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Ticking Noise Under Valve Cover and Timing Question 350 sbc


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Just got the exhaust on the 350 sbc and now I am hearing a ticking noise from under the valve cover for the first time. Could this be a sticky lifter or something more serious?

 

I cranked in a lot of advance on the 350 sbc which resulted in great throttle response. However, when the engine heats up it is hard to start. The starter labors to crank the engine. It will start if I hold the pedel to the floor, but it takes awhile. I retarded the timing and it starts ok when hot. How do dial in the advanced timing and not have the starting problem?

 

Thanks

 

Miles

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Guest greimann

For your valve question, you may need to take another 1/2 a turn on the hold down nut on the one that is ticking.

 

For your starter question, you may need to step up to a gear drive starter. They have so much more torque that the stock starter that they can crank through high compression and advanced timing. You can get these starters from Jegs or Summit. I have 10.5:1 compression and a gear drive was the only thing that could reliably crank it. Another good thing is they are impervious to the hot starter - no crank problem that Chevys are famous for.

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Guest Anonymous

I agree, the noise is probably just a loose rocker, it'll probably make itself known once you run it with the cover off which one it is. Do get a set of those valve oil splash clips to put on over the rocker arm as if you get oil all over and if it catches fire it can really mess up a wiring harness (don't ask how I know this... :rolleyes: ).

 

I'm sorry I don't remember Miles, did you guys build this engine or was it a running motor used?

 

If you built it, its probably just a loose one, and the fix is as suggested. If the motor has miles on it, it could be a sticky lifter, oil additives might free it up. But it still wouldn't hurt to just give it a quarter to half turn to see if that quiets it down. If the engine stumbles but doesn't recover once the hydraulic takes up the slack then you've got it to tight and the valve is hanging open.

 

In the old school daze, I've taken 1/2 quart of oil out (or wait till it burns it if it does) and put in 1/2 quart automatic transmission fluid. It often unsticks a sticky lifter, whether that is a approved practice I donno, I learned it from a automatic transmission teacher that used to race Dodges and also repaired the transmissions of CHP's cars. He was an older mechanic that was super sharp. *shrug* Good luck with it.

 

On the starter, I know they like advance quite a lot, one cheating way of doing it is like some of the old school guys used to do and just connect a switch to the power on the distributor, crank the engine with the switch off and when it gets enough momentum you flip on the switch, this prevents the motor from firing to far advanced and preventing it from rotating easily. Detonation will be the final say however on what sort of advance you can run and not ping. A Ford solenoid conversion will fix that hot start problem BTW without resorting to gear drive starters although they are nice to have.

 

Regards,

 

Lone

 

Ps: Just thought about it but, if you are using headers make sure the bolts are retightened at the head and at the collectors, if they're loose in either spot it'll sound very much like a loose lifter. I found I had to run copper collector gaskets as it was eating those cheap Mr. Gasket asbestos (or whatever the material it is) ones. Just a thought.

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Lone

 

The engine was previously built. I read somewhere in the forum that there is an additive you put in the gas and in with the oil that is supposed to free up lifters and clean up deposits in the piston ring grooves. If someone knows of a good additive let me know.

 

The Ford solinoid: just splice it into the wire going to the starter? Also, I like the idea of a cut out switch on the ignition wire to help cranking a hot engine with lots of advance. It would serve to frustrate the car theives too!

 

Eventually, we are going install a new crate engine.

 

Thanks

 

Miles

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Miles, I have used "CD2 Oil Detergent," available at the local Kragen auto parts store, with much success. It comes in a yellow bottle and seems to do the job reasonably well. 1 to 2 bottles should do the trick if your problem is in fact a sticking lifter. Hope this helps.

 

Davy

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Guest HIGHRPM
Originally posted by Miles:

Lone

 

The engine was previously built. I read somewhere in the forum that there is an additive you put in the gas and in with the oil that is supposed to free up lifters and clean up deposits in the piston ring grooves. If someone knows of a good additive let me know.

 

The Ford solinoid: just splice it into the wire going to the starter? Also, I like the idea of a cut out switch on the ignition wire to help cranking a hot engine with lots of advance. It would serve to frustrate the car theives too!

 

Eventually, we are going install a new crate engine.

 

Thanks

 

Miles

If the problem might be a sticky lifter, which is more often caused by a varnish buildup on the lower body of the lifter, I have a cheap fix for you. Being a tech for way to many years , you learn of tricks or chemicals that fix problems that they were not designed for. A GM product called EOS which is short for engine oil supplement does wonders to remove varnish from the lifters. Working at a GM dealership, we constantly ran into these types of noises, which were mainly due to poor or long overdue oil changes. Anyways, just buy a can for a V8 sized motor, dump it in your oil and either let it sit and idle or go for a drive.If it is a sticky lifter,this stuff should do it, it has never failed in all my years of using it and I still am. The can Of EOS is very cheap and worth a try, as it won't harm anything. Good luck, I hope this helps. smile.gif
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Guest zthang43

Since you started hearing the ticking noise after you put on the exhaust (I'm assuming headers?) it would make sense if it were a exhaust leak. Small block chevy headers are notorious for developing a slight leak at the two center exhaust ports when using headers. Since the two bolts in that location are spaced so far apart, the header will distort slightly when it heats up, and can cause an exhaust leak. Once it has done it a little, it will leak all the time since the gaskets burn up unless you use copper ones. I found that using double gaskets helps this some. My chevelle leaks like that, and it sounds EXACTLY like a lifter, but it's not. I just replace gaskets sometimes. (Mine is worse than most though).

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I'll tighten up headers and try the oil treatment.

I't will be a while before I can get back to this. Right now I am trying to resolve the differential yoke hitting the E brake lever arm in the tunnel. Just put in a solid front diff mount and the driveshaft yoke is now right against the E brake lever arm. One step forward and one back sometimes.

 

Thanks

 

Miles

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  • 7 years later...

I second the exaust leak idea.

 

I was running a freshly rebuilt 355 in my k2500, towing and hauling at least double what your supposed to.... From wyoming to california... in December...

 

Anyhow, you can see how this story unfolds. Heard what sounded a lifter tick, and since i was going uphill (on the way to slc) and percieved a slight power loss, and knowing that I am at about my 1000 mile lifter adjustment, I ended up doing a valve adjustment on the side of I-80, at night, in a budding snowstorm... wonderful. Turned out to be a exaust leak from the nice new headers.

 

I also lost the rear seal on my getrag 5 speed, while still in wyoming. Didnt figure it out until I was halfway through nevada. Its fun to have to refill your tranny every time you stop for gas. (The Z would never rust again! it was too coated in oil!) I limped the darn thing with NO synchros all the way in 24 road hours. Sheer brutality mixed with a bunch of little rushed engine install type surprises.

 

Wow.. got way off topic there.

 

as far as the ebrake handle problem... wow, are you sure you have correct driveshaft alignment with that diff mount? I know my clearances were more than acceptable, and i had alignment in the + or - 1.5 degree range. (note, my z-build knowledge base hasnt been used in 5 years)

 

Joe

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the additive is MARVEL MYSTERY OIL,

add a quart to the engine and its solvents tend to break loose crud over a short time

you can,t just advance ignition timing randomly you need to KNOW exactly where the total timing advances too and the rate of advance, vs rpms

 

http://forum.grumpysperformance.com/viewtopic.php?f=70&t=1809

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Oops...

 

That can happen when you have been on Hybridz for hours on end... especially when you start clicking through the similar threads section on the bottom..

 

wow..

Whats funny is that early this week I resurrected MY OWN 5 year old thread. At least that time I knew what I was doing.

 

Joe

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