Engine ' clack ' at around 2-3 rpm

[blackcurrant]

The clack or tick or ping noise is most noticeable under load like going up hill at low RPM. I think it happens at higher RPM as well but it's masked by the air rush of the secondaries. BTW, i always use Sunoco 93 octane. I don't think it's pre-detonation
cause it's only the one side and i can sometimes hear it at idle.

This noise started when i had started driving around town and 'lugging' the engine to save shifting and notably, the clutch. Could lugging the engine catalyze a valve tick or other condition. My better sense says no, but, there's evidence here.

How does one differentiate a noisy valve from the cam tensioner?

I stopped driving it again at Mikey's behest, but, i need a car. I'm learning that we can't rely on SHOs to be our primary mode of transportation.

clutches, water pump, radiators ok i can accept these things to fail in a 100k mile car...but these engines were SUPPOSED to be durable. I'm not happy with my car today.

<small>[ November 20, 2002, 07:20 AM: Message edited by: blackcurrant ]</small>

 

[Denny]

Thanks Thomas, I'm considering tearing into the SHO over Thanksgiving. Hopefully the weather's decent enough to let me work on it. I would be one happy guy if all I needed are just some bearings. But the engine knocking is loud and very noticable.

Oh yeah, the rule of thumb comes from olde England. Men were only allowed to beat their wives with an object no larger than a thumb. squint

 

[Off Road SHO]

Denny,
The bearing inserts are designed to be the wear item, softer than the crank and rods. They usually have an outer coating of some kind like lead that covers the bronze bearing, bronze being a mixture of copper and tin ? (Damn that pretty girl in Chemistry class!!) Anyway the softness of the bearing will save the crank for a short time but eventually you will deform the crank and rods requiring a new crank kit and rods or worse, the mains will go away and allow the crank to wobble. This will ruin the main bearing towers and require a "line bore". Add up all the costs to rebuild one of these motors and it doesn't take long to get to a cost of a junk yard motor.

And I guess I will not be using a "rule of thumb" anymore. I thought it meant that the width of a man's thumb was roughly an inch wide and could be used as a ruler

Tom in Sunny Phoenix (we're still using the AC)