440 Lifter noise ??

[clazar]

I have a 70 RR 440+6. My engine seems to have developed a valve train noise. I just changed the oil to a heavier classic car oil with zinc in it. The pressure is always good (60 psi). Prior to the oil change no noticible noise. It sounds like a ticking lifter on the driver side frt. Can the oil change have caused this? I definitely don't run the car hard. So it shouldn't be from any abuse. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Chuck

 

[benno440]

mine also did this when i changed the oil, just check your gaps might be a tad loose

 

[clazar]

I have hydraulic lifters in it. What gaps are there to be checked. I had a collapsed lifter 2 years ago. I put new lifters in about 300 miles ago ( 2 yrs ). It just seems odd that after i put heavier oil in it this starts. I had 5W 30 Mobil One with ZDDP additive in it.

Chuck

 

[b_body_hopeful]

There is a way to check your hydra tappets. Yes, you don't have solids but read this.....

A hydraulic valve lifter is also known as a hydraulic tappet or a hydraulic lash adjuster.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...achmentid=187205&d=1400078440&thumb=1&stc=1

 

[super-bee_ski]

I have hydraulic lifters in it. What gaps are there to be checked. I had a collapsed lifter 2 years ago. I put new lifters in about 300 miles ago ( 2 yrs ). It just seems odd that after i put heavier oil in it this starts. I had 5W 30 Mobil One with ZDDP additive in it.

Chuck

Personally Chuck,
I would NOT have run 5W-30 MOBIL 1 oil in any of my muscle cars or "older" cars.

Chuck, are you adding the ZDDP to your oil?
Why I ask is:
Mobil 1 5-30 has a ZDDP (Phosphate) level of only of 800 ppm for fear of damage to Catalytic convertors.
Recomended levels for older style engines require a minimum of 1000 ppm.

Mobil 1 0-40 has 1000ppm and is better for flat tappet cams (Not Roller cams)

But on to the topic:
I personally think a 5-30 fully synthetic oil is not the best choice for 60s and 70s muscle car engines.
Viscosity is too thin, your engine was not designed for this oil.
Too "thin" oil leads to noises....
In my opinion.

Are you running like a Valvoline or Brad Penn oil now?

 

[clazar]

I'm now running Classic Car Oil. It's been formulated for the older cars. It has the correct amounts of zinc for older cars in it. When i was running mobil one, i added zddp to it. Now i have & maintain a little better oil pressure cold & warmed up. I was wondering if the 15w 40 oil had anything to do with a possible lifter clicking. Or is it possibly something else.

Chuck

 

[brasil]

15w40 should be o.k. I run 10w40 from Brad Penn now.... tried 5w30 Royal Purple... 20w50 Lucas... 10w40 Liqui Moly ( German Stuff ).... 15w60 Penrite.... but at the end.. 10w40 Brad Penn seems to be o.k. so far.

Greetings Juergen

 

[cwhubb]

dont over look a exhaust manifold leak, they can sound just like a lifter

 

[brasil]

I would also recommend to use the "paper "gaskets with the valley pan, if using a Aluminum Intake.... ! A litte harder to work with...
but the Intake is 100% sealed .... ( one construction less )

 

[clazar]

Thanks everyone for the help. But could heavier oil cause the lifter clicking. All the lifters were changed only a few hundred miles ago. I'm going to check if the exhaust is leaking, but it doesn't sound like it.

Chuck

 

[brasil]

..pressure is not all... flow is also important I would use 10W40 ( I use it btw. ) this weight seems to be a good all over the year compromise. Heavier Oil sometimes just "hides" some sounds.... and the oilpump assy incl the camshaft is stressed !

 

[miller]

Back in the day, 69 RR w/383 hipo, I used to run straight 50w Valvoline racing oil. Even went to extremes, and each third oil change (at 2,000 miles each), I'd put 4 qts cheap oil and 1 qt kerosene in. Fire up, until tappets bearly clicked, shut it down, and drain that. Never had a minutes prob.

No. Heavier oil won't hurt. Need a good oil, though. Whatever w use use. At least 10w40.
Tappets can go bad, either stick, or loose to begin with. Kinda goes with use good tappets to begin with. Even with 'good' tappets, it can happen.

When you installed the tappets, did you prime 'em? If no...

 

[clazar]

First i used comp cam lifters. I put a Melling HV pump on it. I also soaked the lifters in a can of oil before install. After installing them, i primed the pump before installing the dist. The engine has been running good after that. It just happened after i changed to the classic car oil that i started to get the lifter noise. Just kinda intrigues me to what caused the lifter noise.

Chuck

 

[miller]

Chuck...sorry, never heard of 'classic car oil'. Lol, but I've been out of touch for years.
To me, classic car oil = Valvoline oil.

Just a heads up on the tappet bit, soaking them in oil is not good enough. All a tappet is, is a midget oil pump, of sorts.
New, used, or abused. I set mine one at a time in a container of 30w oil. Using a wooden dowl rod, I work the piston to allow the tappet to draw oil into itself (pump it up). Simply fills the tappet cavity with oil. Sure, some will leak out, but it's primed before it goes in the motor.

 

[clazar]

Classic car oil is a brand made for older cars that need higher zinc levels. I've run the car for a few hundred miles since the lifters went in. I just keep wondering why the lifter noise now. But before i started the engine, i primed the oil pump with the dist out & rotated the engine to get oil to the lifters before start up.

Chuck

 

[coloradodave]

The thing to remember is that the car ran FINE before the oil change. Whether something got into the lifter because of more 'cleaners' in the new oil or who knows what reason, I would pull the valve cover and inspect the rocker arm, pushrod and valve tip just to make sure there is no problem. Or, do an oil/filter change back to what you had been using and see what happens. Keep us informed. Good luck.

 

[clazar]

I don't know how much this has to do with my current lifter clicking, but i think the rocker arms are switched left & right. If i look at #1 rocker arms doesn't the offset for the first valve look on the left side & on the right side offset & so forth for the rocker arms. So what i'm saying is if you look frt ro back, don't they go left offset ,right offset all the way back.

Chuck

 

[nm9stheham]

It 'should not' make a difference but with a lifter that is marginal, it would not surprise me if the heavier oil made a difference. If a lifter is leaking down too fast, a thicker oil will have a harder time flowing in via all the small restrictions to get inside the lifter. A 10W40 and 5W30 don't sound a lot different, but if you check the viscosity when at room temp, 10W40 petroluem based oil will be a LOT heavier and more viscous than a 5W30 synthetic. Petroleum oils have a much, much wider range of viscosity change vs temp than a full syntheitc like Mobil 1.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

I use the Brad Penn 10-40 as well it is a partial synthetic blend with lots of good stuff, but hey I have solid roller lifters and it sounds like an industrial sewing machine lol music to my ears!

 

[miller]

I don't know how much this has to do with my current lifter clicking, but i think the rocker arms are switched left & right. If i look at #1 rocker arms doesn't the offset for the first valve look on the left side & on the right side offset & so forth for the rocker arms. So what i'm saying is if you look frt ro back, don't they go left offset ,right offset all the way back.

Chuck

If you think there's a prob with the rocker arms locations, you need to look into it.
Yeah, there's a difference between intake and exhaust arms, affecting the geometrics between them, and the pushrods.
If their not right...sooner or later, something is gonna give.