eliminating piston slap entirely?

[TGP37]

Can you turn the engine over by hand with a socket wrench on the crank pulley a full 360*? Rule out metal debris impacting in the chamber. I had a valve seat fall out once. Turning the engine over by hand stopped hard at the point of impact. The human arm failed to torque past the point of impact. You should easily be able to hand crank a full 360*. If it ever locks up, try starting it at the point it locks. It probably won't turn over. Back it up and try again. If it turns over you have impact somewhere.

That's something I learned on my own diagnosing in a parking lot. I doubt it but hey, who knows.

My guess is collapsed lifter or bad rod.

[3100]

Yep, can turn it over.


So it's too slow to be a piston? A piston slapping would be twice as fast, yes?



When I put a new motor in this I am most definitely tearing it down to see what's what. It does run fine and the motor isn't noticeably down on power - Wouldn't a collapsed lifter effectively kill one cylinder w. a loss of compression?

[TGP37]

Piston slap, Twice as fast, yes. Versus a knocking pushrod/lifter.

The lifter has a spring and is compressed at rest but fills with oil when lifted up from the cam. At some point the oil in the lifter is pushed out the top of the pushrod and is deflected to oil the rocker. If the lifter is collapsed or stuck, it will create a small gap in the valvetrain for that specific valve.

If the lifter is clogging up, it would stand to reason it would tick louder when cold. Then reduce as the oil thins out. Sometimes top end cleaner resolves it, sometimes it won't.

Now that I think of it, the offending lifter should allow a tiny bit of wiggle in the corresponding rocker. Valve covers are easy enough to remove and see if you can wiggle anyone of them.

If you remove the lifters and open them up you will know for sure or not. Especially if the corresponding pushrod is plugged up. It is a better idea to replace them but you can clean them if funds are low and you have the time.

Cleaning them is pretty straight forward, just takes care. But you MUST put them back in the same spot.... the rockers, pushrods & lifters. I suggest egg cartons as they have 12 sections, perfect for a short term storage. Try not to spin the lifters 180 when putting back so they match the camshaft wear on the lobes. Pushrods don't like to be put back upside down either. Don't over torque the rocker bolts as the issue may have created excessive heat and stressed the ?thing holding the rocker. A strip there really blows.



btw, if it just a lifter. No need to replace the engine. Fix the lifter and push the motor further. But if the lifter isn't the issue, then I would consider it. But that is just my opinion.

[3100]

thanks pal

[Fireball]

There are plenty of example videos of this stuff...
We've got 2 3100's in our house with varying amounts of.... piston slap/valve train noise/can't figure it out noise.
On the 3100 in our Century the noise never goes away.
Car runs fine aside from huge KR (I've seen up to 13 degrees with my scan gauge).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhJtlzRE268&context=C32d62efADOEgsToPDskJLB0U2gWuusguFf1VkvtNT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhycPyMmuMw&feature=related

Here is a guy that replaced his lifters too (It really hurts watching him REV it cold...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G08xRUmPvKw&feature=related

[3100]

There are plenty of example videos of this stuff...
We've got 2 3100's in our house with varying amounts of.... piston slap/valve train noise/can't figure it out noise.
On the 3100 in our Century the noise never goes away.
Car runs fine aside from huge KR (I've seen up to 13 degrees with my scan gauge).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhJtlzRE268&context=C32d62efADOEgsToPDskJLB0U2gWuusguFf1VkvtNT

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lhycPyMmuMw&feature=related

Here is a guy that replaced his lifters too (It really hurts watching him REV it cold...)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G08xR...eature=related

that first video is my shitmobile. lots of folks seem to claim the same noise is piston slap but a collapsed/dead lifter makes much more sense given the evidence.

new lifters really aren't that hard to install. i'll have it down that far for the intake gaskets soon anyway i think....i'd like to replace them before they become a problem and if this noise is indeed a dead lifter and i can get rid of that noise for the cost of a new set and no additional labor, all the better.

I'll be sure to get a stethoscope to listen around and then kill spark to each cylinder to be 100% sure before I spend money on anything

[3100]

For kicks I threw some Seafoam in my fairly recently changed oil. I'll drive it until it's due for another change and see if it made any difference to my lifter of doom.

[bob442]

Just pull the front valve cover and see if you can distinguish which is any lifters is making the noise,then pull the rocker and fix the issue once and for all. Procrastination is like masterbation, your only fucking you self in the end. A broke spring in a lifter will never be fixed by any liquid on this planet

[TGP37]

Just pull the front valve cover and see if you can distinguish which is any lifters is making the noise,then pull the rocker and fix the issue once and for all. Procrastination is like masterbation, your only fucking you self in the end. A broke spring in a lifter will never be fixed by any liquid on this planet

I like that! Funny but true

[3100]

A broke spring in a lifter will never be fixed by any liquid on this planet

I never said it would. It would be nice if the lifter was filthy and the Seafoam cleared the crap out of it, but my hopes were not high for that.


Thanks everyone for your help.

[bob442]

yes but the holes that let oil go into the lifters are equivilent to a needle.

[3100]

yes but the holes that let oil go into the lifters are equivilent to a needle.

Exactly why my hopes were not high

[TGP37]

In defense of 3100 regarding procrastination.......working in the snow w/o a garage is man's country. You gotta really want it to do shit like that, I've been there too often.

I even had a special set of "armor" for the rough days. But that was all before I got the heated, dry, lockable, well lite garage. A little cramped but it is workable, can lift the block out if needed.

Smacking knuckles in ice cold weather is hell....good luck man.

[3100]

In defense of 3100 regarding procrastination.......working in the snow w/o a garage is man's country. You gotta really want it to do shit like that, I've been there too often.

I even had a special set of "armor" for the rough days. But that was all before I got the heated, dry, lockable, well lite garage. A little cramped but it is workable, can lift the block out if needed.

Smacking knuckles in ice cold weather is hell....good luck man.

Especially when it's not really necessary - I've done much work on my cars in the snowy driveway but it's only been when needed ie starter solenoid shit the bed

Right now the car is running fine but sounding like a helicopter.