My 72 f100 has a 360 and is running like 1 or 2 cylenders aren't firing. i am getting spark to all plugs. It is also making a clicking noise from under the valve covers. I removed them and some of the push rods are really loose. is this ok. They are not loose enough to fall out of place but close to it. It lets the rocker arm float and I think this is causing the clicking noise. Sorry for the novice questions but it has been 20 years since I dug into an engine at all.

 

OK. Let me ask another question. Does this engine, "72 360, have hydraulic or solid lifters?

 

Hydraulic lifters.

 

Cam lobs worn, or are the rocker arms getting oil? The arms could be worn on the shaft. Did you check the push rod play with the engine running? worn lifters will leak down if no oil pressure.

 

with engine running and a few seconds after it is shut off the lifters heve pressure but then they bleed off pretty quick. This is something that happened almost instantly. I have had the truck for 2 months now with no issues then when I started it up after gassing it up once it was running like this. Maybe the lifters just gave up like that. It seems to be 3 of the. I am sure that they are sold in sets. Not that I would just replace only the bad ones anyhow.

 

good excuse for a cam and lifters if you ask me .

 

pull oil filter and pour oil out through a white rag and see what comes out. If there is a bunch of metal you may have a whiped out cam shaft. The engine oil sold today does not have zddp (some kind of zinc) that keeps cams from wearing out. Unless you go back with a roller camshaft you will need to buy special oil. I use amzoil expensive but its extra insurance and I can wait 7500 miles between oil changes. hope this helps

 

I used a motor flush liquid from kragen and the noise in the valve train is barely noticable but know the engine has a major lope to it at idle and runs very rough. What the halibut?

 

OK. I switched the vacuum lines on the advance on the dist. and the lope went away and the engine smoothed out. One line actually has vacuum and the other one does not. The one with vacuum come from the carb and is now connected to the top spot and the one from the Thing-of-a-majig at the back of the pass. side head is on the front. The latter mentioned thing seems to be missing a line. Does anybody have a diagram that I can see to route this line.