Engine Ticking!

jaimer · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:19 pm Post subject: Engine Ticking!

Hi Guys,

My bus has been running great lately! I have been slowly improving what I can on her. Just a day or two ago (or when I noticed) it develloped a ticking sound, coming from the driver side valve case. It is audible from the engine compartment, but definitely towards the back left.

Here is a video of the sound. It is easiest to hear, if you skip back and forth between left and right side.

Link

I have not adjusted the valves as they are hydraulic and have (seemingly) been fine this summer.
New ignition coil
new spark plugs
Oil is 20-50w, I did check it this morning and it was a little low, topped up. Temps are dropping and I will be changing it this week.

The bus is still running well, I feel no difference in power. I plan on driving to Vegas in the end of October, so I really hope this doesn`t mean a rebuild! What tests can I do to pinpoint this!?

I have already, pulled each individual plug, and wasnt always able to hear the sound.

Any ideas might help, this is starting to stress me out!

Zelten · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:34 pm Post subject:

Sounds like your hydraulic lifters have bleed down. If that's the case, it will quiet down with a few miles of driving.
_________________
1978 Delux Campmobile
03 Jetta TDI
15 Q7 TDI

jaimer · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:38 pm Post subject:

The closest thing I could find would be one of these..

Pinging, http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/Muir/pinging.wav
Loose valves, http://www.ratwell.com/mirror/Muir/loosevalves.wav

But it feels like something inetween Confused

jaimer · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:40 pm Post subject:

Hey Zelten,

This video was just after having driven the bus for ten minutes from work, I also just did a 4 hour round trip the day before. The sound seems to be constant.

Zelten · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:43 pm Post subject:

If you have a Bentley use that to adjust your valves. Even hydraulic lifted valves need to be adjusted. It sounds like my bus when I haven't driven in awhile. Each engine bleeds down and builds up differently. Sometimes mine takes about 10 miles of driving sometimes less.
But adjust your valves and see what happens. It doesn't sound that bad from the video to me.
_________________
1978 Delux Campmobile
03 Jetta TDI
15 Q7 TDI

jaimer · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 7:54 pm Post subject:

I last adjusted the valves in the spring when I did an oil change, they need adjusting that often? It isn`t that bad, it is a fairly faint tick. I just want to be on top of it before it becomes a major issue. Thanks Zelten, I will adjust the valves with my oil change this week and see if things improve.

Zelten · Posted: Tue Sep 23, 2014 8:28 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't think you need to adjust them again if you did it 6 months ago but it wouldn't hurt to just check. Good luck and take it out again when you get a chance for a long drive. It it hasn't quieted down within 30 minutes or 30 miles, then I would guess it's not you hydraulic lifters. I know mine make a horrible racket when they bleed down but after they are primed it's very quiet.
_________________
1978 Delux Campmobile
03 Jetta TDI
15 Q7 TDI

THall · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 6:06 am Post subject:

jaimer · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 9:17 am Post subject:

I have been doing 1.5 turns. Thanks for that write-up by Colin it is great! I will definitly read through that.

Wildthings · Samba Member Joined: March 13, 2005 Posts: 50348

If your valves are recently adjusted maybe one of the lock nuts came loose and the valve is now out of adjustment. You could also try adding a quart of Marvel Mystery Oil to your crankcase and see if that will clean the lifters and let them pump up and stay pumped up better.

Synthetic oils just seem to work better with hydraulic lifters as well. They have fewer additives to break down in the heat (the byproducts of which foul the lifters) and are in general thinner at start up allowing the oil to circulate through the lifters more readily.

curtis4085 · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:07 pm Post subject:

Sounds like a lifter bleed down. My 78 did this after sitting for a few days. A 20 minute drive would fix it every time.
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jaimer · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 7:14 pm Post subject:

I Drove for four hours and still heard this sound. Could a heavy oil cause the lifters to bleed down in cold temps? It is starting to dip towards freezing at night here, I am just waiting for the rain to stop so I can adjust the valves + oil change and see if it fixes it!

whip618 · Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2014 8:42 pm Post subject:

If you are running solid rocker shaft spacers it could be excessive end-play on one of the rockers, look for .002-003 endplay

Phil
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Manfreds78bay · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 8:43 am Post subject:

I just hand the same thing happen. Found out my #2 intake lifter died. The top was punched out. You may want to pull lifters and see if there is any damage.
_________________
1978 2.0L FI Campmobile

1982 AMC Eagle SX4 4.2L FI

Busdriver79 · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:21 am Post subject:

My 79 bus sounds like a cement mixer when I first start it after its winter hibernation, which is usually 4 to 5 months....the engine has dual carbs ( long story here), and it backfires through the carbs too...the lifters are really loud until oil pressure builds...the way I found to get it sounding like new is to take it on the road for about a half hour at 50 MPH....this works like a charm and it sounds great all summer long...then every spring, its a repeat...take her out and just drive at highway speeds for a while, all's good again....go figure. Confused

....P.S., I'm using Shell Rotella 15W-40 in the crankcase with a Wix oil filter....original unmolested block and heads, w/160K miles.

jaimer · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 10:37 am Post subject:

Just adjusted my valves, and played a bit with the timing. No change, the sound remains. I pushed on all the lifters (while on TDC) to see if they had air inside of them, and couldn`t get any of them to budge.

I have never pulled the lifters out before, is there a good tutorial somewhere on how to do it?
Sorry I don`t own a bentley yet Embarassed

I think the sound isn`t heard so well in the video because no one seems to catch the noise I am hearing.

Tcash · Posted: Thu Sep 25, 2014 11:17 am Post subject:

Bentley


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