Still rattles like a mutha!

Lifter swap was completed last night by about 10pm. I also installed a Holley 870 carb while I send the Q-Jet out for refurbishing.

The car no longer has any ticking at idle, I am sure that was the Rhoads. At 3000 rpm and above, under heavy throttle, the engine still rattles pretty good. At 3000 rpm I am showing 40 psi oil pressure or better. Next week I will install TA's oil pressure reg. Do you guys think it might be an oil pressure issue?

The engine doesn't make any other strange noises and seems to run pretty strong. I am off to the track again tonight, weather permitting. I have the new lifters in and the cam seems to be fine. I have the new carb in and half a$$ adjusted and I have drag radials on the back. The 14.5's last time should be history. I would like to see mid to high 13's. Wish me luck.

 

Back off on your timing 2* at a time until it doesn't do that any more. Have you checked inside the distributor to make SURE that the mech. advance limit bushing is in place? what is your initial timing vs. total? Sounds like detonation, hope you get it fixed!!!

Jeff

 

Let me guess, the vacuum advance is not degree restricted, and it's connected to ported vacuum.

Yes? No?

 

The rattle does not seem to be in the engine. It sounds like a torque convertor/trans noise. The tranny is coming out next week to install a shift kit, and R&R the crappy B&M shifter that fell apart in my hands last night.

Doesn't sound like detonation, but we haven't checked to total advance yet. That will get done too, and the dist vacuum is hooked up correctly. Thanks for the ideas guys.

 

....Converter bolts

Thought my engine had grenaded........Converter bolts

 

I've experianced that was well. It's amazing how much nosie they can make......

 

I use the grade 8 "crush" nuts that were sent with my Hughes converter. They seem like they would stay put and not come loose. Brian

 

I did shave three tenths off my QM though:grin: I was still only getting 95 mph. I will be adding an elec fuel pump, I think I had a little starvation. The bigger carb did nothing for me. The new lifters eliminated the tick. The BFG drag radials did wonders for my launch. I was jumping pretty hard in high stall. I was able to beat my buddies high 12 sec Nova off the line every time... then there was this purple flash and nothin but tailights.

 

I was tortured into working on a neighbor's Ford Taurus a few years ago, locked up engine. Wasn't the engine. Converter bolt ahd unscrewed and lodged itself into the trans case, locking the converter outer jacket, stopping the engine cold, so hard it couldn't be turned either way.

Just one drop of Lock-Tite on each bolt, Ford.

 

How did you spin conv. to get to that bolt? Or did you have to remove tranny?

 

If that question was aimed at me, I pulled the engine, as the owner had two estimates for a complete engine from two different dealers, both of whom diagnosed a locked up engine. I just pulled the engine first, found the bolt.

 

Yep, had the same issue with my first GS rebuild when I was 19. Didn't put the loc-tite on the bolts and looked really silly when I went back to the trans shop to have the noise in my fresh rebuild looked into.

ou:

 

Bad news for me guys. The convertor bolts are tight. The knocking is getting worse and sounds like it is in the lower end At first it was under power at 3000 rpm and up. Last night it became louder at any rpm under load. For the first time I could hear it in the driveway just revving the engine from under the hood. It still idles fine, no noises, no miss, but if you crack the throttle good it knocks.

So I am a little bummed. Had the car just a few months, did a bunch of work to it, and now the engine is toast. Fortunately all of the transmission, brake and suspension work is no loss but jeez, I was hoping to at least make it through the summer on this motor. Now it looks like the car will be layed up till spring o No:

 

What is your oil pressure ??

When I toasted my cam bearings it made a pretty good clatter - the oil pressure also had dropped at idle noticably from before......

Start the easy way -

Pull the valve covers and check everything

Make sure none of the rockers are loose by wiggling them all....then move on to starting the motor with the covers off and look for any rockers/pushrods that aren't moving. Also look to see that all pushrods are spewing oil.

Next - Id dump the oil into a BIG WIDE catch pan......let it settle and slowly skim the oil off the top until theres just a bit of oil left. Look for metal.....also use a magnet. Next, take the oil filter off and cut it open - again you're looking for metal. Best way I've found to do this without contaminating it with filter-case metal is to use an Awl or punch to make a hole and then use tin snips to cit it open.....If you use a hacksaw or bandsaw you'll have a mess from the case fragments.

Next....would be to remove the intake....and heads. inspect the top of the pistons, the head bowls etc looking for suspicious things. Look at the cam bearings to see if a bearing has spun. Look at the cyl. walls

All this can be done without yanking the motor.....and if no metal is found and the cause is determined, possibly fixed with motor in car

Hope this helps

 

Thanks for the ideas Alan. The entire valvetrain is new, right down to the cam and cam bearings, rockers and shafts. The cam seemed to break in just fine and I have put about 500 miles on it. I kind of doubt it is going to be a simple fix. I have no history on the engine. I threw some parts at it to see how it would run. It seems to me that it just wasn't up to a couple nights at the drags, I guess thats just how it goes. I had planned on having Jim W build me an engine anyway, I guess it will just end up being sooner than later. I am not going to try and do it myself. I just don't have the time or resources to build it like Jim will. I really want something fast and reliable, not sure my skills would produce that. I am mostly bummed that car will be down for the rest of the summer. I was really getting into the drag racing

 

Brent my 455 did the same thing idled perfect super oil pressure but anything off idle it went to hammering. It was sitting outside and I was going to put it in the shop to change the slicks back street tires and while it was idleing it just slowly died never to start again I could turn it over by hand or without the sparkplugs the starter would slowly turn it over. When I pulled it apart it had a spun rod bearing and that was that. Not much left of the bearing. Sorry to hear your woes, I know what you are going through if you find what I found.
Thanks Rick

 

Hey !!! Doesn't cost anything to start tearing it apart.....its puttin' it back together thats the hard part and you never know - you just might get lucky.

Id at least pull the valve covers off and do that part of the inspection....o No:

 

I'd be inclined to agree with the spun rod bearing.

 

Alan, thanks for the optomism man but I had it all apart Monday night. I had the rattle Saturday, pulled it apart Sunday, valve covers and intake. I did cure the collapsed lifter problem but not the knock. Tues night it lived through 8 QM runs, tough bugger! All was well with the valvetrain, cam was not flat, good oiling etc. I may pull it apart just for the heck of it but I am pretty sure it is toast. It definately sounds like a rod bearing to me too

 

Brent,

I returned your email to me, a couple of different times, and it keeps kicking it back..

Give me a buzz, and we will talk

Cell is 612-532-2207 or the new shop number is 763-422-8685.

We'll fix you right up.. no problem..

:TU:

JW