hi, right ive just fully rebuilt my bottom end (low comp), the thing is that ive got a tappetey noise coming from the head, i installed a kent 34k cam kit about 3k miles before i rebuilt the bottom end so i left the head as it was.

So i got some new standard tappets today and installed them but the noise is still there its around 2-3k on the revs, the car idles fine and revs up fine,

but, after i put the engine back in, the oil pump leaked, i didnt notice for a couple of mintues so the head was noisey because the oil was pouring outta the pump! so i had to change the oil pump and seal it,

also i forgot to time (not ingition timing) the engine up after i installed the oil pump, started it up, it ran but wouldnt do anymore than 20mph until i realised what id done!, timed it up and it was fine.

Ive done 120 miles running it in on running in oil, which is very thin!, i really wanted to know if theres any damage been done to the cam/valves while the oil pump had fooked or the timing was out, as far as i know the valves didnt smash the pistons in when it was outta time, but could a bent valve cause this noise, surely it wouldnt run/idle proberly, or is it something to do with using very thin running in oil on a cvh!

thanks for reading all that!!, hope u can help!

 

my main concern would be the cam and the tappets...only way to find out is to take them out and have a look...

if the valves were bent im sure you would get a decrease in performance and perhaps even overfuelling as the valve wouldnt be seated correctly...i could be wrong though..

if this doesnt help then hard to say...is the noise DEF coming from the head?

bassboy

 

yeah its deffo the head, everything in the bottom end is brand new, i had the valves re-seated while the engine was out but thats it, the tappets are brand new today and didnt make a difference, the old ones i took out today were the kent ones and i could push two of them in at the top so i thought it must of been that, but it werent,

ive got my old standard cam still didnt know wether to pop that back in and see, but i know what a worn cam sounds like and this noise is more tappetey and its only around 2k on the revs then it goes!.

 

seems to b the cam mate...did u run it in properly?

bassboy

 

the car runs fine throughout the revs, but cant really give it any yet

 

Yuo sure its the right pump, is the pressure high enough to fill the lifters with oil,?

 

Did you soak the lifters in oil before you put them in head as if not this might have fcuked them starting up with no oil in them....

 

Did you soak the lifters in oil before you put them in head as if not this might have fcuked them starting up with no oil in them....

 

Did you soak the lifters in oil before you put them in head as if not this might have fcuked them starting up with no oil in them....

 

you dont have to soak lifters in oil, ive never soaked them in oil and they have always been perfect!!

Id be worried about the oil starvation you had at the start

 

agree with swerv, you could of damaged the cam lobes on start up with no oil pressure, it doesnt take much.

 

thanks for all your feedback,

funny thing is that this morning i pulled the wire off the amal valve coz it was running in at 18 psi!, so now its running around 9 psi and the noise isnt as loud, if its there at all!, sounds alot better than it did, strange, the amal valve is brand new, i know they click on start up, isnt that though!, deffo in the head!.

ill get a new cam anyway just incase!.

 

You mentioned thin oil and that some of the tappets you removed could be easily pushed in. This suggests that they are not holding pressure, and therefore tap like crazy, and may not be opening the valves properly. Best to get a mechanic to have a listen, before taking the head apart again.

I dont think you will have damaged the cam too much, and the valves will be OK even after light contact.

Did you use the block timing marks? They are very unreliable and it's easy to be a tooth off resulting in light contact. Best to use the Kent disc and find TDC with a guage or modded spark plug tester (easy to build with threaded rod, tape, and a electric testing lamp).

What pulley you running? It may not be possible to time that cam properly on the standard pulley.

 

im using the standard cam pulley as i was told from where i got it from that the kent cvh 34k cam can use standard timing marks, my mate whos a ford mechanic timed it up for me using the marks on the block,

the kent tappets had been in for around 3k miles and where anti-pump, they want 100 quid for a new set, hence why i just put in standard ones!.

 

im using the standard pulley, as i was told by the tuners that u can use standard pulley on the cvh 34k cam, it was fine before the rebuild

my mate whos a ford mechanic timed the engine using the marks on the block, also ive noticed today that ive got an oil leak, think its the rear end crankseal , so perhaps the oil pressure is low coz of the leak, its quite bad, got a puddle in the morning about half a can of coke!, getting that sorted at the weekend.

 

To make sure it definitely coming from the head you can connect a timing light to the engine. If the noise happens once every crank revolution its bottom end, if it taps every two revolutions you know its top end.