bigvette1

A while back I seem to remember someone posted that BB's are prone to having the front 2 lifters get noisy due to oil starvation. This was a common problem. Maybe I have lost my mind, but that is what I think was said. There was also a suggestion to eliminate this problem. Does anyone remember that discussion??

sray454

Can't help, but I have a BB with noisy lifters so I'm interested too...

Turbo-Jet

me too. i had low oil pressure, hopefully a worn out pump, so i am in the process of installing a new one. i aslo have wierd wear patterns on the lifter feet; not sure if the cause was improper cam break-in or the low pressure.


[Modified by Turbo-Jet, 12:59 PM 6/4/2002]

Larry B.

I had a noise that I thought was a lifter. I tried adjusting it, no help. FRom my experience it just didn't quite sound like a lifter but was coming from the front right bank. It turned out to be the fuel pump pushrod. It was the original pump and the arm had become mushroomed and a step was worn on on it. Sometimes it was quite and then other times it was noisey, depending on how it rode on the arm. A new pump and pushrod solved the noise. Sure had me puzzled for a while.

fontking1a

Are your lifters adjusted properly? There seems to be a variation in the intake and exhaust specs among mechanics. My engine used to be .024 intake and .028 exhaust but I believe, due to the age of the engine and the amount of miles...it's a bit different now. It really depends on who you talk to....

If you double nut the rockers when you're done, they will tend to stay adjusted longer.

Phlash

The big block 396 and 454 were bad about having noisy front lifters. In about 1976, Chevy change the 454 to eliminate the problem by installing oil galley plugs with small ~ 1/20 inch diameter holes to allow the oil to flow through the channel and escaping to the front of the engine. This keep the oil from vaporizing and thus collapsing the front lifters. It also kept the timing chain oiled. I think you will find some other forum members who have comented on this in the past. I have fix two of my 454's this very way. One I installed the Chevy plugs, the other I just drilled very small holes through the front two galley plugs. Both installations had identical results.

Hope this helps.

Phlash 72 BB Roadster :cheers:

Larry B.

Interesting!! I'll try that. :D

Glenn454

A noisy lifter could also be a cam lobe going. :(

73-454

I am also having a noisy lifter, noise comming from front right, But only at 900 rpm to 1500 rpm range. What is a galley plug? Do you have to remove the intake manifold to do the work you outlined.

Phlash

I will add more info on this. The big blocks typically run hotter, so the oil temperature can reach the boiling point when either running an engine hard or when idling around town but not enough speed to keep the air flow through the radiator high enough to cool the engine. Chevy did a good job when machining the block for the lifters. They don't leak much around the lifter, and since the oil going to the front lifters can't go anywhere else, the oil just sits there and gets hotter. Some of this oil will go through the lifters to the rockers, but there is not enough oil exchanged to keep it from getting too hot. Once the oil vaporizes then the lifter collapses and you start hearing the lifters rattle. This lifter won't stop rattling until the oil cools and the lifter pumps back up. If you run a 454 too had when this happens, then several bad things can happen. 1) too much push rod clearance and you bend a push rod, you might even pop a lifter out of the block into the lifter valley under the intake manifold which can also cause other problems 2) you can gauld a lifter and block due to loss of lubrication 3) you can just ruin the lifter(s)

The trick is to keep the oil cool, which is what the plugs with holes in them do(located behind the timing chain) by allowing oil to flow back into the crankcase down through the backside of the timing chain cover. The oil is exchanged and cooled in the pan.

For those of you having problems when the engine is cold, then it is either clearance problems (adjust the lifter to 3/4 or 1 turn after zero lash), bad lifters, wrist pins, or deeper problems.

Hope this helps.

Phlash 72 BB Roadster

bigvette1

This makes a lot off sense. The lifter noise is the right front bank. It happens when the engine is fully warm after running. When you look at the back of the timing chain area there seems to be a large hole in the casting that should let oil flow. But this is not what you are referring to as the oil galley plugs. I will have to look again and keep this for future when the engine comes apart. Thanks.

bigvette1

This is an area that I need to check. The fuel pump is a replacement about 4 years ago. However, the rod is the origional 1973 vintage that I am sure has been pounded crazy. I think I will order a new rod and swap it out. Makes sense as the noise problem gets louder with the temp of the engine an as the rod/cup gap increases so does the noise. Thanks for the tip.