I'm pretty good with noises but CANNOT figure this one out, so let me try to go hi tech and provide the YouTube link below so you can listen and hopefully guess or suggest what I should check next:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnXuxPbOagc&feature=youtu.be


Engine is a "basket case" build, 428+060. Slightly used pistons, new rings, hand hone. Compression and oil pressure good. Heads, cam&lifters&rockers have all run before on other engines.
Never heard this noise before. Sure sounds like it's coming from the front - sounds like left front in partcular but cant guarantee that the way things echo.

I heard the banging noise in the video and figured ok, fuel pump.
So yanked it out, just running on the gas in the carb.
Same noise.

Ok, its the water pump. Pulled the belt, so now no fan, water pump, or alternator are turning.
Same noise.

Ok, a squirrel got in there and stashed a rock under the front cover.
Pulled front cover, nothing loose, nothing hitting, not scratches or squirrel dung or rocks inside.
Same noise.

Edit, forgot:
Next pulled both valve covers, put hand on each rocker 1 at a time to feel for any noisy culprits tho it did not sound like the right spot. All 16 rockers behaving, no noise or looseness felt in any of em while running.
Same noise.

Maybe the fat new oil pump shaft is hitting. Swap in an old used oil pump and factory shaft.
Same noise.

Ok now we are down to spending gasket money. Pull left side head, expected to see a cylinder wall all scored up and a loose bolt banging around in there. Nope, clean as a whistle.

Exhaust donut was pretty ratty, could be leaking, but I've heard lost of exhaust leaks, this doesnt sound like one, too much "tinny" sound. SURE sounds like an echo under the front cover. Maybe the squirrel stashed his rock in there again.

Cant figure it out, looking for ideas.
Hope the YouTube comes though ok -
thanks for any ideas

Sounds like the clicking is to fast for valve train. Have you pulled the dip-stick? Everything around the balancer and flywheel clear?

Steve
67 Mustang fb FE 431ci

Pulled the dipstick and ran it, same noise.
Buddy once had rods hitting his windage tray, it kinda sounds like that but nothing hitting or even close under there. Pan has the stock cj-style flat baffle and vertical fin but those look to be miles (ok centimeters) from touching anything.

Balancer looks clear, no paint scraping off of it, ditto flywheel, I just have an MX bellhousing on it so I can reach in there (not when it's running!!) and feel, nothing touching but it REALLY sounds up front anyway.

I'm re-checking all these things of course just in case this is all taking place in a wormhole / alternate universe but just out of new ideas.

Werby, that sounds just like a 383 Chevy I did in a 98 Silverado. It had a sort of windage tray in it that didn't quite clear one set of rods with the 400 crank in it. That noise sounds crank speed to me as best I can tell from your video. You might try turning the engine by hand with the plugs out and see if you can feel anything.

Have ya tried The Back yard Stephopscope? Long Screw Driver Handle to the Ear?
I chased a Fuel Pump once and it was Cam Bearings. I agree it sounds too fast for that. My 428 only rapped under hard throttle, until the Cam broke! There was hardly enough bearing left to drive out.

I did change the cam bearings in this beast, all looked fine w/cam spinning free when done.

But who knows - would cam bearings make that kind of crazy banging noise?

Well, one of the next steps is to swap the chain&gears for an old used set, maybe I will pull the cam while I'm in there and have a look at the bearings too. I've already had the oil pan off&on 4 or 5 times or 6 maybe.

I didn't mean tosuggest Cam Bearings, just telling my episode. The Screwdriver was the Main suggestion. It still sounds to fast for Valve Train.

It's awfully rapid for idle speed, are there witness marks on the timing cover? Cam chain flap? Does it occur when you turn the engine over by hand? Have you tried disconnecting spark plugs on the running engine to see if a down cylinder quiets it (pull a wire, listen, replace)?

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1964 Galaxie 500, 390, Toploader, 3.50 9 inch
1967 F100 Stepside, 240 I-6, 3.03, 4.11 9 inch

I didnt try the stethoscope or pull each plug thing, the noise is so awful I've been avoiding letting it run too long even at idle.

