[Erik_H]

very good thought, thanks. Unfortunately they're brand new Magnaflows. The sound seems like it's coming from right in front of me, driver's side engine bay. Of course, since my ears on on that side, and my driver's side window is open, I can't say for sure that's really where it is coming from.

The exhaust actually sounds awesome if anyone is thinking about Magnaflows.

[Erik_H]

OK seriously, I'm going to light my car on fire. On the way home tonight I was hearing a faint ticking sound, so I popped the hood and one of the 2 rearmost plug wires on the HEI is arcing off the firewall. It's not loose, I pushed down on it. It's actually arcing right through the boot itself. That big dumb HEI is so tight up against the firewall you can barely even get your fingers in there. WTF do I do now? This is not only annoying, but I would think rather dangerous as well. I am seriously about through with these damn HEIs, it's been one problem after another with melting buttons, loose connections, screwed up advance canisters, etc.

Can someone help me with the arcing issue? If I can solve that and the tuner gets me in good shape this weekend, maybe I'll be OK with keeping the damn thing.

[Ben M.]

Originally Posted by Erik_H

WTF do I do now?

Small body HEI? Were the plug wires damaged in any way to cause this? Once they start arcing they will never stop.

What's the gap on the plugs? Didn't see that mentioned...

[Erik_H]

no, a regular HEI (they're freaking huge). I haven't pulled the plugs yet to check them. It's running the internal coil with an MSD 6AL box. Maybe the boot is cut or something, I don't know.

[428GTO70]

I think he may have been suggesting you to use a small body hei to gain firewall clearance. If you are arcing I would definitely check the wires out. Is it possible that you have bad wires and thats what was causing the issues before(burned button) etc? Im no expert but its an idea. How old are the wires? check that plug wire for a split boot at least.

[Erik_H]

Ahh I see. I've thought about a small body, and I may end up going that way. I think the arcing was from a small split in the rubber boot. It was my fault as usual - That particular plug would not "snap" down on the terminal like it should and it was always loose. I tried to pinch it with some pliers and likely tore the boot a bit.
With that said, I am pretty sure it wasn't causing the issues with the melted button. This arcing just started, it was very audible which is why I found it. The melting cap was happening prior to this. I have come to the conclusion that when using a CD box with an HEI, you MUST use the low resistance button, and even then some guys still melt. It has been suggested by someone here that you should move the coil outside tyhe cap with a modified dust cover, which I looked at. But at that point, why not just buy a Pro billet anyway - I mean you're already going to an box, coil, and dizzy setup anyway, plus you gain the firewall clearance.

Oh, and a new set of wires is on the way. For now, I've swapped that particular wire to a different spot so it isn't up against the firewall or anything else it could arc to.

[RR67GTO]

Originally Posted by Erik_H

I have no experience in diagnosing noises, so I hope someone can figure this out. From inside the car it sounds like halfway between a flutter and a rattle. The video I took with my phone with the window open makes it sound a lot more like a rattle but that's not as bad as it sounds in real life. The sound does not happen at idle or cruise, but only on acceleration. At first I thought it might be an exhaust leak, and then I started to get worried about a valvetrain problem or worse detonation. Like I said, I really don't know the difference between those sounds so I'm at a loss. Anyway, here's the video - please let me know what you think.

Sorry - having problems uploading the video.

I had a noise close to this. Fan was hitting bottom of the shroud. I didn't notice it until I looked real close,because it only happened while driving down the road. It's worth a look. Good luck. < Mike >

[Erik_H]

Thanks. I wouldn't be surprised at all if the noise is something totally unrelated to the engine and I'm just paranoid. One thought I had was that it's something under the dash that rattles/vibrates. The mystery continues.