Posted by Dan Starnes on February 20, 1999 at 22:31:34:
In Reply to: engine help posted by Matt Y on February 20, 1999 at 20:03:09:
Do the rocker arms feel loose to the touch or have you even taken off the valve covers to recheck? Is the engine popping or backfiring? Little more info and we can get ya fixed up.
: Okay, so I finally got my headers on, thanks for the advice everyone, and I've put some mufflers on. I've just rebuilt this engine and I've actually only had the engine fire a few times before and I didn't run it for that long of a time. I started it again today after putting the mufflers on so I could check to see if everything was okay and to let it run for a while to break everything in. However, once I started it a very loud clattering noise could be heard. I sounded like it was coming from the heads, could it be the lifters or something like that? I know oil is being pumped, but I don't know how much pressure is actually there. I have this engine overhaul manual that says the lifters may clatter for a few minutes until they get oil. But, I have started it and let it run before (I probably didn't notice the clattering then because I had open exhaust). So if it's the lifters, does this mean that they'll always clatter everytime I start the engine? This is the first time I've rebuilt an engine so I have no idea whether this is normal or not. By the way, they are hydraulic lifters.
: Matt