unwanted sounds!

[drobertson]

So I just rebuilt the engine and trans in my 1973 Charger. As of 3 days ago, it's my daily driver. However, it's got a strange 'tick tick tick' sound. The sound does not occur when idling, but rather when I'm cruising and accelerating. It's sounds similar to a lifter tick, but without as much clatter as lifters. Exhaust leak maybe? Along with the rebuild I installed summit racing long tube headers and summit's dual exhaust kit.

 

[Northern Runner]

I just put in my fresh 360 and 727 too! Mine kinda rattles and ticks also though I know I definitely have an exhaust leak! Make sure your exhaust isn't contacting anywhere and you have all the straps/hangers guten-tight!

 

[Mike67]

We had the same issue on the 55 and after crawling under over every inch of the car it ended up being the trans inspection plate... It was bent just a little, you wouldn't hear it at idle or relatively slow driving but when you did get up around 40 mph it was very pronounced....

 

[drobertson]

So i have located the leak... it's at the end of the header where it connects to the pipe (somehow it got bent real good)... and I have an idea to fix it...

 

[kiwigtx]

If the exhaust piping is in good shape, you could probably carefully weld that up. A bandage will only last so long.

 

[drobertson]

If the exhaust piping is in good shape, you could probably carefully weld that up. A bandage will only last so long.

Well I'm gonna try and put in some new gaskets and see if that helps. If not, then I'll consider welding it... It's just that the only type of welding I'm good at is oxy-acetylene. And I don't have any oxy-acetylene equipment, because I've been practicing at school... and I just graduated yesterday!

 

[Jcharger]

If you are not already, consider using Percy's dead soft aluminum collector gaskets (or another similar type). I don't recall whether I have tried their collector gaskets, but I used the header to head gaskets and have been very happy with them. I had bad luck getting a seal with the harder metal (copper) ones and found the paper-type ones just blew out.

 

[Mike67]

If you are not already, consider using Percy's dead soft aluminum collector gaskets (or another similar type). I don't recall whether I have tried their collector gaskets, but I used the header to head gaskets and have been very happy with them. I had bad luck getting a seal with the harder metal (copper) ones and found the paper-type ones just blew out.

Your comment made me think...a lot of header mfgs now recommend not using gaskets @ the heads, instead use high temp rtv....I wonder if the same could be used in the collector flanges???

 

[Jcharger]

Your comment made me think...a lot of header mfgs now recommend not using gaskets @ the heads, instead use high temp rtv....I wonder if the same could be used in the collector flanges???

I don't know, and have never tried. The people who assembled my car used high temp rtv and copper gaskets on the header to pipe flange. The seal was better when I redid it, but it could have just been that they missed a spot. They used deformable copper on the head to header, but I did not see RTV. I switched to the crushable aluminum on another person's suggestion and the seal was good.

 

[drobertson]

Sorry guys... I haven't got around to fixing it yet as it's been raining all day. Last evening I took the car to my g-ma's house. About 70 miles away or a 1 hour drive. I stayed the night there, visited with family, and came back home this evening. So far this car has been doing really well on the highway!

 

[drobertson]

Well I replaced the triangular gaskets that go in between the header collector and header. I still have a ticking sound. The sound is almost non-existant when the engine is cold, but as soon as it warms up to full temp, it makes a tick-tick-tick sound repetitively. So far I have driven the car for 1,123 miles since I rebuilt the engine and transmission, and the sound hasn't gotten any worse from the first day I drove it, which is partially why I think the problem is an exhaust leak, Do exhaust leaks get worse as the engine heats up? I pray to god it's not a bad bearing.

 

[SAC]

I don't think you should be too worried. Like most of the others on here, I am 95% sure you are hearing an exhaust leak. With over 1100 miles, if it was something internal to the engine, you would know by now. Yes, an exhaust leak can get louder as the engine heats up, the metal parts expand and inconsistencies in sealing surfaces are magnified. It's happened to me on other project cars. Unlike jcharger, I have had luck in the past with the copper gaskets (no RTV), but sometimes the sealing surfaces of the headers (or heads!) just aren't flat enough. The thin flanges of the typical header is easily warped, which makes sealing even more of a challenge. A long time ago, when I must not have had a life, I spent fifty man-hours with a sanding block, hand sanding the flanges of a pair of brand new Hooker headers perfectly flat. They were pretty ugly as-delivered, with milling marks and scratches which would obviously had leaked had I just bolted them on.

I now run a set of tti headers, and though very pricey, I don't have any problems and the brand has a very good reputation.

And also, Hey! from a former Wyomingite...

 

[CHARGERSTEVEN]

Check around the heads etc for a exhaust leak you should see where it is leaking as it will show a discolor on block surface from exhaust leaking out n the same around the collectors

 

[drobertson]

I don't think you should be too worried. Like most of the others on here, I am 95% sure you are hearing an exhaust leak. With over 1100 miles, if it was something internal to the engine, you would know by now. Yes, an exhaust leak can get louder as the engine heats up, the metal parts expand and inconsistencies in sealing surfaces are magnified. It's happened to me on other project cars. Unlike jcharger, I have had luck in the past with the copper gaskets (no RTV), but sometimes the sealing surfaces of the headers (or heads!) just aren't flat enough. The thin flanges of the typical header is easily warped, which makes sealing even more of a challenge. A long time ago, when I must not have had a life, I spent fifty man-hours with a sanding block, hand sanding the flanges of a pair of brand new Hooker headers perfectly flat. They were pretty ugly as-delivered, with milling marks and scratches which would obviously had leaked had I just bolted them on.

I now run a set of tti headers, and though very pricey, I don't have any problems and the brand has a very good reputation.

And also, Hey! from a former Wyomingite...

I do plan on using ttI headers and exhaust in the future when I do a big block swap. I will try spraying a water/soap mixture around the headers whilst the engine is running to attempt at locating an exhaust leak.