[lust4speed]

I need to get a life. Sunday afternoon and I just spent over two hours reading all the posts catching up from post #1 to #922.

Here are the things that are probably involved:
1. Distributor driveshaft wear from touching sides of block hole
2. Destroyed bottom distributor bushing
3. Enough vibration to shake the oil pickup loose

So none of the three usually happen very often and not all together. MSD has produced thousands of distributors with the funky bushing probably without a wear problem, oil pump driveshafts normally have plenty of clearance, and if an oil pump does come off it is after considerable time and not fresh off the dyno. So something isn't right and caused these problems soon after the build. Noise down at low RPM turning into a vibration at higher RPM's which would be difficult to catch.

I also see photos of the copper coating on the cam so it's probably a Crane cam. This also means that it is probably a cam with the cast iron end pressed on so a standard distributor gear can be run.

I'd be looking at the cam...

[TedRamAirII]

Originally Posted by lust4speed

I need to get a life. Sunday afternoon and I just spent over two hours reading all the posts catching up from post #1 to #922.

Here are the things that are probably involved:
1. Distributor driveshaft wear from touching sides of block hole
2. Destroyed bottom distributor bushing
3. Enough vibration to shake the oil pickup loose

So none of the three usually happen very often and not all together. MSD has produced thousands of distributors with the funky bushing probably without a wear problem, oil pump driveshafts normally have plenty of clearance, and if an oil pump does come off it is after considerable time and not fresh off the dyno. So something isn't right and caused these problems soon after the build. Noise down at low RPM turning into a vibration at higher RPM's which would be difficult to catch.

I also see photos of the copper coating on the cam so it's probably a Crane cam. This also means that it is probably a cam with the cast iron end pressed on so a standard distributor gear can be run.

I'd be looking at the cam...

Crane Cam? No way, Paul is a VooDoo Man!

[grivera]

It’s a Lunati cam

[lust4speed]

Actually that makes me feel a little better since I'm pretty much a Crane cam guy, and was feeling like I fingered my Cousin Vinni or something. Anyway, maybe the basic premise is valid.

[Steve C.]

It's a custom Lunati hyd roller cam with Voodoo lobes.

Post number 7



.

[Mike Davis]

I have not read all the post.... but has anyone checked all the tie bars on the lifters to see if they were hitting the lifter bores? I seen one that sounded similar and the cam was ground with a low base circle and the tie bars were hitting the bores.

[Sun Tuned]

Tell you what I'd do....

Pull it and take it to Butler. Have em find what ever is the deal. If they do find it, have em fix it.... send Paul a bill.
If they don'tfind something, eat it.

This assuredly can be figured out. No need to spend another 45 pages on it.

[tom s]

Mike,post 919 has a pic,looks fine.Tom

[67gtospud]

Reading through this thread and I don’t see mention of the flexplate at all. Is it new or used? What was used on the dyno? I know the op said he disconnected the converter to eliminate that, but was the flexplate checked? I’ve diagnosed multiple cracked flexplates over the years that have sounded like a spark knock at idle and faded as rpm raised with no load on the engine.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by 67gtospud

Reading through this thread and I don’t see mention of the flexplate at all. Is it new or used? What was used on the dyno? I know the op said he disconnected the converter to eliminate that, but was the flexplate checked? I’ve diagnosed multiple cracked flexplates over the years that have sounded like a spark knock at idle and faded as rpm raised with no load on the engine.

Way, way back in these 950+ posts, I suggested removing the flexplate completely and running the engine just to make sure. My dyno set-up requires a manual transmission flywheel, not a flex plate to be connected to the dyno drive plate. It's an old Superflow SF-901 about 20 years old. Set-ups have changed over the years and are much easier now. I have no idea how they were set-up on their dyno. But I agree this may be worth a look.

[HWYSTR455]

That's been done, several times. I even looked up there to see if the flexplate bolts were too long, I at one point suspected they may be, too long that is, and contacting the block.

Was even wondering if there was some casting flash at the top of the trans bell that might be making contact, since I'm trying to focus on things that were not present on the dyno.

.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

That's been done, several times. I even looked up there to see if the flexplate bolts were too long, I at one point suspected they may be, too long that is, and contacting the block.

Was even wondering if there was some casting flash at the top of the trans bell that might be making contact, since I'm trying to focus on things that were not present on the dyno.

.

Very good then. Don't mean to be bringing things back up that have been checked and verified. We are thinking along the same lines though. "What is different here in VA, that has changed from AZ on the engine dyno where the engine was quiet?" That's the big puzzler here.

Staying with the logic path above, and not hearing the engine in person. Any chance in hell on earth that something is broken apart in a muffler clanging around with the exhaust pulses and traveling up the pipes through the manifolds and to the engine? It's a crazy long shot but next time the engine is running, have someone listen right at the mufflers for any weird clanging noise. If you think there is any possibility of a noise transfer, get a packing blanket and wrap it around the muffler (s) to deaden them. See if the noise changes. Of course don't do this too long and catch the blankets on fire!

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

"What is different here in VA, that has changed from AZ on the engine dyno where the engine was quiet?" That's the big puzzler here.

I think short head pipes vs. duals out the back is the difference with that.

Just way too loud in the dyno room to hear the noise. Not being able to hear doesn't mean it didn't exist.

Clay

[Va68goat]

tom s,
I did send the link to this valve cover from Butlers before I purchased them. Paul said it was good, he just had to use a thicker gasket. He suggested the gasket and I sent him the gasket and valve covers. He checked it for clearance. When the knocking was discovered, thats one of the first things that we checked. I have pictures of the inner valve covers in my phone.... somewhere. There were no witness marks. I doubt very seriously that Paul would have missed that. What is it that you see on the dyno picture?

DOC,
Great suggestion but I would hope that Paul would have done that when the motor was reassembled after he tore it apart.

Formulajones,
Yeah ok. Since you're an uninvolved, biased participant in this, I understand what you're saying. No need for me to comment any further.

[grivera]

Joe replaced the flexplate- with one he sent Paul and had balanced.

[aceaceca]

How about a ballooning converter pushing the crank forward. Seen one and the amazing damage it caused. Jut a thought. Especially if the engine does not knock with the converter off or pushed back.

[hurryinhoosier62]

Joe, where in VA are you? I'm going to be in far western SC in a couple of weeks. You wouldn't be that far out of my way.

[hurryinhoosier62]

This engine was screwed up from the get go. That SHOULD have been heard just rotating the engine through during assembly.

["QUICK-SILVER"]

Originally Posted by hurryinhoosier62

This engine was screwed up from the get go. That SHOULD have been heard just rotating the engine through during assembly.

My thoughts on that,

.001" clearance during assembly wouldn't be there with the engine running on the power stroke.
OP's engine knocks at slow idle but doesn't at the same speed spinning it with the starter.

Clay

[Formulas]

Wait the PCV valve is plumbed into a single runner?

The PCV valve itself will flutter and make noise every time the cylinder hits

Learned that circa 1982 with a P4B intake

Quick check pull PCV from engine and cap it or put finger over it and listen

.