Looked under front cover, everything tight (new roller chain/gears), no marks. From the sound I expected a mess under the timing cover but nothing. Same noise whether fuel pump is in or out. Ugh.

Sounds really fast to me. Is it possible that the rotor is hitting the contacts in the distributor cap? What RPM is the motor turning in your video?


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I only let it run a few seconds cuz of the noise and no water pump so it's not warm enough to idle down steady.

I think I will swap in another distributor too just to eliminate that, tho this one spins over fine, no noises turning it by hand. Noise sounds way too strong for rotor hitting cap anyway but I'm down to swapping parts out 1 by 1.

Did you try pulling wires one at a time to see if problem was cylinder related? Also, althought I have ever seen it on FEs., is the side of the rod bolt hitting something? I has a six banger Chevy we did a cheapy overhaul on that had a knock in it caused by a rod out of alignment. A aligment fixture,a vise and a pry bar solved that problem. Hope this helps.

Check dist. too long screw in base plate hitting advance mech.? You should be able to hear that noise cranking it over with the starter. Maybe pull the plugs and and spin it over. Goodluck, Tom.

Havent heard the noise cranking it over - did compression check on all 8 w/plugs out before it fired up, no undue noises.

I really hope it is the most metallic sounding exhaust leak I've ever heard but it sure doesn't sound like it. Saga continues!

or broken internaly?

Cracked plug?
Sounds like an electrical arc to me.

What dist in there? Points? Electronic? Maybe rotor hitting cap? Bent dist shaft? Advance weights? Take dist apart, look for damage...

Oil slinger on crank?

Nice, no slop, nothing bent, spun it no noises, points (I like simple for 1st startup of a motor).
Plan to swap in another used dist if noise continues but it just doesnt sound like dist noise.

It sure sounds to me like noises that will come from a problem in the flywheel/converter, starter, blockplate area. I had a torque converter that sounded very much like that, some years ago. Sure hope you find it. RonW

inspection hole for the clutch caused a very similar noise on a "other brand" for me before. Spent all day tearing thru that field, thought we broke our play toy. Yanked it out of there and tried the next day to kill that truck. Hope it's a simple fix. Later, Travis

That is what I thought when I first heard it Ron. I had a noise like that once, took forever to figure out.

Does the noise change with rpm? Are any rockers hitting the breather bafffle? Joe-JDC.

Cam gear or timing chain may be hitting a cam retainer bolt that has backed out. Rotating sound, one sound per revolution.

X2 on the cam timing gear hitting on the cam retaining bolts, i had a brand new comp cam gear set that wouldnt clear the cam retainer bolts, i switched over to a cloyes and it cleared with plenty room.

Careful look at clearances, they look like plenty and no marks of anything rubbing.
I've tried to think of everything up front since (u cant tell in the YouTube but) the sound is from the front.

Still, chain/gear swap is coming soon.

Those seemed like culprits so I took em out/off to check.
Same noise.

If I could I'd run it without the oil pan and flywheel but I can only do so much.

Ya know, I bet it WOULD run w/o the timing cover - anybody ever try that?

Maybe a bad wrist pin bushing.

yup, on my 428 i even ran it without the timing cover. had rags on everything to keep the mess down to a minimum. mine turned out to be 2 bad wrispin bushings that the machineshop neglected to replace......

That's 1 reason i pulled the left side head (sound seems from left side)
I figured I'd find scored up cylinder wall[s] and rubble but nope, clean as a whistle. I assembled pistons myself, all seemed tite so hopefully they stay together. Sound seems too fast for a single cylinder anyway.

as soon as you start it or does it come on after a few seconds?

Started making noise on 1st start, makes it ever since. Does change pace with RPM's, which doesnt say much.

Does the Camshaft timming gear require a spacer between it and the cam?
Some gears come with it as part of the gear and on some you have to add the spacer.
As the cam get old the spacer looks like part of the cam,new cams do not come with the spacer.
I saw this break two lifters and destroy the camshaft.
Good luck
Bill

n/m

Sounds like rockers hitting valve covers. I had to cut away part of the baffle due to same issue. Just my 2cents.