Engin Tick 64 Electra

[trafalger]

Hi all,

One of the other guys suggested I post this here to see if anyone has ever seen this or had a suggestion.

I bought a 1964 Electra 225 w/ Wildcat engine this weekend.

http://forums.aaca.org/f163/my-1964-electra-project-334147.html#post1068524

I was told that the car had been sitting for 9 months. I replaced the fuel pump and she started right up. The only issue is that there is an annoying little tick that comes from the engine area that I can't quite find.

It's not a hard knock, it's more like a ticking sound, it sounds like the noise is coming from the far right corner (if your facing the car) of the engine. The engine never has a problem moving or idling, and the tick gets quieter when the car is in gear. It never stalls out and I've verified that all cylinders are firing.

I've gotten a few suggestions on it, one said i needed to put leaded gas in it and it would tick until i did, another was to try some Sea Foam to knock any crud loose, and Brian DePouli suggested some Marvel Oil. All of which require me to drive the car to get it through the system. But I'm afraid that it will mess something up driving it. My dad thinks it's a lifter arm thats stuck but I thought it better to ask here.

If it's something I can "knock" loose by driving then i'd rather do that than to tear the whole engine apart. I've almost convinced myself that someone is merely loose and the vibration is making the tick noise.

Thoughts?

[Guest Straight eight]

Get the engine good and warm, drain the oil, and change the filter, and fill with Shell Rotella 30 weight, and a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil. Just idling the engine for a few minutes after that, and the Mystery oil will free up the lifter that is clicking. Even after the oil has been put in and circulated thru the engine, the Mystery oil will continue to cut thru the varnish that is causing your noise. If you want further proof take any old engine part that is varnished up and wipe it with Marvel Mystery Oil on a rag, Maybe your oil dipstick would be a good choice. It just melts away the varnish.

[trafalger]

Ok i just changed the oil and filter this past weekend...do I need to do it again?

The previous owners were using 10w40 so that's what I replaced it with.

Edited August 14, 2012 by trafalger (see edit history)

[Guest Straight eight]

You really need to educate yourself on oils and their effect on engines. The government has changed oil additives to make catalitic converters last longer, and as a result some of the good stuff is eliminated. Shell Rotella still contains some of those good ingreditents and should be used in old Buick engines due to their overhead valve mechanism.

Now that you are into old Buicks, please read thru all the forums for all the years on this web site, and you'll get the idea. It's a real science.

The 10w30 is okay, but for durability I like the single weight oils with zinc much better.

Edited August 16, 2012 by Straight eight (see edit history)

[trafalger]

Thanks

You really need to educate yourself on oils and their effect on engines. The government has changed oil additives to make catalitic converters last longer, and as a result some of the good stuff is eliminated. Shell Rotella still contains some of those good ingreditents and should be used in old Buick engines due to their overhead valve mechanism.

Now that you are into old Buicks, please read thru all the forums for all the years on this web site, and you'll get the idea. It's a real science.

The 10w30 is okay, but for durability I like the singe weight oils with zinc much better.

[60FlatTop]

On that tick, if you remove the rocker arm shaft from the side where the noise is you should be able to find one or more loose rocker arms. Over the years I have seen a few lifter sets replaced "and the noise is still there." The bottom of the shaft wears, usually to one side of the rocker.

One car I removed the shaft from was worn so the shaft looked like a set of steps if you held it at an angle.

Bernie

[trafalger]

Thanks, I'll have to figure out how to do that. The car came with a copy of the service manual so I'll have to study that to see how it works.

On that tick, if you remove the rocker arm shaft from the side where the noise is you should be able to find one or more loose rocker arms. Over the years I have seen a few lifter sets replaced "and the noise is still there." The bottom of the shaft wears, usually to one side of the rocker.

One car I removed the shaft from was worn so the shaft looked like a set of steps if you held it at an angle.

