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Ticking/knocking after warm up

I could go either exhaust or lifter. Did you pop off the pass side valve cover and check it out?
 
You all are very helpful and I’m feeling much more confident that nothing too devastating is going on. But before I get too confident here is a video of the oil pressure gauge at idle and when I bump the gas.


to me thats normal
 
I could go either exhaust or lifter. Did you pop off the pass side valve cover and check it out?
I played around with it tonight. Sounding more and more like lifter(s) to me. I have a few more things I want to try that some of the fellas on here recommended. Hopefully get to it over the next few days.
 
Lifter noise is pretty to easy to diagnose, but messy. If you suspect one side more than the other, work on that one first.
Remove valve cover & lay rag around the engine. Start the engine & with light tension put your fingers on each moving rocker. If the noise changes, there is your problem
 
Since my last post I've been able to get to trying a few things guys suggested. Some in this thread, others I know personally outside of the innerweb...:)

- Gave 'er the old "Italian tune-up" down the carb with some Berryman's while running. A fellow Mopar friend said this cured an issue like this he had back in the day. He indicates "excessive carbon build-up in the intake" was the cause...no difference when I did this

- Changed oil and filter. Replaced 10w40 with 20w50...made no significant difference. Might take a touch longer for noise to appear now, again making me lean towards lifter(s) failing after oil thins when hot.

- Played with the timing...made no difference

So...I'd like to try Geoff's suggestion and actually get hands on the rockers while running however I'd like to keep the mess contained and this has to be done while the engine is hot because otherwise I can't hear the tick. I read somewhere of someone cutting the top off an old valve cover and installing it to contain the mess while observing what's going on in there while the engine is running. I may buy a cheap set of valve covers for just this purpose. Found a pair for $50 on Classic Industries. Or fabricate something if I can justify the time. Any of you fellas ever tried this? Any warnings you could share with me? Besides the obvious "don't put your hands in where you can't get 'em back out" LOL.
 
Pulled the 361 out of my 64 Fury and upon removing the rocker assemblies I found that each rocker was worn over a 1/4”. The engine only had a little over 61,300 miles on it but had very poor maintenance done on it. Had to consider the loss of lift due to rocker wear and overall performance of the engine after finding this problem.
 
Pulled the 361 out of my 64 Fury and upon removing the rocker assemblies I found that each rocker was worn over a 1/4”. The engine only had a little over 61,300 miles on it but had very poor maintenance done on it. Had to consider the loss of lift due to rocker wear and overall performance of the engine after finding this problem.
Makes sense. Definitely something to look for when I disassemble it. What did you use to reference that kind of wear?
 
Get ya a couple of old sheet metal valve covers and cut the tops off so ya can see what’s going on with the engine running.
 
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Get ya a couple of old sheet metal valve covers and cut the tops off so ya can see what’s going on with the engine running.
First I would make sure it's not an exhaust leak.

Second I would just take off the covers check all the rockers, roll it 90 degrees check again do that 7 times.
Easier and less messy than doing it running.

Just my thoughts.
 
Good afternoon and Happy 4th guys. First time caller, long time listener LOL. Hopefully positing this properly and in the correct area. If not please someone let me know.

‘69 Roadrunner 383 I’ve owned for a couple of years now. Toward the end of last season I started to notice a tick/knock after she’s warmed up. More prevalent this season. I suspected an oil pressure issue so I installed some aftermarket gauges below the dash to better observe what’s going on. She only came with a warning light from the factory. On the maiden voyage today she was reading about 80psi on cold startup. After driving for 10-15 minutes the pressure dropped to below 20psi at idle. I’m suspecting a failing oil pump. Any recommendations for the new pump? I see high pressure/volume options and wondering what you guys who may have some experience here would recommend. Any input is greatly appreciated. - Nick
Hi Volume over Hi Pressure. High pressure pumps can over power the rear main seals. Ask me how I know....
 
Makes sense. Definitely something to look for when I disassemble it. What did you use to reference that kind of wear?
I checked the rocker assemblies when the engine was cold then loosened the rocker shafts until the rockers were free of pressure…… I was shocked how worn they were. Interior of engine was pretty bad including evidence of pure water cooling with no antifreeze which caused much corrosion on internals including passages in the block. New rocker assemblies were installed on a replacement engine making sure they were positioned correctly. The car had come from California via Las Vegas.
Some the rockers were actually worn oval shaped, I have photos on my computer which I will post so you can see what I mean. Hope this helps you!
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A52A4C1B-6448-40B6-8F3F-5266325D78C9.jpeg
0375C79C-97C3-40B3-A33F-288AF99151F7.jpeg
 
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First I would make sure it's not an exhaust leak.

