I have a completely rebuilt 331 with a medium cam and 4v intake and edelbrock. The engine makes quite a bit of valve train noises. I have both valve covers off and found that one of the adjustable push rod jam nuts had loosened up and backed all the way off. That was the loud clatter, but after that it started to make a chirp sound. The upper rocker (intake) is oiling very well on both sides, but the lowers (exhaust) do not drip. I am not sure why. I ***ume this is my "chirp" but I sprayed WD-40 in all the ports in the bottom rockers and it did not stop, so what do you guys think?
Could it be a galled rocker arm? The problem with these motors is to find out you now have to take the entire ***embly apart to find out, creating another set of problems.
So then you have a completely rebuilt 331 that has valve train noise. Did you PROPERLY clean the rocker ***emblies? I am not speaking of hot tanking them as that does not work. They must be dis ***embled and given the hospital treatment. You'll be amazed at the crud that comes out. want to know more ask. PS your first post should be an intro. It is not required but appreciated by many here.
No oil to exhaust rockers is a problem I'd suggest not running it until you find out the cause of the problem. And if your builder didnt tighten the pushrods or a pushrod - I'd be looking at everything else.
1952 chrysler New Yorker 331 Hemi in a 1935 chevy half ton pickup that my grandfather built in 1958. 3 speed dodge car transmission with a '55 ford rear axle (3.22:1) Engine: Total overhaul... bored .30 over, crank ground, heads surfaced, new pistons, bearings, cam, lifters, push rods, stainless valves, hardened seats, new guides, new high volume oil pump, new intermediate shaft and msd distributor, new aluminum 4v intake and 600 cfm eldelbrock carb, and new sanderson headers. The truck: Sat in the barn since the mid 60s. I got my hands on it and left the body as it was. rust and peeling paint. Looks like your tradition REAL hotrod. He put a '55 ford convertible rear seat in it in place of the original seat, pontiac heater, ford switches, lowered the rear end, put 49 plymouth bumpers on the front and rear. He had fat white wall tires on the rear with kaiser hubcaps. (all that I just mentioned was things he had done to it. I am putting it back just like he had it )
I was just trying to see if I could get the chirping to go away so I could say "yes this is the problem"...
The truck sounds very cool and the connection to a family member better yet. The problem with Hemi rocker arm ***embles is that the bolts that hold them in place are also the head bolts removing them will break the seal on the head gasket or will leave you wondering if it did.
Again: I didnt notice anything about the rocker shafts being cleaned. The inside of the shafts hold all of the ancient crud from when it last ran. Oil needs to get into and out of the inside of the shaft. It goes into the shaft thru the stanchion, and comes out of the oiler holes in rockers. They usually need to be completely dis***embled and surgically cleaned. Regardless at this point since you've ran it with no oil and its chirping, the shaft ***emblies need to come off and inspected for gauling and damage. So that'll be a great time to clean them again. You'll be looking at a set of top end gaskets too. Next time run the oil pump with a drill to be sure you have oil before you start it. And the hemi needs to have the crank turned while oiling to get it to flow where it's supposed to.
Do you have the rocker stantions in their proper location? I think the 2nd one back is the oiler ,easy check.
If the shafts are upside down, they won"t oil Edit; Thanks Tom, I should have known Chrysler would do someting to prevent a screwup!
If the block was decked and the heads milled there could be slight interference of the push rods rubbing on the push rod hole opening. I had to open mine up (counter bore).
I'd be looking at the "no oil to exhaust rockers" issue as first suspect. But since everything is coming off it would be a good idea to check that too.
This link will splain a lot. Eddie, Hemi Haines. http://www.hemihaines.com/Early-Hemi-Engines-6-146.html
Thanks for the link, it was very helpful! Yes the rocker shafts were cleaned, new plugs were installed on the ends. I took them off and took them to the machine shop and told him to go back through them. I should know by the end of the week.
Did they have oil in them ? If yes : Then it's not getting out. If no: Then the problem is deeper into the engine.
They are getting oil. I put them on a piece of cardboard on the bench and went to find a box to put them in only to come back to find a big mess of oil that had drained out. I'm relieved to see that it is getting oil to the top. I'll let you know the findings at the end of the week. Thanks for all of the help!
Same issue with my 392. The oiling stands were clogged going to the exhaust tubes. this was after having them cleaned and rebuilt. shop just forgot to check the p***ages.
I use a set of 5 different brushes to clean the p***ages in a set of early hemi rockers. Besides the shafts, ALL the p***ages in the rocker arms must be cleaned.
This will sound crazy, but remember its me,several years ago I had three motors completely apart and in various stages of ***embly, I went to set the crank in an early hemi block and noticed what looked like fine mud in the oil holes, closer inspection revealed it was mud, from a mud dauber wasp nest, I started looking in other places like the front timing cover bolt holes and they were packed solid. I heard a story about a very expensive stroker motor damaged from the same thing, only they ***embled theirs and ran it.
Well, we got the rocker arm ***emblies back on. When I started it (with the valve covers off) where the oil enters the rockers there is a little "plug" and oil was coming out of that. It looks like there is a hole drilled in it. The other side does not have a hole in it. I dont know if he did that on purpose and forgot to replace the plug? But anyways, it still wants to squeak at idle. I know its nothing to do with belts. We took those off the first round. It will not do it at high RPMs and I know it did not run long enough to push the "break in oil" that the builder put on, off the rocker shafts. Any ideas. Oh and the uppers still oil pretty well, the lowers oil, just not as much dipping. (i ***ume this is okay since the oil wants to take the path of least resistance.
Those are the rocker shafts correct ? If so I think you need to pull those rocker ***emblies apart again and take the plugs out and run some solvent along with wire brushes through that area to clean out any residue from years past.
I found out that there are more p***ages in these than I thought. Took a lot of cleaning to get every hole cleaned out.
Take a length of vacuum hose, shove one end in your ear and point the other end at various parts of the rocker ***embly... .
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