It's all part of the car thing Vern. No big deal. After what I went through last spring this is a minor bump in the road!

Its a very slow knocking sound. I think to slow for a rod.  But you never know. I think you have to sort that lifter out and set the timing and give it another try before you pull.

It sounds pretty deep Todd. It sounds like it's right in the bottom, right at the back.

The water pump is new but new doesn't mean perfect, you're right!

This really sucks.

Let those three buddies of yours have a listen.
Im confident you will be able to figure it out.
It could be something simple.....3 heads are better than one.


I know its kind of late in the game, but have you thought about a "test stand" for breaking in a motor.
I built one a few years back, best thing i did.  It really makes it easy when stuff like this happens.

We've all been there.    Keep us posted.


It wouldnt be something wierd like the oilpan baffle hitting the crank, or rocker hitting the valve cover?????
My computer speakers suck, so it is hard to listen to it properly.

-- Edited by beaumontguru on Sunday 4th of April 2010 01:23:57 PM

Removing one plug wire at a time while the engine is running to remove the load on that cylinder might help you isolate the culprit. Fingers crossed it's something simple. It's times like this we all wonder why we don't collect stamps instead of working on old cars!

Tough deal Carl. I remember those days. It sounds a lot like detonation on the video but its hard to tell. Could there be something on a piston like a screw or something? You could pull the plugs and have a look , sometimes a lot of tales are told on the tip of a sparkplug....

Elroy wrote:

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Tough deal Carl. I remember those days. It sounds a lot like detonation on the video but its hard to tell. Could there be something on a piston like a screw or something? You could pull the plugs and have a look , sometimes a lot of tales are told on the tip of a sparkplug....

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Wouldn't a screw or something on a piston be noisy all the time though? There is no bottom end noise at all until it is just barely running. At normal idle, about 700-800 RPM or any speed higher, no noise to be heard at all.

 

I never quite figured out from the above posts as to whether the engine was fired with just open manifolds, or a complete exhaust system.   With the camera at the rear of the car, I couldn't hear much so I presume it was just with open manifolds.  As Carl indicated, it's much easier to hear things with a full exhaust system.

I'd check a few things:
- ensure valve lash is set properly for the cam - I presume a hydraulic cam.
- ensure timing is close (Carl mentioned that hasn't really been checked)
- ensure mixture is close.
- I saw a coil, so I presume stock point distributor.  Ensure point gap is correct.

Carl indicates lots of oil pressure, and to be honest at high RPM it almost sounds like an exhaust leak at the manifold.  However, I don't know what to think of the sound at low RPM, but it almost sounds like dieseling.

-- Edited by seventy2plus2 on Sunday 4th of April 2010 08:16:20 PM

seventy2plus2 wrote:

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I never quite figured out from the above posts as to whether the engine was fired with just open manifolds, or a complete exhaust system.   With the camera at the rear of the car, I couldn't hear much so I presume it was just with open manifolds.  As Carl indicated, it's much easier to hear things with a full exhaust system.

I'd check a few things:
- ensure valve lash is set properly for the cam - I presume a hydraulic cam.
- ensure timing is close (Carl mentioned that hasn't really been checked)
- ensure mixture is close.
- I saw a coil, so I presume stock point distributor.  Ensure point gap is correct.

Carl indicates lots of oil pressure, and to be honest at high RPM it almost sounds like an exhaust leak at the manifold.  However, I don't know what to think of the sound at low RPM, but it almost sounds like dieseling.

-- Edited by seventy2plus2 on Sunday 4th of April 2010 08:16:20 PM

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Yes, I never mentioned the exhaust system. There is a slight leak! Good ear!  I got my exhaust pipes made up and just have them trial fitted for now. For those not familiar with the Nova/Acadian exhaust, they come off the manifold 2" then step up to bigger pipes. I have the two pipes just clamped enough to hold them in place so that is what you heard. At the back, I just have mufflers pushed into the pipes, no clamps, no tailpipes on them.

- The cam is hydraulic, yes. I set all the lash at 3/4 turn past the pushrod firming up on the lifter. I have always been successful with that in the past. However, I am going to check in case I made a mistake on one. The lifter noise is much clearer on the passenger side, seemingly almost in the middle.

-I plan to put a timing light on it tomorrow night if I can get ahold of one.  I have no idea where the timing is at, just set it so it ran nice.

-I have not touched the mixture screws. The carb is bought brand new out of a speed shop in the states that runs each carb on a dyno before it is shipped. However, that is no guarantee the mixture setting on the dyno engine is correct for my engine.

-Yes, stock point distributor, fresh out of the box but I have not checked dwell or gap.

It was so nice the way the engine fired up. Those two "sneezes" until I had the distributor set right and then we were off to the races. No hassles, oil pressure great and all. I may run it tomorrow and then drop the oil and filter, then cut open the filter to see what I have in there.

I really appreciate all the assistance on this you guys.

 

Carl, I hope you find the problem with minimal effort!

Carl

Just go through the simple stuff first...exhaust leak was my first "easy fix" as well. It sounds like you have taken care of the details so hopefully checking the easy stuff will reveal the problem. I had an automotive issue just this week and feared the worst...I just went through the simple solutions and no more problem. Good luck...those clips you posted send a good shiver down the spine...the car and the idle..awesome...all that was missing was the whine of the Muncie........

Kevin