oil pressure and tick

Hi Guys. I am wondering if someone can help me out. I just had a shop in town rebuild my 1972 350. It is all stock except it is 40 over(10and 10 on bearings) with a comp cam(260H) comp lifters but stock springs.(they said the comp springs were too stiff and wouldn't work). The motor sounds fine until it is warmed up good then it has a tick that sounds like it is coming from the drivers side . It doesn't sound like a lifter maybe more like a rocker arm. It had an oil pressure problem so they put in a hi pressure hi volume kit.warm at an idle in gear(650 rpm) it only has 15 lbs 20lbs in park and 50-55 on the highway. Is this an ok figure for a motor that has 150 miles on it? Do all motors with aftermarket cams sound a little louder? The shop doesn't know what to do . Said keep an eve on the oil pressure and sounds if they get worse bring it back. Any Ideas? Thanks John

 

Oil Pressure sounds right for a 350, I'm not sure about the ticko No:
I would change the filter and oil after a good warm run and go from there:Smarty:
They sound like a responsible shop:Smarty: :TU:
Good Luck:TU: :TU:

 

PS, the high pressure pump is just a bandaid.
A rebuilt motor should'nt need it, I would question the shops clearences:Smarty:

 

Thanks. I think they used stock pushrods but I am going to print all replys and show then to the person that rebuilt the motor

 

Larry,
you the man, what do you think of my response about the high preesure pump?:Smarty:

 

As far as the oil pressure before the kit it had only about 9-11 lbs at an idle warm.That is why they chose to put in the hi pressure volume kit

 

Exactly!!!

 

You sure it isn't an exhaust tick? Get a rubber hose and put one end on the exhaust manifolds by each of the ports and the other to your ear and check it out for sure. Have you re-torqued the exhaust manifold bolts now that it has been run and heated up a little?

I had a "lifter tick" that you could barely hear at idle (becuase the fast idle was so loud) and could really hear when it "warmed up". Turned out that I didn't have a good seal at the head for the two middle cylinders or at the exhaust donut.

Just a thought.....

 

Yea you gotta make sure a shop has delt with Buicks before.
Its nothing like doing a chevy.

I would stop running it till you find out what all they did or didn't do.

 

My old engine did that..........it drove me CRAZY............I tried the shorter pushrods among many other expensive things, including another cam, to no improvement.........only thing that seemed to help was different heads, and here's why-

When the original guides were pressed out, they were not concentric. Some were really bad, right from the factory. The new guides were concentric..........and that put the spring seats and valve stem orientation out of whack, and also caused the valve seats to have to be ground too deep, causing the stem height to be way too high. Shortening them down to specs would make the keeper area at the end of the valve stems too thin.

Perhaps on 350 heads it is possible to install all new seats to compensate.

I don't know if the 350 has removable guides, or if they were manufactured the same way the Nailheads were, but that may be your problem. If the spring seats are not centered, it will make the valve stems pull sideways causing a slight clicking when hot after things expand. I know having a valve guide sleeved is not the preferred way to do it, but it is the only way to keep things centered. I had my new ones sleeved and have not had the above problems this time around.

I know a 350 is a different engine than a Nailhead, but maybe the above information will help you. You might also try using an oil cooler. :bglasses:

 

What kind of shop chooses to use stock valve springs instead of what the cam manufacturer recommends?

I hear alarm bells.

 

Well Guess what. It was the fuel pump.The spring must have been a little week(it was not broke) and then it just made it sound like it was the rocker arms. Thanks for all the help John

 

Consider yourself lucky.:grin: