New valve springs and now a noise
06-08-2016, 08:54 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
New valve springs and now a noise
I changed my valve springs out to pac 1218 and put in new comp cams push rods. Car started runs and drives fine but on driver side there is like a ticking or tapping noise driving me insane. Almost sounds like an exhaust leak. Car is longtubes and bolt ons stock cam stock lifters and stock rockers.
Is it the springs causing more noise or I gotta pull valve covers and check rocker arm bolts?
Is it the springs causing more noise or I gotta pull valve covers and check rocker arm bolts?
06-08-2016, 08:59 AM
#2
Le Mans Master
Take an old broom handle and put one end to the valve cover and your ear on the other end... you can usually pinpoint where a tick is coming from with this method... sounds like you'll be pulling the valve covers to me 
06-08-2016, 12:22 PM
#4
Tech Contributor
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CI 6,7,8,9,11 Vet
St. Jude Donor '08
MAN,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, There are several things that can be causing your issue. Its TOUGH to point to exactly what one or combo of issues that made the noise happen. So,,,, I will list what I have learned and HOPEFULLY it will allow you to do some testing / investigation and sleuthing to resolve the problem:
1. What LENGTH pushrods did you install? Hopefully they were the same OEM length!
2. NEW SPRINGS! Your old OEM lifters may NOT be happy with the added spring / seat pressure. OEM GM lifters are not known for their durability. When you add more spring pressure, one or more lifter internal pistons could be collapsing and making excessive valve to pushrod clearance. That is my most probable cause of your new noise issues!
3. ROCKER ARMS: The OEM GM Rocker arms has tiny needle bearing in the rocker arm fulcrum. They have a BAD tendency to PUKE out the needle bearings and cause all sorts of rocker arm play and excessive arm to pushrod clearances.
4. ROCKER ARM PEDESTALS: The rocker arms sit on an aluminum pedestal that supports each rocker arm. They can and do wear. The small saddle that the rocker sits on may be worn and that causes the rocker to sit crooked on the valve stem.
Like 73Corvette recommended, try to ISOLATE the noise to an exact rocker or area> I use a mechanics stethoscope that has a metal rod that you can touch on a specific area and listen to that component.
You can also get a 4 foot long piece of 3/16 or 1/4" vacuum line and put a small screw in one end. Put the other end to your ear. Touch the screw end to a rocker arm stud /bolt and if that rocker arm is making noise, YOU WILL HEAR IT! LOUD AND CLEAR!
Bill
1. What LENGTH pushrods did you install? Hopefully they were the same OEM length!
2. NEW SPRINGS! Your old OEM lifters may NOT be happy with the added spring / seat pressure. OEM GM lifters are not known for their durability. When you add more spring pressure, one or more lifter internal pistons could be collapsing and making excessive valve to pushrod clearance. That is my most probable cause of your new noise issues!
3. ROCKER ARMS: The OEM GM Rocker arms has tiny needle bearing in the rocker arm fulcrum. They have a BAD tendency to PUKE out the needle bearings and cause all sorts of rocker arm play and excessive arm to pushrod clearances.
4. ROCKER ARM PEDESTALS: The rocker arms sit on an aluminum pedestal that supports each rocker arm. They can and do wear. The small saddle that the rocker sits on may be worn and that causes the rocker to sit crooked on the valve stem.
Like 73Corvette recommended, try to ISOLATE the noise to an exact rocker or area> I use a mechanics stethoscope that has a metal rod that you can touch on a specific area and listen to that component.
You can also get a 4 foot long piece of 3/16 or 1/4" vacuum line and put a small screw in one end. Put the other end to your ear. Touch the screw end to a rocker arm stud /bolt and if that rocker arm is making noise, YOU WILL HEAR IT! LOUD AND CLEAR!
Bill
Last edited by Bill Curlee; 06-08-2016 at 03:23 PM.
06-08-2016, 01:40 PM
#5
Racer
A few weeks back I installed new 1280x springs and upgraded the trunnion bearings (did not change push rods). After getting it all back together it clacked like crazy upon initial restart, sounding worse the longer it ran. I shut it down and thought I'd have to tear everything back apart and figure out what I screwed up. I took my sweet time and double checked everything as I was putting it back together so I was stumped as to why it was making such a racket. It was late Sunday so I had to wait till the next weekend to get to it.
The next Saturday I decided to run it again to try to isolate the sound before taking things apart. I started it up and lo and behold, the valve train sounded "normal". The only thing I can think of was I ran down the lifters when I was rotating the engine to torque the rocker bolts. It may have taken some time to pump the lifters up again.
You may want to restart the car after a day or two and see what happens before tearing back into it. Mine has been on the race track three different days and the valve train still sounds normal.
The next Saturday I decided to run it again to try to isolate the sound before taking things apart. I started it up and lo and behold, the valve train sounded "normal". The only thing I can think of was I ran down the lifters when I was rotating the engine to torque the rocker bolts. It may have taken some time to pump the lifters up again.
You may want to restart the car after a day or two and see what happens before tearing back into it. Mine has been on the race track three different days and the valve train still sounds normal.