[Formulajones]

Thankfully GLH started another thread and is getting much better information in that one.

[dmac]

Getting back to the tick-

If the tick decreased with higher revs, one lifter may be bleeding down a little faster. Try using a 50 weight or to see if it goes away at lower rpm. At low rpm, the lifter has more time to leak down, and thicker oil will leak down slower. In a hot climate, running a heavier weight oil should be acceptable, if clearances are within factory tolerances, and not set too tight.

[Steve C.]

Stated: " Edelbrock Performer-Plus Camshaft # 2157 is designed for 350-455 Pontiac V8 engines and produce optimum torque from the low-end to the mid-range."

That means very little other than the cam can be installed in any Pontiac engine. But does not mean it is a great fit for all.

Right on the the Edelbrock link previously posted for that specific cam ... it states: "Edelbrock Performer-Plus Camshaft Kit for Pontiac 350-403 V8"

Small cubic inches ! Note no 455 listed !

Further if you look in the Crower catalog their 60917 hyd flat tappet cam with the same 204 degrees intake duration is listed with the cubic inches group for 265-287 cubic inches.

If it were to be used in a 'performance' 455 Pontiac it would be way under cammed with a Edelbrock 2157 cam with 204 degrees intake duration. Take the information provided in most companies catalogs regarding camshafts with a grain of salt.

ONWARD THRU THE FOG


.

[TAQuest]

Worked great in my 428 and works great in my 400.

The relevant part is: in the latter use with these heads the tick went away with the changeout of the cam. 3 people reported a tick with the combo. One fixed it. That was the point. How I fixed it exchanging the 703 with the 2157. Could be a good clue for someone else.

[Kenth]

Using a cam that requires octane booster or race-fuel in a street car isn´t great at all in my book.

FWIW

[scott70]

Originally Posted by Kenth

Using a cam that requires octane booster or race-fuel in a street car isn´t great at all in my book.

FWIW

Especially if you can get the same performance and running characteristics with a well chosen cam and run on 87 octane instead. Get the cylinder pressure down with a better cam and it wouldnt be so sensitive to octane.

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by scott70

Especially if you can get the same performance and running characteristics with a well chosen cam and run on 87 octane instead. Get the cylinder pressure down with a better cam and it wouldnt be so sensitive to octane.

What cam would that be?

[78w72]

agree with the other "characters"... requiring 2 bottles of octane booster to stop detonation is NOT running great! & the car does NOT spin the tires in all gears nor is it anywhere near lifting the front tires in 3rd gear... as was claimed in other threads!

fact is you fixed the tick issue by simply replacing the cam/lifters, it had absolutely nothing to do with the 2157 cam iteself. chances are you just had a bad lifter or did the break in wrong or any other possible user errors. in theory, you could have fixed the tick by just replacing the lifters & keeping the same cam or another new 703 cam if it was indeed bad. there are hundreds or thousands of happy owners of 703 cams out there with zero tick.

point being, it wasn't the 2157 that "fixed" the tick, it was simply new parts. now please, stop "trolling" this thread with your 2157 is such a great cam non sense!

[Steve C.]

FOR INTEREST use some of the related calculators here with the specs on your current cam, then compare it to other lobes. Example change the seat duration (advertised duration) and/or lobe separation. See how it effects the effective compression ratio, dynamic compression ratio, cranking compression, etc.

( and yes different cam companies may rate their hydraulic lobes at different tappet lifts, but use their advertised numbers anyway, again for interest only here )

http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm



.

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by Steve C.

FOR INTEREST use some of the related calculators here with the specs on your current cam, then compare it to other lobes. Example change the seat duration (advertised duration) and/or lobe separation. See how it effects the effective compression ratio, dynamic compression ratio, cranking compression, etc.

( and yes different cam companies may rate their hydraulic lobes at different tappet lifts, but use their advertised numbers anyway, again for interest only here )

http://www.wallaceracing.com/Calculators.htm



.

Thanks. Nice to see that someone is actually trying to fix something rather than blathering about with generalities and personal cut downs.

[TAQuest]

I had the 703 like the thread starter and had a tick also. Firebob had the same heads, cam and tick. Just makes me wonder what actually is going on. Lots of guessing about it. I know my tick was fixed by switching to the 2157.
Also, while I had the 703 in the engine and test driving it, I decided it was too much cam for what I use the car for.
The comments here say the 2157 is too small. Comments here say it will not help our high compression and detonation issue with low octane pump gas.
With these 'comments' in mind, what would be a good cam that fits a 'parade and family car' that gets a romp now and then when the urge arises?
Which cam is small enough to give a smooth idle yet deals with high compression in a way that allows 93 octane pump gas?

This is all in the context of removing/fixing the tick that a few of us share with these heads and the 703 cam. So the 703 isn't a choice.

