440 break in noise from timing cover....we think....be gentle!

-
Well here's one thing that happened to me. On a fresh big block build, I installed too long of crank pulley to the dampener bolts, and when I fired up the engine, it made a squeal noise
like I never heard before. I thought the worst too. I took off the belt, and pulley, and pulled the dampener and found gouge marked on the front of crank seal stamping on the timing cover
Just my two cents.
Hope you find your noise.
HotRod20
 
Pulled engine before weekend. Had a good look around. Definitely had some debris in there that the bearings took up, nothing major and for sure not the noise. I clearly failed at cleaning...

Anyway, everything looks fine except one thing, the fuel pump pushrod.

Both ends are good, eccentric on cam looks perfect, fuel pump lever is perfect.

The sides are strange. At one end of it the sides just look polished as they would going in an out of a bore.

At the other end though the sides look scored. I dried it off and put it back in and it felt rough going into the bore.

I knew nothing of 440's building this and I probably should have got a new pushrod? Anyone have one make noise?

I also did not like how tight the oil pump drive is. Reading past comments I knew nothing about a mopar bushing needing to be reamed/burnished. The engine had a brand new mopar bushing and i used a new melling drive. When say it was tight I mean toight... I had to tap it out after I took off the oil pump. I will install the bushing that came with the melling drive, its loose uninstalled so I am hopefull it will be ok once squished in block.

Could a drive gear/shaft that is too tight make a racket? No damage to the cam gear, drive gear or shaft that I can see

I get some pics up of the fuel pump rod later

Ive never installed a new pump drive bushing/dist. bushing that didn`t need messed with, all have been tite , some worse than others . it took a lot , but I just worked the orig dist drive shaft in/out, back and forth to get clearance on my 505 , you can cut spiral grooves in old shaft to clearance if need be .
 
Perfect example of how a few seconds of recorded audio/video would have likely saved hours of everyone trying to imagine a noise they haven't heard, and are supposed to diagnose .
 
Easy for you to say that, but continued starting of a non broken in FT cam with that kind of noise was a scary thought and starting it was chaotic as it was
 
Easy for you to say that, but continued starting of a non broken in FT cam with that kind of noise was a scary thought and starting it was chaotic as it was

Just a reminder to other novices of what is helpful for quick diagnostics .
Good luck .
 
Last edited:
If the Intermediate-shaft is as tight as you say it is, it's gonna put a torsional thrust on the cam. If/when that happens, I imagine that would cause a tapping racket..what keeps the cam from bouncing back and fourth in the tunnel?
 
Getting ready to put it back in. Not using a mechanical fuel pump so that will cancel out a possible issue there. I burnished the bushing so the shaft is smooth as silk now but still tight if that makes sense.

The oil pan has a strange witness mark(s) on it, but it is not possible that the counterweight or rod hit it. This part is under the first main cap, and more toward the chain.

First pic is with off engine, second is just dry fit to show where it is. It is even farther away from the counterweight than the pic suggests, I am not great at pics lol

Any thoughts here?

IMG_2237.jpeg


IMG_2238.jpeg
 
Last edited:
Getting ready to put it back in. Not using a mechanical fuel pump so that will cancel out a possible issue there. I burnished the bushing so the shaft is smooth as silk now but still tight if that makes sense.

The oil pan has a strange witness mark(s) on it, but it is not possible that the counterweight or rod hit it. This part is under the first main cap, and more toward the chain.

First pic is with off engine, second is just dry fit to show where it is. It is even farther away from the counterweight than the pic suggests, I am not great at pics lol

Any thoughts here?

View attachment 1716093707

View attachment 1716093708
Rotate the crank 180, the connecting rod bolts stick out the farthest. but that is a long ways away.
 
Rod bolts are wayyyy far away, turned it all the way over and there is nothing even close to these marks… it’s bizarre.

It may have zero to do with my noise situation but when you see marks like this it sure is a head scratcher
 
Wait/what?
Are you re-installing the engine without having determined the cause of the noise?
What if it's deeper?
like a wrist-pin?
or a foreign object inside a chamber?
What about the water-pump? can the vanes rub? is the shaft straight? What about a piston skirt tapping on the crank?
And I'll ask again, what keeps the cam from walking back and forth in the tunnel? and banging on things. I'm asking cuz IDK, I'm not a BB guy.
I mean I/we didn't hear the noise.......
But IMO, re-installing the engine without discovery, reminds me of the definition of insanity; doing things over and over expecting a different outcome............. well
except for recreational sex. lol
 
-
Back
Top