Bernie

[JZRIV]

Sometimes an exhaust manifold leak can sound like an internal tick so rule that out for sure if you didn't already. If its just a tick you'll be OK driving it to try and work it out. Most likely a lifter is not pumped up the whole way or there excess wear in the valve train as already mentioned.

If all else fails, one check you can do for valve train issues is to remove the valve cover and rotate the engine by hand watching the valves and as each becomes fully decompressed during rotation, grab the push rod and see if there is any play. There should be none so once you find a loose one you can begin to troubleshoot the root cause of where the problem is such as lifter or excess rocker wear, etc.

[trafalger]

You might as well have spoken Latin in your post.. I design network and computer systems for a living so I'm still learning the mechanical stuff. I'll read my service manual tonight and see if I can make heads or tails of it.

Thanks again

Sometimes an exhaust manifold leak can sound like an internal tick so rule that out for sure if you didn't already. If its just a tick you'll be OK driving it to try and work it out. Most likely a lifter is not pumped up the whole way or there excess wear in the valve train as already mentioned.

If all else fails, one check you can do for valve train issues is to remove the valve cover and rotate the engine by hand watching the valves and as each becomes fully decompressed during rotation, grab the push rod and see if there is any play. There should be none so once you find a loose one you can begin to troubleshoot the root cause of where the problem is such as lifter or excess rocker wear, etc.

[buick5563]

I design network and computer systems for a living...

Oh. Well there's the problem.

You'll get it. We can help. My 63 made the same noise until warm sometimes FWIW.

[trafalger]

I fully expect this to take me 50x longer than anyone else on this board, but we all gotta learn somewhere.

Oh. Well there's the problem.

You'll get it. We can help. My 63 made the same noise until warm sometimes FWIW.

[buick5563]

Just messing with you. My dad was an accountant. Everything I learned was through books (Pre-Internet) and asking questions. Every project takes longer than we ALL think it should take.

[60FlatTop]

I'm a mechanic and know network stuff I never should have been exposed to. I have set in meetings rattling off octets like they were my SS number and thought "How did I get like this?".

Be cautious about mechanical experiments. My '60 was previously owned by a doctor. He broke the valve cover bolt off while changing the gasket. He tried to drill it out and drilled into the water jacket making a little green fountain. Not deterred, must have been a surgeon, he ended up breaking a tap off in the head. The car sat in the garage for two years while he pondered how to remove the tap. I bought the car and threw a spare head on it.

Not trying to scare you or nuthin, just a chance to think about what an IT guy would do with discretionary cash.

Bernie

[trafalger]

Tick is gone

Videos to come

[Gene Brink]

Some good advice. Nothing wrong with your oil choice. Two things come to mind - 1) When you say a tick - how pronounced is it? If slight and not sounding like metal to metal "sharp" sounding I'd be comfortable with some gentle driving to see if it does not free up. 2) Indeed could be an exhaust leak as previously noted. Check bolts to be sure they are tight on exhaust manifolds and exhause pipe connections.

Nice looking '64 - enjoy it!

[60FlatTop]

I had a '68 LeSabre once that had an annoying little tick coming from the engine. A little dab of lube on the distributor cam cured it! Amazing things happen.

Bernie

[trafalger]

Before MMO: you can hear the knock

http://youtu.be/xDQQ7e5NBfQ

[trafalger]

After MMO

http://youtu.be/-spqQ2aJ45U

Difference is amazing...so smooth

[Guest wildcat465]

Well, we may never know the "Mystery", but that is truly "Marvel"ous.

[rick60]

Nice car! I'm glad the engine noise was an easy fix. That's a good omen! I watched your video and noticed that your spark plug wires are contacting the throttle linkage. If you haven't already repositioned the plug wires I would do so immediately. You don't want to have any problems with a sticking throttle or misfiring cylinders. The wires should be secured in the bracket at the rear of the engine. You can purchase generic spark plug wire loom retainers at your local auto parts store. Good luck with your car.

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

Well, we may never know the "Mystery", but that is truly "Marvel"ous.

Paul, you are so witty!

Ben