engine knock after top end rebuild

[jd4242]

Nothing extra is needed besides 90+ and it will run on cheap gas but you just wont have the performance and or it may knock under heavy loads.I would keep them.also I wouldnt worry about the increase effecting the rings or anything. Only thing that will really effect all that is just mileage or poor oiling or cheap oil.run full synthetic and your bottom and should be good for another 500k if they are in good shape now.

Did you make sure to drain the lifters after cleaning and pump back up with good oil? You have to take the top plunger off and use the spray straw from a spray bottle, little red straw (like from brake cleaner or carb cleaner) and push down in the middle of the lifter with the top plunger off.I would do this then submerge in oil and do the same thing wile in oil (messy I know) this will make sure good clean oil is in them.if not cleaner will not compress like oil, may feel stiff but basically is a dead lifter once extreme pressure is put on it..

 

[jd4242]

Here is a very good detailed way to check, clean lifter.I suggest try to break them down this far as it sounds like you really didnt..
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=373261

 

[cerberusaardvark]

random question- theres what looks like a ground wire coming off the back of the old head. should i take that off for the new head? i forget where it screws to the engine bay.

 

[cerberusaardvark]

also, whats the best way to switch over to full synthetic oil?

 

[jd4242]

random question- theres what looks like a ground wire coming off the back of the old head. should i take that off for the new head? i forget where it screws to the engine bay.

also, whats the best way to switch over to full synthetic oil?

Yes the ground needs to go back on, goes near the wiper motor.just stretch it up and your see.I go to a part synthetic first, I use castrol syntech

 

[cerberusaardvark]

cant figure out how to get the second plunger out of the lifter. apparently its just supposed to come out easily. it slides up and dowwn freely but then it pokes out and thats as far as it goes

 

[jd4242]

Try spraying cleaner in the hole but be careful it may shoot out.its time consuming but would tell you if you do have a broken spring or something wrong inside it

 

[cerberusaardvark]

whoop just got it. needed a vice grip

 

[cerberusaardvark]

halfway done. passengers side lifters aare cleaned. the number two cylinder lifter pair had one with a broken check ball spring. so, ill have to find a new one. other than that, all the lifters were primed, no broken springs or worn internals.

luckily my fiance had an extra saline syringe leftover from work so i stuck a red straw from a carb cleaner tue in the end and bam, a custom lifter oil injector. it fits through the hole in the side and i can fill with oil that way,

im flushing them out that way too with the internals removed. got a lot of black secks out, but they will probably return because of how dirty the engine is. for initial startup ill know everything is cleaned and not broken at least.

ive got a devious way of finding a new check spring, so after i get that fixed ill switch over to the drivers side. still dont know why there was so much carbonization on the passengers side head versus the drivers side head.

 

[jd4242]

Well sounds like you may have found your bad lifter just be careful not to scare the plunger with the vise grips.slightest burr can cause it to hang.if you cant find a spring I have spares, worse case I could next day it in a envelop.

 

[cerberusaardvark]

 

[jd4242]

Lol genius

 

[cerberusaardvark]

driver side is done now. everything was fine on the drivers side but now i can rest easy. ill place the driver side head and connected the ground before i forget. tomorrow im getting that spring for the lifter on the passengers side

 

[malohnes]

Youa sked about running these heads with your engine stock. I have a similar set up, though I have headers and performance exhaust and other bolts and nothing else. They are definitely a nice bump up, noticeable, but nothing that will break on your stock block. I am told that the increased compression MAY cause the lower end to wear faster, but I have also heard opposing points to that so who knows.

I occasionally run 87 octane with out trouble, but I tend to pay for 90 typically. I also don't have temps over 70 to drive in, even in the summer and that has a lot to do with pinging. I think you should be fine on that front. Oh, I do use water/meth injection and that will help with low octane fuel, even on a NA engine.

Good job on your progress.

You also asked about synthetic oil...I run fully synthetic myself. Went straight from dino oil to quality syn after oil change. Along with all other fluid/filter change to synthetics as well, it was slightly noticeably better(smoother) and clearly reflective in my increased mileage.

RTV on intake, I followed JD's advice to the letter and I waited until the next day to run, but I did all the work on my engine that was still warm when I swapped my heads. I don't know if that at all makes a difference in sealing.

 

[cgbier]

RTV on intake, I followed JD's advice to the letter and I waited until the next day to run, but I did all the work on my engine that was still warm when I swapped my heads. I don't know if that at all makes a difference in sealing.

Head swaps only when the engine is at room temperatures. That's at least what I learned during my apprenticeship, but I think as long as you don't come directly from a highway chase, it shouldn't matter much.

 

[cerberusaardvark]

heading out to get the replacement check ball spring. my goal is to start this thing up by the end of the day. i think ill switch to full synthetic but as i still have about 6 quarts of dino, ill do a few small interval oil changes to help with cleaning, then make the switch.

man, fluids get expensive!

 

[jd4242]

I go to part syn first.dont think alot of full syn is compatible with regular oil.thats why I go to part first to basically flush it then what ever is left when you go to switch to full is compatible with full sense its part already. But thats up to you, thats just how I do it

 

[cerberusaardvark]

al right, just got it up and running. after a few disturbing bags when i turned it on, ir settled down a little and theres very little smoke. i think its just all the cleaner that got sprayed onto the pipes. i got that same tapping but it was much more quiet and went away after about 5 minutes.

its still not super smooth, when i get in i can feel it chug a little. in park it revs and sounds okay, but when i put it in reverse after letting it get up to temp there were some bangs and rattles and it tried to die. no idea what would cause that. the tranny was fine before starting work and i havent touched anything tranny related.

could my pcm be on the outs? this time around i made sure every step of the way that what i had taken apart went back together by the book.

 

[jd4242]

Where do the bangs sound like they are coming from? The motor or trans? Do you have any codes? Did you reset the ecm? Do you have a cps? Did you take off the iac by chance to clean it and damage or mount backwards?

 

[cerberusaardvark]

the bangs just sound kind of hollow and from the engine. i didnt clean the iac or maf. i also didnt reset the ecm. im definitely thinking this is sensor related as mechanically it sounded fine in park and neutral. i brought it up to about 1500 rpms for a few mintues and i didnt hear anything wierd.

not sure what a cps is, but i dont have a cel or anything