Clickety-bloody-click ! Engine noise.

Garp · Post by **Garp** » Fri May 26, 17 7:14 pm

Hi all,
Obviously, the day before Brooklands, a noise that annoys occurs.
It's a clickety click either from the pass side rocker cover or below somewhere.
Oil pressure is good. Oil level is good and oil shows no signs of anything metallic. Engine not overheating. Cannot hear it once I've got a bit of throttle in, but that could just it being drowned out by the V8.
I'm hoping it's a manifold leak but it sounds metallic.
I've taken a small video. Can I upload here.
Any guesses ?
Not keen on taking a drive to Brooklands and dropping a valve en-route.

Garp · Post by **Garp** » Fri May 26, 17 8:04 pm

....... sticky lifter apparently???

mustangbooks · Post by **mustangbooks** » Fri May 26, 17 8:31 pm

See my post on the '70-74 Challenger board' facebook group - I had the same thing, and found it's a common problem, and can be (at least temporarily) fixed with the MMO product I linked to. Doubt you'll get it by tomorrow though!

GJUK · Post by **GJUK** » Fri May 26, 17 8:33 pm

I had a metallic ticking noise I described on here.

Lots of suggestions, then someone (I think Blue or Dave999) suggested it could be a pin hole in the rocker gasket. It was - even though I couldn't believe them at the time as it sounded so much like a stuck lifter or something metal grinding away.

Pete · Post by **Pete** » Fri May 26, 17 9:10 pm

A blown header gasket can sound like a lifter - you can locate it with a small piece of pipe used like a stethoscope...

Garp · Post by **Garp** » Fri May 26, 17 9:35 pm

At the mo, a sticky lifter seems to be what I think it is.
Gaskets are definitely good.
Hoping a good run up the M4 to Brooklands tomorrow will cure it.
Need to find some "gunk" to put in there to sort it.
Can I ask - what is the ramification of a stuck lifter ?
Less compression as less intake or less exhaust - therefore dirty burn ?
Plan is to get her going in the morning- burn up to the meet place on the M4 and if anything looks dodgy (no pun intended) or she sounds like a gypsey with a supermarket trolley, I'll bin it off and go home (and cry).
Having had several 70's VW's and dead scared of dropping a valve as I've done several times before.
:

drewcrane · Post by **drewcrane** » Fri May 26, 17 11:07 pm

Sometimes a simple oil change will help,if it is a 383 or 440 they are usually noisy anyway,good luck hope ya find it

Captain Chaos · Post by **Captain Chaos** » Fri May 26, 17 11:47 pm

Pete wrote:A blown header gasket can sound like a lifter - you can locate it with a small piece of pipe used like a stethoscope...

Check this first it can sound remarkably like a lifter.

Rebel · Post by **Rebel** » Sat May 27, 17 12:59 am

Had the same thing on mine a couple of years ago, was like that for a while during trying to locate the cause. Changed the rocker cover gasket, even though it looked perfectly ok and problem solved

drewcrane · Post by **drewcrane** » Sat May 27, 17 3:51 am

Captain Chaos wrote:
Pete wrote:A blown header gasket can sound like a lifter - you can locate it with a small piece of pipe used like a stethoscope...
Check this first it can sound remarkably like a lifter.

Yes it can, but it sounds like cast exhaust manifolds ,and those usually don't leak like that, but still,that has happened to me,and I SHOULD go check mine,I have lost a few header bolts over the years

Post by **MattH** » Mon May 29, 17 10:46 am

My sticky lifter sound that I thought was a exhaust gasket ended up being the wrong sized cast manifolds. They were 360 manifolds on a 318 so the ports were too big and didn't seal very well.

I also had what I thought was lifter noise, then thought it was a big end but finally solved it as a cracked flex plate.
You can see the flex plate without removing the trans, just need a torch and remove the dust cover at the front of the trans. Worth checking, and maybe tighten the 4 tiny bolts that hold the convertor to the flex plate. if they are just loose it will make a tick noise, and Demon James discovered.
Best to catch it before they snap off and you have to remove all to drill out and replace the sheared bolts.

Dart Vader · Post by **Dart Vader** » Mon May 29, 17 5:07 pm

Don't suppose you still have those 360 manifolds do you matt?

I'm beginning to fall out of love with my headers....

Garp · Post by **Garp** » Mon May 29, 17 5:12 pm

Cheers Matt - the more I hear it, the more likely I think it could be a bolt on the transmission. Just did 150 mile round trip to Brooklands on Saturday at average 70 mph - car performed faultlessly.
I'm guessing, if it was an "expensive noise", something would've snapped, cracked or given way on that trip.
Will jack it up and check both the nuts and the flex plate. Here's hoping it's just a loose nut.
Cheers

Blue · Post by **Blue** » Mon May 29, 17 6:25 pm

I had an intermittent tapping noise on the Barracuda, although the flex plate bolts were tight they were actually a knats knacker too long and weren't gripping the flex plate. Ground 'em down a bit and problem solved so check that too.

Garp · Post by **Garp** » Wed May 31, 17 4:21 pm

Blue wrote:I had an intermittent tapping noise on the Barracuda, although the flex plate bolts were tight they were actually a knats knacker too long and weren't gripping the flex plate. Ground 'em down a bit and problem solved so check that too.

You Geezers have cracked it !
So, I jacked her up today and 3 out of 4 bolts on the flex plate were loose enough to turn by hand (only the "big" one was tight ????).
The bolts themselves showed no signs of having been hitting anything to make the noise, but the minute I got underneath and touched the plate, it tapped against the converter and I knew by that tell-tale sound that I'd heard all weekend, I'd found the noise.

Never underestimate the knowledge pool of a forum like this!
Thanks to all who flagged this up - as you know, majority rules, and it certainly ruled the day on this one.