Second I would just take off the covers check all the rockers, roll it 90 degrees check again do that 7 times.
Easier and less messy than doing it running.

Just my thoughts.
Well, had some time when I got home tonight. Pulled both valve covers and did as suggested. Checked rockers and rotated crank 90 degrees, 7 more times each time checking again. No vertical play however some were more tentative than others for side to side movement, sounding very much like what I’m hearing when the engine is hot. When I spin the push rods under those particular rockers that have some side-to-side play, those push rods feel choppy. Not a smooth spin like the rest. I pulled and checked some in the recent past that felt like this, and they rolled straight on the table. No obvious evidence of being bent. Also, each rocker has a good amount of oil on top of the lower portion of each one.

And, I went to all the manifold bolts and snugged them. Each took an 1/8 turn or less. I cannot hear or feel an exhaust leak around either of the manifolds.
 
I checked the rocker assemblies when the engine was cold then loosened the rocker shafts until the rockers were free of pressure…… I was shocked how worn they were. Interior of engine was pretty bad including evidence of pure water cooling with no antifreeze which caused much corrosion on internals including passages in the block. New rocker assemblies were installed on a replacement engine making sure they were positioned correctly. The car had come from California via Las Vegas.
Some the rockers were actually worn oval shaped, I have photos on my computer which I will post so you can see what I mean. Hope this helps you!View attachment 1315495View attachment 1315497View attachment 1315498View attachment 1315501
Now that I reread your post here, I’m wondering if the rocker dimple may becoming oval, hence creating a pinch point making the push rod feel choppy when rotating. I will check that.
 
Well, had an old set of valve covers I didn’t mind cutting up. Installed them and was able to get a good look and feel for things while the engine was idling. Top end seems pretty tight even at running temperature. Was able to put pressure on each rocker at idle and made no change in the sound I am hearing. Here’s the video.



However once the engine got warm the rockers started flicking the oil out onto the manifolds so I had to get innovative as you can see. This allowed me to continue running it until hot enough to reproduce the sound I’m chasing.
262FF314-A790-486E-9EF3-A8E207A17156.jpeg

Up to this point all of my focus was on the top end. Once that was eliminated last night I started poking lower and lower with the stethoscope until I believe I found the culprit….

Fuel pump
 
No shiny stuff in oil when changed recently
N)
Good afternoon and Happy 4th guys. First time caller, long time listener LOL. Hopefully positing this properly and in the correct area. If not please someone let me know.

‘69 Roadrunner 383 I’ve owned for a couple of years now. Toward the end of last season I started to notice a tick/knock after she’s warmed up. More prevalent this season. I suspected an oil pressure issue so I installed some aftermarket gauges below the dash to better observe what’s going on. She only came with a warning light from the factory. On the maiden voyage today she was reading about 80psi on cold startup. After driving for 10-15 minutes the pressure dropped to below 20psi at idle. I’m suspecting a failing oil pump. Any recommendations for the new pump? I see high pressure/volume options and wondering what you guys who may have some experience here would recommend. Any input is greatly appreciated. - Nick
Do you have an FSM. May wa to take a look at the vehicle specs. You may find the standard oil pressure when hot is around 15-20psi. What is the oil pressure at speed, say at 60mph? As far as a ticking sound, you may have sticking lifters. Usually caused by varnish buildup especially with a motor that sits idle a lot. The lifters seem prone to that buildup.

I’ve added a quart of type F auto trans fluid to the crankcase and drive normally for about 500 miles. Then change the oil. That seems to solve the problem. The detergents in the tranny fluid breaks down the varnish.
 
Videos are deceiving.. but man it sure sounds like an exhaust leak. Need to run a hose from your ear to around every port/flange.

Are those original 67 440 magnum chrome valve covers??? OH THE HUMANITY
 
Videos are deceiving.. but man it sure sounds like an exhaust leak. Need to run a hose from your ear to around every port/flange.

Are those original 67 440 magnum chrome valve covers??? OH THE HUMANITY
Yes the sound in the video doesn't fully capture what I've been trying to explain. I have since zeroed in on the fuel pump as being the ghost I've been chasing. Very evident when I put the stethoscope on it. The valve train has been eliminated as the culprit.

Original 67' Magnum chrome valve covers? They were in an old parts container that came with the car. Maybe they were from a Super Commando LOL.
 
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