HELP!!! Rebuilt the head and now its ticking like a time bomb!!!!!
 

Hi All,
Well after three weeks I finally got the head back on my 300e. It had a blown headgasket so I sent it to the machine shop for a valve job with springs, guides etc. Finally I get it back and spend all day putting it back together only to start it up and hear::: TICK TICK TICK TICK TICK.......damn. It is now ticking from under the valve cover LOUD, and I'm scared and angry....I ran it for 5 minutes at idle, took it for a short 1 minute drive, and its still ticking. Now I'm afraid to start it again...Please help me get this car fixed!!!!
Many Thanks
Scott

Anyone?

Scott, Sounds like a bad cam folower(lifter). Need to remove valve cover and find out which one is loose. I would inspect the head to make sure the head is clean and free on any sand or debris. Especially sand from machine shop.

Thanks for your reply...how do I check the lifters on the engine? I'll remove the valve cover tomorrow and survey the area. Also, being that this is a new problem, is it something the machinist who took the head apart should be held accountable for?
Thanks
Scott

I sent a head to the machine shop and had the same thing happen to me when I put it back on. It was a lifter also.

Did they mill it?

William Rogers..........

William -

They resurfaced it did guides and a valve job.

Jason -

Did you get the shop to replace the lifter??

Oh, and is the car driveable, if just 10 miles to the machinist's??

Thanks again
Scott

My lifter was just loose. It didn't need to be replaced. I didn't take it back.

Hey Jason
How did you fix it?
Thanks again
Scott

Alright I'm going out to pull the valve cover......sounds like the noise is from the front three cylinders...got it narrowed down to half the engine at least....

Alright....got the valve cover off.......I think I found the problem. One of the rocker arms (the 1st cylinder Intake arm) is loose. When I press down on it it moves a couple milimeters. None of the others do so......that is my expert diagnosis.....hehe.
So....what is this a syymptom of??? A lifter I assume??? And most important, can I drive it the ten miles to the machinists to get him to fix it????

Many thanks to all those who have helped so far.....
Scott

tow it for $65 it is worth it and cheap insurance.
m

Alright....well its been interesting.....I bought four new lifters and put two in to fix the problem. Only one lifter was colapsed. I started it up and it purred like a kitten. Took it for a ten minute drive and.....TICK TICK TICK TICK....a second lifter had collapsed. Fine. I had two more so I replaced the pair on the second rocker arm. Again....purrs like a kitten.....took it out on the highway, get back, and TICK TICK TICK TICK AAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! so now I'm gonna grab the remaining 8 lifters to install this week. DOES ANYONE KNOW WHY MY CAR NOW EATS LIFTERS????????

Sounds like the lifter isn't getting enough oil to keep it full. A collapsed lifter is not always bad lifter, but usually just one that has varnish and whatever other deposits inside that cause it to stick if compressed further that it sees normal use.

I know when I get stuff from a machine shop it always needs cleaning. Maybe something is blocking oil flow? Or maybe somehow you are losing oil pressure up there from a leak?
When you pull the valve cover is everything covered in oil? Have you ever ran it with the valve cover off to see what is going on? Remember too that oiling problems are often are different when the oil is cold vs 200+ degrees after driving. So a topside leak might be ok when it's cold, but as the oil gets hotter and thins it will loose pressure.

Problem Solved!!! The Machinist left out an oil plug on the front of the head causing it to not be able to build pressure to the lifters. I had it diagnosed and fixed for $650, the Machinist paid the bill....it runs like a top now.....