New ticking noise from the TA, Sept 2016

[TransAmDan]

Had a ticking noise form my car since going over some wild speed humps for a charity event at a school. So finally got the car up in the air, well on bricks, jacked up a little with my short range jack. I see the problem.
One bolt missing.
View attachment 74367
So popped in a new stainless steel bolt. Waiting for the rusty one to snap and I'll change that one too. you wouldn't think the exhaust is stainless. Well its not rusty, just not pretty.


Anyway, all 4 bolts there are good and tight. Started up the car, the ticking noise still there. Trying to locate it, its in the engine bay and underneath. Perhaps the other side needs looking at, but not so easy at the mo, maybe tomorrow. However I'm starting to think the notice is more major than and exhaust leak. Performance doesn't seem to be effected, I was thinking a bent push rod. The car has stalled a few times while decelerating towards a junction if I'm not quick enough with a 3 foot dance. However if air getting in the exhaust then it could well cut out due to fuel mixture.
What is my concern at the moment, if its crank related, oil pressure has swung from 20psi to 80psi and bouncing between the two quite quick, perhaps the sensor playing up, perhaps oil pump, perhaps crank has spun a bearing. hummm, awful thoughts going through my mind at the moment.

So thinking worse case, a new engine may be required. Well, heads/cam are probably good. so a new LS1 short block (complete rotating assembly without heads) Looking at a 383 stroker. so 6.3liter which will work with my heads and cam with tuning. LS1 383 Stroker Short Block - LS1, LS2, LS7 Engines, Sprint Car Dyno, Street Performance – Schwanke Short Blocks, Springfield, MN
I'm hoping it doesn't come to that, and fingers crossed it something simple.

 

[TransAmDan]

Car up in the air today, investigating noise. Currently draining oil at the moment, fetching an oil filter from a parts supplier once I finished my coffee.

Took a video of the noise, it seems like its coming from all around the engine.
[video=youtube_share;NPDWH8CcUNs]https://youtu.be/NPDWH8CcUNs[/video]

 

[TransAmDan]

Check out the wacky oil pressure. Never seen it this bad, although I am on a slope, which shouldn't make a difference.
[video=youtube_share;IGBRrgBIGkY]https://youtu.be/IGBRrgBIGkY[/video]

Changing the oil filter and oil to check for any metal flakes. This seems to be pointing to bearings on the crank?

 

[AmericanThunder]

That looks more like a sender or guage failure. Can you plumb in a known good mechanical guage to check with that?

 

[TransAmDan]

Okay, drained the oil at 10:30am, left it until 4:30ish, fitted the new oil filter, and popped in 5 liters of oil. Started up. The oil pressure looks better, sits at about 50psi, and stable. Perhaps there was an air bubble under the sender causing odd readings.

Noise still present. Will drive it tomorrow and see what happens.

 

[saleen 192]

The noise in video seams to be more noticeable on one side of engine if you were to remove the drive belt and test each pulley bearing altonater tensioner and turn engine over by hand with out these item how dose engine feel? Was the any evidence in the oil ? Also do a compression check all should be with in 10 present of each other. Good luck .

 

[TransAmDan]

Oil pressure tool ordered. Should be here any day now.

Someone on LS1 Tech has a similar sound and it was one of the 3 bolts on the cam cog had come loose and the head of the bolt was scraping on the front plate. Another thing to check.

 

[AmericanThunder]

LS engines are known to run quite low oil pressure safely. The minimum hot is 10psi per 1000 rpm - IIRC.
I'm still not convinced you have an internal issue - it started after dragging the exhuast on speed ramps. Have you checked the header to head bolts? Perhaps swap in some copper header gaskets too.

 

[TransAmDan]

Would be nice if it was the exhaust, but the sounds are very loud, it's normal for the engine to tick but a lot louder than usual.
Soon I'll be able to verify the oil pressure.
The grinding squeaking noise was interesting after I gave it a little rev.

 

[AmericanThunder]

I would take the accessory belts off so that the idlers and tensioners are eliminated. Then pay close attention to the header gaskets. Unlike cast manifolds, header gaskets do blow out eventually.
Without hearing it in person its difficult, but it sure sounds like exhaust to me.
I do have some idlers and tensioners at home. I replaced the lot on the Vette with its LS6 but only one was noisy. Getting them to you might be tricky though - we go away on Saturday.

 

[AmericanThunder]

Just another thought. It could be the angle of the picture, but that lambda sensor looks close to the frame at its top end. Perhaps the exhaust was pushed upwards and the bung the lambda sensor screws into has split as it was forced sideways?

 

[TransAmDan]

Thanks for the ideas. I'll be right on this when i get in from work on Friday. Its the only day where i can do this after work.

