well my motor sat for 2 years and I just decided to start it. what a mess! turns out that the intake gaskets i put on were in error. I had a huge exhaust leak so I fixed it. after that I it ran well but the rockers have a slight clatter. i thought it might dissapate however its still there. so when it idols the rockers clatter on and off. should have i primed the lifters before i started it? I also notice a slight vibration for a moment when i rev it up. do you think that the lifters could cause this problem? i had the engine balenced. and I get 45psi im freaking out. help! any ideas?
It may not be applicable at all but I took my 400HO into the Pontiac dealer soon after I got it because the lifters were chattering. They asked if I had used multi-weight oil, which I had. They told me the HO engines should use straight 30W above 32 degrees. (It's in the owner's manual.) They have not chattered since and that was over 36 years and 160,000 miles ago.
You may have a wiped cam lobe. That will cause the clatter and also the shake in the engine when you rev it up. If one or more cylinders isn't producing the same power as the rest, the engine will shake as though it is missing but not sound like a miss.
What other work was done to the engine other than the intake gaskets?
Pontiac lifters will clatter after they sit for a long time. It wasn't clattering when you shut it off, or you wouldn't be posting.
You need to seriously wring out the engine--do it like you are on the show pinks, the title for title race (kinda sorta title to title race.) You can run it at highway speeds for many of hunderd miles, and they sometimes still won't clear up.
Again, wring it out a few times. You'll be surprized at how well it will clear up lifters that clatter from sitting. Mine sat for 6 years until recently. In addition to the clatter lifters, it had a horrendous miss: I pussyfooted it around even at higway speeds. For whatever dubmn reason, I replaced the wires. Still had the horrendous miss. Rang it out a few times, and it purred like a kitten.
Long road trips don't always work. I have had engines that I have driven for hunderds of miles that wouldn't clear up. Also, I have seen numerous Pontiac engines sold at a discount because they didn't clear up. Other than a tear down, the only thing that works is to ring it out super hard, touching the upper rpm range. It isn't as if ringing out the egnine is going to hurt anything.
Ticking means that something isn't working exactly right, obviously. If it's the lifters, they aren't getting the cushion that a hydraulic lifter can normally give. You will cause more wear while it is ticking. Like running with no shoes on, you can cause damage. I would suggest the thrashing after the long drive.
I learned about the benefits of the long drive on a trip from Bay City, Michigan to San Antonio, Texas. I started out, in my 455 powered daily driver, with a miss and a tick. By the time I reached San Antonio, that baby was running so smooth... Couldn't hear any ticking coming from the engine. That was either because the ticking stopping or because I was temporarily deaf from the headers.
yea I wait a little before i replace the lifters. the problem is to clear it out the car has to be finished and I still have to paint it. i have done every thing to it; stainless valves, bronze guides, new pushrods, deckecked, linebored, tripple springs,crane cam set,crome-molly rings, balenced, keith black pistions set to 9.5 to 1, matched the intake to the head. and it does it reve up fast. I have the camera for pics just haven't got to it yet. thanks for your help.
And you have never amswered wheter or not it is a fresh build or something that ran without tapping, then started making noise after sitting.
It makes a difference when you seek opinion. If you refer back to one of my posts, I said that it was assumed that it was running well, sat, then tapped upon startup.
If that's the case wring it out. It won't hurt a thing. How many Pontiac engines have you seen with major serious upper engine noise? It's a lot, and the 'gonna blow engines can be wringed out for many thousands of miles/years. Mine has upper engine noise because either the lifters are shot, the cam is wiped, or both. With about 135k on the clock, I don't think twice about thrashing the dog crap out of it. It ain't a chebby engine.
If it's a fresh build, it could also be gummed up, but it could be other issues.
