for a Car Show Entry Form. Hurry! HOLZ has the great Fourth of July Show every year, Holz Chevrolet, HY 100 and Forest Home Ave. in Hales Corners. Call and ask for a Car Show Entry Form.
Re: rearend I dunno if this is a relief to anyone else, but it means that if I find a running 430/455 I won't have to worry about exploding my 8.2 :grin: :grin: Good luck getting your car back in top condition soon!!
Re: Re: rearend I'm in your boat. with the 8.2" rear end and no posi. and yes the way I drive I really should have a posi. another thing I need to do is get rid of the polyglass tires in the rear..... yea yea yea I know... there in pretty good shape though. and I'm going to need to put 15" on soon once I get the disc brakes... soon so thats my priority for now. though as long as I stay out of the secondarys I have EXCELENT throttle response so wheel spin is easily controlable (as long as I don't hit manhole covers....) not to toot my own horn I think I did a darn good job on rejetting my carb, though access to a chassis dyno would be nice... stupid rain and cold weather lately but I guess its good so I stay in and get my class work finished on time so I can walk across the stage may 24th and become an "engineer" Thanks Dennis, I'll have to check all of those places out. I'll keep my eyes peeled for a '55 and the GS and about the club.. maybe I can keep my downtown apt. and not need to look for a place with individual garages (though indoor storage would be very nice.) Nate
Traction was an issue when the car was running good (and I didn't have to run the timing so low) with radials... I can't even imagine with polyglas tires... or with more power (unfortunately, this is the most powerful car I've ever owned)... oh and hey, congrats on graduating soon :grin:
Congrats, Nate! If you have an apartment in downtown Milwaukee I figure you're going to MSOE, MU, or UW-M. As a Technical Writer I try to help the Engineering Staff keep our documentation straight. Unfortunately we're not hiring right now, unless you want to go to Boston (www.amsuper.com). McHenry, IL is where my last supervisor lives, his name is Dr. Clyde R. Anderson, Ph.D. We worked together at Abbott Laboratories in Waukegan; he lives near you in Richmond, IL. Small world. I'm switching my '69 350/auto to a 455/four-speed this summer but in July I'm also "acquiring" another '69 350 so I'm just not worrying about how the car runs right now, it puffs along and gets me wherever I go, 50 miles or more at a crack sometimes. Keep up the good work, Nate, we here at V8 Buick.com will keep our eyes open for job opportunities for you -- as well as good advice on that lifter noise.....
skool yep I'm soon to be a MSOE grad. I currently work at Briggs and Stratton though there are no openings for me certan as an ME there... though they do have a few that i'm applying for if that makes any sence. The rent I pay here is insanely cheap and being right between downtown and the east side (I live on Albion right next to Mr. Shoe) heat and water is included and its never been cold in our building. I coulden't be happier with our location. and I have off the street parking. I'm actually closer to richmond im in Johnsburg just north of mchenry Nate