 

[TransAmDan]

New toy has arrived. This thing is huge, the gauge is 3 inches. Should be able to read that from the end of the road.
Loads of attachments, hopefully the one I need is in there. Will have a play this evening.

 

[AmericanThunder]

Was the oil clean when you drained it or did it look like Goldschlager?

 

[TransAmDan]

It was clean of metal bits, the sump plug looked great too.

 

[TransAmDan]

Couldn't find my 3/8th ratchet, so popped to the shop to buy one, they didn't have one in stock, but lent me one instead. Took a photos to make sure I give it back with the same amount of bits in it.

Took the BMR strut brace off, looks naked now

First step was to take the intake manifold off to get tot he oil pressure sensor right at the back. Fuel rail pipe goes over the sensor which doesn't make it easy to change, so its either fuel rails off with injectors, or take the manifold off. The manifold is less messy and doesn't loose any fuel or risk damaging injectors.

Fuel injectors disconnected, long bolts that hold the intake on are loose and taped up, so they dont carch, car taken to not rip off the oil pressure sensor, and disconnect the vacuum hoses and MAP sensor.

Intake off

All this jut to get tot he sensor at the back, so I can remove it to connect the oil pressure gauge tool

The tool comes with 11 sizes, I pick the closest one. It wont screw in the hold. I measure the thread count with the sensor, its identical. However the tool diameter is too big. How annoying. sensor on the left, tool on the right.

So as there is nothing I can do, time to put it all back together. An hour of daylight wasted.

Next to take the rocker covers off. First much remove the coil pack assembly.

Cover off. First rocker I look at. Well had to video it.
[video=youtube;hsVIQ38OgHI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsVIQ38OgHI[/video]
Basically no play should be here. This is either a bent push-rod or collapsed lifter.

I pull out the push rod.

I roll it on a flat glass surface and it rolls, so the push rod is fine.

Rocker rollers and cup look fine too.

So a collapsed lifter, which means heads off, new head bolts, gaskets.

Reminds me of 4 years ago which I also done a blog for:- http://www.solent-renegades.co.uk/entries/37-got-bit-valvetrain-noise-trans-am

 

[TransAmDan]

put it back together, started the car up, the ticking would still be there as not done anything, took it for a drive around the block. Just wanted to see if it would be good enough to go to a local show in the morning.
All was good so made my way to the local show in the morning at Portchester precinct. http://www.solent-renegades.co.uk/members/transamdan-albums-portchester-precinct-sept-2016-a.html While idling in traffic waiting to be parked the car made some new noises, [video=youtube;kHA-sXWGa4c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHA-sXWGa4c[/video]. Not a good banging sound. Well i have RAC cover. I wonder if I can inspect the car here. Who has tools i can borrow. Well alot of people came to the rescue.

Plenty of tools, took off the coil packs and then the rocker covers. Whipped off that pair or rockers that has 1 loose push rod that I found last night.

Started the car up. The banging was still present. So took off the rocker cover on the other side which can be a bit of a pain to get too. It wasn't too bad in the end.

Found the problem, the push rod is shooting through and making a noise on the rocker cover.
Took out all the fragments and checked we could put it back together to verify all pieces were present. Where is is aluminium then magnets wont help.

I was getting pretty wet at this point, taken two rocker covers off in the middle of a shopping precinct and tinkering with valve train. Not the usualy thing on a Saturday morning, passer buys were showing interest. AD was holding the bollie and was interested in learing about things in the engine. so all was good.

I took of this pair of rockers too. Disconnected the fuel injectors for that. Also took out the spark plugs, and we though this would be a good idea so not fighting compression. Started the car up, idles around 2000 RPM, wow what a noise, of air rushing in and out, sounded like a freight train. So we then though if the plugs are in and the vales are shut then no air can get in anyway, so we done that. Started up fine again , 2000 rpm. i guess there is 2 cylinders not going a thing, less pressure on the cam as not pressing the valves, less compression as two cylinders don't have loads of air in them to compress.

Finally we think the car will get us home. So had a few hours to kill before the end of the show.

So its running on 6 cylinders. both 3 & 4 are disabled, however in the firing order these two are right after each other, so quite a bit of imbalance. the car drove pretty well home.

 

[TransAmDan]

Rocker totally mashed.

Sadly I don't have a record of what lifter failed 4 years ago. i wonder if it was in the same area. hummm.

 

[TransAmDan]

I guess I will need to get a shopping list together.
Certainly need some rockers.
These look quite nice.

Yella Terra LS1/6 Non-Adjustable Rocker Set

 

[saleen 192]

Are yes but you won't see them once the rocker covers go back on lol,