Valve tap?

Another name that noise game with video:

http://s268.photobucket.com/albums/jj18/JDN169/?action=view&current=M2U00078.flv

It's a bit hard to hear over the other valve noise in the video but it's there if you listen. It's the slightly deeper noise, much more noticeable in person. It doesn't start until about 10 seconds into the video. That's the other thing, the noise comes and goes. It tends to quiet down a bit once the car is warmed up but will still come and go as it pleases.

It's hard to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from but it's somewhere in the Cylinder head/intake manifold/ fuel injector area.

Does it sound like a valve tapping? I tend to lean on the pessimistic side so i may just be thinking worst case again.

thanks!

Jacques

tough to tell from a video.... might it be a small exhaust leak???

oldeskewltoy wrote: tough to tell from a video.... might it be a small exhaust leak???

That was another theory. Is there a good way to "listen" for valve tap, or a specific sound it makes?

the best way is to listen for when you bring the cylinder to tdc and check the clearance with a feeler guage

In reply to grimmelshanks:

or get a mechanic's stethoscope and listen while the car is running: intake or exhaust valve? Injector? piston slap?

ya i guess you can do that too lol

Or, if you wanna go cheap, cut a wooden broom handle in half and use one to listen to diff. parts of the engine. Press the stick to one part of the engine and ear to the other. Rinse and repeat.

or get two paper cups, join them with a string and pull it taught between your ear and the suspect engine component. hey that was a good idea im gonna go do that now

Just use a long philps screw driver. Clean the handle and jam the ball on the handle in to your ear then put the point on the valve cover and work your way down the cover. you'll know when your right over a valve as it will be louder when directly over the valve. Find the noisest one and mark the cover. then pull cover and have a look and feel.

After some extensive listening, screwdriver and otherwise, i'm pretty much convinced it's an exhaust leak. That's something i can live with. Would have been easier if the exhaust manifold faced the front of the car like my Honda.

thanks everyone!

Jacques

Disconnect one spark plug line at a time. If the noise suddenly goes away, it's an exhaust leak. If the noise stays, it's probably a valve tap.

Think i've found the problem. Went to take it for a quick drive the other day and found it's now got 0 oil pressure. I'm assuming the oil pump bit the dust.

I don't think this car likes me...

I had a similar problem with a truck once, sounded fine when we bought it, changed the oil and it looked a bit strange and thick. Put new oil in and it started tapping a bit, thought maybe it was an exhaust leak. Tapping got worse and oil pressure was dropping to 0 at idle. Turns out the oil pump wasn't pumping oil so well and the bearings were trashed. The previous owner put heavy oil in with some sort of additives to cover it up.

Of course that didn't stop me from towing a trailer 4 hours round trip to pick up a Midget with it knocking the whole way.

This was the first time with completely lacking oil pressure so i'll probably throw a new one on when i get time and hope for the best.

If the motor does end up being toast i think i see an autocross car in my future.