The only cam I have ever lost was because of that..... at 3000 miles the tick developed and progressively got worse intill I finally tore it down to fix it.... pull the rocker covers and listen to the individual rocker arms , find the one/ones that are noisy and then take the rocker/pushrod/lifter out and inspect them and while the lifter is out look at the cam lobe.... then,,,,, if a cam lobe is bad,,, drop the pan and check the oil pump / bottom end bearings for damage.....if they are damaged , replace them and change the oil and filter and then keep zinc in the oil from now on.... do not,, do not,, depend on the oil pick up screen/oil filter to remove the metal chips and prevent bearing damage... they will not do it.....
And the culprit is......... Number 5 intake. There is plenty of play between the rocker and the valve. All springs seem tight. Next I will pull the rocker assembly. Anything to watch for while doing this?? Keep in mind this will be the first time I've gotten this deep into a nail head. My biggest fear might be realized in that the cam has lost a lobe.
Tom, CAREFULLY pull the rocker assembly off. With the pushrods being solid with NO oiling holes they have a tendency to stick to the lifters. Not so much the rocker end because the rocker pocket has an oiling hole. Before just pulling up on the pushrod wiggle the pushrod a little to "Unstick" it from the lifter. Tom T. ---------- Post added at 09:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:30 PM ---------- Forgot to add. Worse case scenerio the lifter will be pulled out of the lifter galley & fall into the pan.
Thank you Tom!! I was hoping you would chime in. I've dealt with similar rocker shaft assemblies on Ford FE engines before. IIRC, their pushrods are hollow.
I made a few phone calls to Mark, and the shop that did the engine work Tuesday morning to discuss why number 5 intake valve has far too much clearance, ie: the loud ticking. I have not yet received the oil analyisis report either. Mark then made a most gracious offer to take the car back, which I accepted. He definitely did not have to do this. It speaks volumes to his character. :TU::TU: I will be sad to see the car leave, as it is a blast to drive. However, we both felt it best to send the car back to Iowa to have the engine looked at by the shop which did the work. There is absolutely no ill will on my part as sometimes stuff just happens. I do get the occasional feeling that perhaps my owning a nice car is simply not in the cards. :error: I was so looking forward to bringing it to BPG this year too. Guess I need to step up and try getting my other one road ready.
truly a stand up thing to do on Mark's part. Sorry about the car i remember the pictures from when you bought it and ists a real good looking car.
Mister T, That is one nice car, been following threads since you first talked about it. Man, if you like it that much, why not let Mark fix it and keep it? Just sayin' o No:.Any way, best of luck. Saw your other car on here, looks like a nice headstart for a sharp car too. Michael
Because Mark is going to bring it home, and the guys that built the engine will fix it for me then I am going to play with it for the summer. I don't have any enclosed cars with A/C so this will be a joy to have back for awhile.
Pulled the intake and valley cover today. What I found isn't what I expected. :error: Cam lobe number 5 intake looks fine, see attached 17 second video. Mark and I have been communicating off line about this, working toward a solution. I may very end up keeping the car after all. Click anywhere on the picture. For the record, this thread is only meant to find a solution, period. I was discouraged with how soon this issue developed, initially thinking the worst. That was based on previous threads about nail head engines losing cams so quickly after replacement. Part of my continuing education about these unique engines comes from reading posts from Tom T., Doc, Walt, John, and others who've already been there, and done that. For that education, I am eternally thankful. At my age, sometimes information doesn't stick so easily as it did in my twenties, and thirties.ou:
Does the lifter look collapsed or anything? The rocker isn't even close to touching the valve in your other video...Have you checked the pushrod?
I have not yet pulled the rocker arm assembly. See attached video and photos. Video of rocker arm motion, click anywhere.:Comp: Photos: This gives you an idea of how much space is between the rocker and valve stem.:eek2: Number 5 intake cam lobe. It actually looks pretty good. Lifter in question Close up of same lifter and pushrod. Sorry for the blurred photo.
OOOOOK, after looking at the video,,,, check out the pushrod... and the lifter and replace which ever one is defective and you should be good to go.... about a 30 minute job if you are like me, and work slow....just loosen the bolts holding the rocker arm shaft and lift the whole assembly up enough to get the pushrod out, then check it to see if it is straight and if it is replace the lifter,,, and that puppy should be good to go.... well,,, after you get it back together....:Brow: but be double sure that you have and keep zddp additive in the oil.....it is a absolute must....
So, I can simply replace lifter and pushrod without concern for cam failure on that lobe?? If I'm this deep into the engine, it would seem prudent to replace both yes/no?? Is break in lube required for the new lifter?? I have one last bottle of ZDDP left, time to get more at BPG. BTW 30 minutes might be optimistic, even for me.:laugh: It took more than an hour to remove the intake and valley pan after disconnecting the peripherals.ou: That's ten bolts, some gentle prying, (no cussing) and one quick trip back into the air conditioned house. :grin: Realize that those parts just aren't readily available up here, so I need to make a phone call Monday morning. :beers2: Thank you to all who looked, and offered assistance.:TU::TU::TU: You guys are the greatest!! Oh yeah, purely on a whim, yesterday I bought a new tripod for my camera. That's one thing to be thankful for.
I can see it has a COLLAPSED lifter. Compare the height of the pushrod seat in the bad lifter as opposed to the others. Probably N/G from the time it was put in & driving it the distance you had just made it happen sooner than later. Take the lifter apart, I will almost bet there is some manufacturing debris in there. Don't worry about experimenting as you will be replacing that lifter anyway & you will be gaining MORE experience. I NEVER install new lifters without taking them apart & cleaning them. A couple hours spent beforehand can save you the trouble your going through now. Pull out the pushrod & roll it on a very FLAT surface. A piece of glass is best. IF, there is anything wrong with it, it will show right up. NO wiggley as it rolls. I would put cam lube on that ONE lifter only. That's all that's needed. Start the engine & hold it at about 1800 RPM's for about 15-20 minutes & you should be good to go. All the other 15 lifters & cam lobes have already set themselves. If another lifter goes bad, at that point I would replace them ALL!!!! Tom T.
Thanks Tom. :beer I'll be calling you Monday morning about getting the parts needed so I can get back on the road.
