318 rebuild

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C

Cujonaut

1970 Valiant Duster Owner
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May 4, 2010
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I just rebuilt a 318 V8 from a 79' Volare and put it in my 1970 Plymouth Duster.

I put in all new gaskets, piston rings, etc. I put in a new cam, lifters and 360 heads.

While assembling I had difficulty putting in one of the lifters, I tapped it in and made sure it was seated.

After it was fully assembled and running I have a ticking noise that I assume is a lifter. I pulled the valve cover and rocker and made sure I hadn't bent a push rod.

Due to lack of funds I wasn't able to put in new cam bearings, but they looked okay.

Does anyone have any ideas on why it's making that noise? I already made sure the oil pressure was good.
 
Disclaimer: I'm pretty much a noob when it comes to working on cars

How do I know if the lifter is sticking? It only ticks when I put a load on the engine (acclerating)

The engine idles fine, it has a little lope to it, but I probably just need to adjust the timing some more.
 
Ticking under load is timing related. Maybe the vacuum advance isn't working properly.
 
You had to tap in a lifter? You should not have to tap in a lifter. They should spin freely and are designed to spin in the lifter bore. You could take a strong magnet and try and pull the lifters, but I would pull the intake to check them out.
 
Yeah I figured I would have to, I was hoping to avoid that.
 
I checked the head gasket and exhaust manifold gasket and I couldn't find any leaks.
 
i have a 1981 ram with A 318 LA that me and my dad rebuilt and i have the same ticking noise i had to change the intake manifold gasket and then the noise was gone just an idea
 

Thanks to cudafever & 1981ram - I rechecked the exhaust manifold, after running it for a few days I can now see some carbon buildup where it's leaking. I think it started leaking because the stud the manifold mounts to was broken off. The bolt I replaced it with would tighten up and secure the washer, but maybe it was tightening up on the broken stud, which is why it came loose. Anyway, I'm going to replace the gasket and drill out the stud hole so I can get a good tight seal. Thanks for all the advice, I'll let you all know if it works.
 
Just for "next time" a good way to find this kind of stuff is a length of hose, say, 5/15 or 3/8 fuel hose. Hold one end next to your ear, and probe around with the other end. There will be NO doubt when you come across "that noise."
 
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