[78w72]

Originally Posted by TAQuest

Thanks. Nice to see that someone is actually trying to fix something rather than blathering about with generalities and personal cut downs.

oh, you mean like you do on this thread & others where people are genuinely trying to help you? kind of like how you childishly call people names- does "dough guy" ring a bell?

you accuse others of being trolls yet you continuously bash peoples legitimate suggestions based on facts & far more knowledge & experience than you have. can you say hypocrite??

your tick was fixed by switching to a new cam/lifters... it was not the 2157.

at least a couple cam options were already mentioned. or maybe change the heads to ones that will lower the comp to match that 2157 cam you love. those heads are intended for higher power/race engines with cams of 500+ lift.... not parade cars. no personal cut down intended, just facts & logic.

carry on.

[Stan Weiss]

Wait something tells me this is going to be a 2 boxer.



Stan

[HWYSTR455]

Sam, I too am curious as to what weight oil you're running, especially since when it's cold it doesn't tick. If it's thin oil, try stepping up the weight, can't hurt, especially in your climate.

I think playing with preload is also a good idea, hyd lifters have a wide adjustment range, usually .030-.060. A full turn is pretty common.

Hyd lifters are dirty out of the box, even a simple wash isn't always enough. I found on the last few HFT setups I did I actually had to disassemble the lifters and clean them. Unbelievable the stuff that came out of the ones I took apart.

You're also not in a very clean enviro, that can lead to some tickers here and there.

.

[glhs#116]

Originally Posted by HWYSTR455

Sam, I too am curious as to what weight oil you're running, especially since when it's cold it doesn't tick. If it's thin oil, try stepping up the weight, can't hurt, especially in your climate.

I think playing with preload is also a good idea, hyd lifters have a wide adjustment range, usually .030-.060. A full turn is pretty common.

Hyd lifters are dirty out of the box, even a simple wash isn't always enough. I found on the last few HFT setups I did I actually had to disassemble the lifters and clean them. Unbelievable the stuff that came out of the ones I took apart.

You're also not in a very clean enviro, that can lead to some tickers here and there.

.

Well, I'm on 15W30 with a can of STP for the post-cam break-in 200 miles. It is still barely visible clean on the dipstick as expected. There was no glitter in the cam break-in oil drain but I will admit that I didn't cut open the filter. I did run a couple magnets near the drain plug, though. Could still be valvetrain from more than one source..

I've been listening to the old tick I had before (the one that was a valve spring in the end) on the YouTube video. That tick was slower and a little lower pitched. This one does sound quite similar but a faster cadence. So I guess I can't rule out a bottom end source. But I just kinda don't think so.

The only difference on the bottom end this time is Jay's piston replacing my blown up one and the sleeve (which doesn't seem to be leaking). I did notice Jay's piston pin was stiffer than mine. My other seven are totally free. Jay's has a bit of stiffness to it. But it's not bad. Otherwise his rod and piston look like my other seven. Same pin height, same bore. I replaced all the rings and bearings..

Sam

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by Stan Weiss

Wait something tells me this is going to be a 2 boxer.



Stan

Naw. I'm going to unsubscribe. I will figure out which cam is best for these heads and a smooth idle. Maybe I already did. Maybe there's a better one. Runs sweet now and there are no ticks. Smooth and quiet.

Disclaimer; I own considerable shares in a octane booster company.

[TAQuest]

Originally Posted by glhs#116

Well, I'm on 15W30 with a can of STP for the post-cam break-in 200 miles. It is still barely visible clean on the dipstick as expected. There was no glitter in the cam break-in oil drain but I will admit that I didn't cut open the filter. I did run a couple magnets near the drain plug, though. Could still be valvetrain from more than one source..

I've been listening to the old tick I had before (the one that was a valve spring in the end) on the YouTube video. That tick was slower and a little lower pitched. This one does sound quite similar but a faster cadence. So I guess I can't rule out a bottom end source. But I just kinda don't think so.

The only difference on the bottom end this time is Jay's piston replacing my blown up one and the sleeve (which doesn't seem to be leaking). I did notice Jay's piston pin was stiffer than mine. My other seven are totally free. Jay's has a bit of stiffness to it. But it's not bad. Otherwise his rod and piston look like my other seven. Same pin height, same bore. I replaced all the rings and bearings..

Sam

That tight pin can cause piston slap. Might be the sound.

[Dragncar]

214 "high lift" cams do not run 11s, or even 12s
Been there, done that.

[STEELCITYFIREBIRD]

Concluding causation ...from a correlation, is bad science.
Aluminum components transmit noise differently than other metals. To me, they seem to add a hollow tone to an abnormal engine noises.

I’d kill one cylinder at a time to see if that eliminates your TICK. That would eliminate a lot of possibilities.

[Jay S]

When I watched your recording it looked and sounded like the tick sound was the same speed as something in the cam or valve terrain. Half speed compared to something in the short block. But is really hard to tell watching a recording, exh leaks have the same rhythm.

The previous engine the piston and rod came from I sent over didn’t tick. All the wrist pins were tight like that on that engine right from new. It had a short abusive life in a race car. Can’t really imagine that causing a noise, since it would wanted to make a noise in the previous engine too then. Was never a issue in that engine.

If the tick goes away or gets quiet once warm good chance it is a piston. Quiet then loud after it warms up something in the bottom end.