Of course as soon as i start buying nitrous stuff, i start to tick and clatter in the valve train area.

From what i ASSUME is happening, Im experienceing a bad shim and maybe causing some clearance isues. Hopefully not rod knock.. ugh.


im at 97k miles, DE non rev up, religious Mobil full syn oil changes at 3k mi intervals for the life of the car bought new, no racing, but lots of high rpm from downshitfs etc.

Im not so much wondering what symptoms to look for, but weighed outcomes. Searching has done nothing but tell me alot of other people have this issue as well... what i want to know is if a guy doesnt want to spend a grand plus easily repairing one little shim.. might it be easier to buy new heads and pull the whole darn thing off and r/r? Or what does replacing those shims REALLY entail? I cant find a straight answer anywhere.
( Theres a set of heads and Crower cams w 20k on them for sale here.. if its needed... it helps me and another member if i buy them here etc. )

i ask becuase i truly DO NOT KNOW.. im hoping to hear someones experience. it will be at Intense soon enough, but I always like to get some advice beforehand... thanks guys..

I just know from past experience in my Z32 that sometimes it costs far more to dig way in then to just buy the whole chunk ( head, short block etc) and replace it.

 

could you get a vid of the noise. Then maybe someone can chime in and help determine what the noise actually is for ya. I'm interested too, I have a slight noise I think may be valvetrain related, but not 100% sure.

 

id do that, but then thered just be one more video of the same noise floating around here.. theres a guy from Italy who just did a post about valve noise.. i have the same thing..

what im intending for this post is to get insight into the cost benefits of repairing a valve shim ( when surely more will go soon.. ? am i right or no. unsure) versus replacing the heads and being done and good for many many more miles hopefully.

i cant even find anyone to tell me what work is really involved and a cost to reapir a valve shim, here or on google.. and the dealership is always vague of course...
..."Bring it in".. BS.

 

Need a little more info -
is it a tick [ need ear under hood next to engine to hear (ignore for now)]

a Tick [can be heard in car, windows up(start saving $)]

or a TICK [wakes neighbours / people stare as you go by(get AAA and/or stop driving)]

the valve 'shim' adjustment is one time only - no actual shim just different thicknessed valve spring caps - if they changed thickness it's from something else bad going on ; bent rod? , pistons hitting valve?

it's the same work to do both - to change the heads with new/used ones you have to be at the same place in the engine to change springs / valves



time to get those hands dirty!

Having just done this (for 1 broken rod & 1 bent rod, 2 cracked pistons, 4 bent valves) after some misguided turbo tuning it's really not too bad a job.

you don't even NEED to pull the whole engine out for the heads - can just work down from top and remove the front bumper / radiator / timing chain cover - take the hood off first thing, [4 bolts, put a rag at each corner to protect the paint, flip it upside down onto roof on a blanket]

'rent a wreck' for a week if needed / ziplock bags and many boxes to keep each assembly all organized / permanent marker on painters tape to label the 20+ electrical connections and vacuum / coolant hoses.

Good Luck!

(also used heads might just have ticks of their own!)

 

now THATS wtf Im talking about.
THANK YOU!

Expert advice. Real world hands on... and a big friggin picture haha.

the noise.. on start up its a little clattery for just the initial start up.. like 1-2 seconds.

Then as the car pulls higher into 3500-5500 RPM range w load ( ie accelerating) you can hear the clatter at the peak of the RPMs right before you shift.

When the car is at idle, the sound is there, but fairly soft. I also run Kinetix Composite plenum, so its noisy anyways.

But if youre driving w the window down w a wall near you like a fwy entrance, you can hear the sound reverberate much better ( louder, sadder, scarier..sniff sniff).

No FI, no tune, just bolt ons. I stay in high RPMs frequently, but rarely redline this car.
Could it be detonation? Who knows.. this SUCKS!! I just bought nitrous... id really love to install it but im not spraying ANYTHING into this engine right now...

 

I too, am experiencing this ticking chatter sound upon start up and at idle.. I thought it was normal.....

 

it is byut not when its followed by a rattle can at 5k rpm.
IM hoping to GOD that somehow its my terrible clutch and throw out bearing screaming out.. who knows.. but i will have it looked at today at Intense MR. ill repost when i find out whats up.

 

keep us posted

 

Pete tells me it sounds like pinging. I had a car wash place do a decarbon treatment a few months ago, and this started a bit after. he said a piece of carbon could have stuck in my plugs, fouled a plug etc. SO, that being the case, when we get it in for a UTEC tune inthe next 2 weeks or so, we shall see what the plugs look like.

 

ran seafoam yesterday, in vacuum tube and in oil.. small smoke show, but nothing that bad.


Rattle is still there. no change.

Put 110 octance race fuel in today..

if its a ping, its a very stubborn one.. no change.


back to thinking its mechanical? thoughts?

pull plugs n take a look maybe?

 

Well? Update?

 

"I had a car wash place do a decarbon treatment a few months ago....."

I've never let someone at a carwash do ANYTHING to my cars, not even wash them.

 

He's going boost and getting the engine built.

 

Sumofabitch...i had the same **** with my Z before i deployed...guess that bumper to bumper warranty is going to come of some use...
good luck

 

Sorry guys...had deleted my sub since its so old. The sound was a bearing slowly going bad. Finally got super loud in one day ..shut car down...disassembling showed a dead bearing and a horribly scored crank.
Sorry to scare yal..but yeah..ended poorly.
Good news is that IMR has built me a forged engine w powerlab fi now. Few weeks left on the build.