327 starting ticking loudly

TheLRZ

Well Known Member
Beautiful running for 7 years after rebuild.

The car has very recently has been on some long smooth cruises with the 2 speed roaring at speed on the freeway.
was just about to take her out again for an adventure when I heard a ticking. Checked the oil and was at the “add “ mark noT below.

Filled her up and the ticking remained.
Not knocking just a loud ticking under drivers side valve cover. Brought her back and park her.

it’s morning and am just about to open up the valve cover here and thought I’d see what the community has to say about such symptoms on a otherwise flawless running engine.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Put a can of Sea Foam into the engine, and take it for a drive. If it doesn't quiet down, then dig deeper. As long as it isn't hammering under the valve cover, I suspect that it might be a sticking lifter. If it quiet the lifter, then drain when hot, and fresh oil and filter. My Corvair valves lifters go through this periodically, and Sea Foam quiets them every time. If you add it to the oil, and even if the oil is at the top line of the dipstick, within a days driving, the oil level will be back where it originally was. It magically disappears...
 

bobs409

 
Administrator
Had that happen to one of my drivers once. The owner of a garage I used to go to told me to put a bottle of Wynn's lifter something or other in it. Sure enough, it made that noise go away!

My Jeep also gets this from time to time. I put Marvel mystery oil in and it goes away.
 

TheLRZ

Well Known Member
Had that happen to one of my drivers once. The owner of a garage I used to go to told me to put a bottle of Wynn's lifter something or other in it. Sure enough, it made that noise go away!

My Jeep also gets this from time to time. I put Marvel mystery oil in and it goes away.
Ok I’ll do an oil change
Just took the cover off and put some cardboard to catch oil. Ya no.!! Oil pressure was up there and oil was all over The place.

it’s a holiday here so I think I might be down for a bit.
Maybe I’ll spray some of that sea foam I have in stock all over the lifters and springs and try it.

thanks.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Your drains in the head appear to be clogged, if the valve cover was filled with oil. You have to figure out why the oil isn't returning to the bottom of the engine before you do anything else. You might have bigger problems than just a tick. Spraying anything on the lifters and springs is going to be a waste of product. It works best when installed in the oil, so it can go where it is needed.
 

TheLRZ

Well Known Member
Your drains in the head appear to be clogged, if the valve cover was filled with oil. You have to figure out why the oil isn't returning to the bottom of the engine before you do anything else. You might have bigger problems than just a tick. Spraying anything on the lifters and springs is going to be a waste of product. It works best when installed in the oil, so it can go where it is needed.
I meant it shot everywhere.

I just bought the ticket clips to stop that phenomenon. So I can adjust while running. Oil is draining beautifully and all is clean and no muck. Just old oil.
bought the seafoam, have the Lucas additive and The Lucas hotrod oil.
we’ll see how this goes with just the oil change and a cruise. After I’ll attempt an adjustment.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Are these hydraulic lifters or solid lifters? If hydraulic, I would just add the additive first, and if it quiets down, then change the oil and filter. I wouldn't start messing with hydraulic lifters once they are set, because they rarely, if ever go out of adjustment, unless the cam has failed.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
It will never run again afterwards, as well as it did before.. When I went through medical school, they taught to do the least invasive procedures first, and surgery last. I guess that you never went through medical school, and you are arms deep into that engine with oil spewing out like severed arteries!
 

TheLRZ

Well Known Member
It will never run again afterwards, as well as it did before.. When I went through medical school, they taught to do the least invasive procedures first, and surgery last. I guess that you never went through medical school, and you are arms deep into that engine with oil spewing out like severed arteries!
Engineering school.
But several decades before that in Tara Des working on the biggest machines on the planet.
I had fun fixing the old girl.

she’s purring and we’re cleaned up
4 yr old on the broom
 

Junky

Well Known Member
Glad to know that it was an adjustment, and all is well again. I had one of those valve covers for adjusting the lifters on my Corvair. Only used it once, and after that one experience, I went back to the old tried and true method of taking all the movement out of the rocker arm, and then tightening it down 3/4 turn. I left a few other procedures that are required, but didn't want to bore you with the small talk. My Corvair gets the Sea Foam treatment every spring, because the car doesn't like to be ignored all winter.
 

TheLRZ

Well Known Member
Glad to know that it was an adjustment, and all is well again. I had one of those valve covers for adjusting the lifters on my Corvair. Only used it once, and after that one experience, I went back to the old tried and true method of taking all the movement out of the rocker arm, and then tightening it down 3/4 turn. I left a few other procedures that are required, but didn't want to bore you with the small talk. My Corvair gets the Sea Foam treatment every spring, because the car doesn't like to be ignored all winter.
I’ll be sure to have the seafoam on hand for the 409

I’m here to learn off the old guys

that valve cover was a god send after I couldn’t contain the oil.
I shaved down those clips too fit underneath

quite the ordeal but it’s the learning steps for getting into my 409 life

soon to be coming.
 

Junky

Well Known Member
The universal sign of a good mechanic is a bag of kitty litter in the garage to clean up all those oil spills! A few weeks ago, I asked my wife to bring home a bag of kitty litter for the garage. She commented not long ago, that I haven't used it. I like to have one on hand just for emergencies. A couple of years ago, she dropped a gallon can of paint in the the driveway. I quickly poured all the kitty litter around the paint and over it, and then proceeded to mix the kitty litter with the paint using a snow shovel. I then shoveled the mess into a large plastic bag, and poured Dawn dishwashing liquid on the remaining stain. Added some water, and scrubbed it lightly, and walked away, hoping that it would magically disappear. When it rained afterwards, it washed away almost all of the stain. Today, you can't even see where it was. The rain & snow made it all disappear. Kitty litter is the "quicker picker upper".
 
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