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I have a ticking noise coming from the passenger side of the valves. Today I removed the valve covers to see if anything jumped out as causing the ticking noise. Some have said possibly a sticking lifter but not sure. I took a few pics and hoping some of you can identify any abnormalities. Some of those horizontal springs look odd, maybe even broke so not sure if that is what could be causing the noise. In pic 2 on the farthest rod t I just now noticed what appears to be some rust. Could that be a problem or is that normal? All three of this pictures are of the passenger side. Thanks in advance.
You can see that at least one of the springs that separates your rocker arms is broken. In your top pic. That could cause some ticking noise. You will need to remove and disassembled the rocker shaft to replace it.
Thanks for the response, VitaminC. Been looking for where I can get replacement springs but have not located a source yet. Any suggestions? I did come across a company offereing spacers to replace the springs. May go that route if I hear good things. Thanks again.
It dose not look like oil is getting up there as it all should be soaked in oil.
You can run the motor with the cover off and make sure oil is coming out the end of the push rods & rockers.
If not you need to pull the push rods and make sure they are clear.
What is the other side like?
Dave - - - -
It dose not look like oil is getting up there as it all should be soaked in oil.
You can run the motor with the cover off and make sure oil is coming out the end of the push rods & rockers.
If not you need to pull the push rods and make sure they are clear.
What is the other side like?
Dave - - - -
FEs are oiled through the rocker shafts, not the pushrods.
But good point, it does look a dry the OP should check to make sure the galleys in the shaft are not plugged when he takes them apart to replace the springs.
OP You can source springs from other rocker shaft or look up the part number and put it in the Google machine
I had a mystery tick on a 352, wasn't until I pulled the valve cover like you, started the motor and pushed on parts to find where the tick was coming from, mine turned out to be a bad valve guide. I could put a little sideways force on the valve and the tick would stop. The machine shop said whoever rebuilt my heads (months earlier!), set the clearances to tight more than likely. Like others have said, check your oil passages too, it does seem a little dry
FEs are oiled through the rocker shafts, not the push rods.
Still, why don't the rockers shafts, bolts, valve keepers etc, look wet with oil? I agree, the whole area should be generally wet with oil, and a little pooled by the drain passages. Looks pretty dang parched up there to me.
It might not be a bad plan to pull the rocker assembly and spin the motor over and make sure enough oil is making it up topside. Then inspect the rockers and shaft for galling and sludge. The underside is where all the wear takes place, they may be junk. I went through this with a Y block. They are notorious for poor valvetrain oiling.
FEs are oiled through the rocker shafts, not the pushrods.
But good point, it does look a dry the OP should check to make sure the galleys in the shaft are not plugged when he takes them apart to replace the springs.
OP You can source springs from other rocker shaft or look up the part number and put it in the Google machine
So the oil comes up thru 1 of the rocker shaft stands out across the shaft how does the oil get to the valve & push rod to lube them?
I had an old 63 F250 tow truck with a 312 that did not oil the rockers. IIRC there was a kit, copper tubing & fittings, to get oil past the normal blockage. Never installed it as the motor went thru oil, bad rings, faster than we could put it in. It had a stack to get the smoke up high so we could hook up to cars.
Dave ----
Y Blocks had problems when the camshaft bearings wore, and the oil galleries through the heads have a dogleg passage that is prone to sludge, the non-detergent oils of the time probably didn't help. Infrequent oil changes and short trips etc, they had problems. External oilers were a common sight.
When rocker arms and rocker shaft get excessive clearance the oil pressure to the mains is reduced, less "backpressure" or whatever.
Still, why don't the rockers shafts, bolts, valve keepers etc, look wet with oil? I agree, the whole area should be generally wet with oil, and a little pooled by the drain passages. Looks pretty dang parched up there to me.
It might not be a bad plan to pull the rocker assembly and spin the motor over and make sure enough oil is making it up topside. Then inspect the rockers and shaft for galling and sludge. The underside is where all the wear takes place, they may be junk. I went through this with a Y block. They are notorious for poor valvetrain oiling.
The point needed to be made for clarity. Pervious member suggested that the OP check his pushrods to make sure they weren’t blocked with sludge. FE pushrods are solid...I didn’t want the OP to get confused when he pulled his and didn’t see any holes in them. Also I agreed with his real point that the rockers looked dry...hence why I suggested he check his rockershafts for sludge build up.
So the oil comes up thru 1 of the rocker shaft stands out across the shaft how does the oil get to the valve & push rod to lube them?
You got it. Oil flows across the shaft and through some passages onto the rocker arms. Once pressure builds the oil will flow from the rocker arms down to the pushrods and to the top of the valve stem. If oil is flowing well you will see it pumping out the two holes on the pushrod side of your rocker arms.
I had mind tore down the other day and snapped some pictures. You can see the oil passages on the underside of the rocker shaft that is tore down. If those get clogged.... bad stuff can happen.
Thanks again for all the great feedback. Very much appreciated. You guys have given me some great suggestions on things to check. Before I proceed, a couple of clarification questions. First, can I run the engine with the covers removed without oil going all over the place? 2nd, where do I push to detect the ticking noise? Next, When I do pull off the rocker assembly, do you guys have any suggestions for how to best accomplish the task. Searching this forum I think I have a pretty good idea of how to do it but just want to make sure. I should start with the rear bolt(#4) with 2 turns, the move forward to the next bolt(#3) with two turns and same with the last two. Go back through the same process until they are all out. Instead of going with replacement springs, considering going with the billet rocker spacers. Pros/cons with those? One final question: can all of this be accomplished by just removing the valve covers and rocker arm assembly? Again, I appreciate all the help and directions. I am considering pulling this engine as I have several other issues as well(major rear main seal leak, very worn teeth on flex plate, etc)..
One possible cause for the lack of oil- truck has been sitting a lot lately. Before I took the above pictures truck had only run for about 5 minutes in the last two weeks. Not sure if that was enough to soak the rockers with oil.
They look dry to me, but I'm no expert. Even if sitting for a month or more, everything should be wet with oil still. Oil doesn't really evaporate, at least not with valve covers on.
Yes, want to loosen (and reinstall) everything evenly, a little bit at a time, so one end of the rocker shaft isn't pranged compared to the other or the middle.
So, while you're in there might as well replace the valve seals. And since the valve springs are off at that point, heck they are cheap. A set of hardened shims are only $29 from Summit. A valve spring micrometer maybe $50. Course this is a lot easier with the heads off.... So then you might as well... wait never mind!!
Tedster, that is exactly how I am feeling. One thing leads to another. Reallly debating just pulling the whole engine and going through everything. I’m thinking this truck has never had anything replaced on it because everything is so worn out. So far, it’s been simple things but now that I’ve worked through those items I am coming across more in depth repairs/replacements. I’ve never tore into an engine before so this is a bit overwhelming but learning so much.
