Setting valve clearences on a Mild Cam

Josh · backyard mechanic Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 602

Hey people, I latly installed my new engine with the port and polished head, Mild cam, new pistons and rings and new valves BUT I can't get rid of this *ticking* noise? The new engine has done 540 km's and I have set the Tappets 3 times. I'm starting to this I shouldnt be setting them as the workshop manual says maybe due to the Cam having a duration??? Someone in here with a mild cam must know??? The noise is also louder when the engine getts hotter??? Maybe because the oil gets thinner? *shrug*

Thanks again

Josh (WA)

alan · tinkerer Joined: 07 Apr 2002 Posts: 429

Just set them to normal. IF you are doing it right,(.15 mm, .25 mm) its not the tappets. Could be lots of things, might even be wrong timing with the valves just lightly hitting the tops of the pistons. Scared yet?

Josh · backyard mechanic Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 602

Na not scared, cam is only mild, cam timing is rite and the head HASNT had shit loads shaved off it maybe 20thou if that

Momo · backyard mechanic Joined: 08 Feb 2002 Posts: 561

Hey Josh, I'm having exactly the same problem and my setup is exactly the same as yours, ie new bottom end, ported, polished and shaved to the max head, with stage three cam and mine is ticking on the exhaust valve over number three. I've set them three times, set them hot, cold no matter what I do it still makes this fuckin annoying noise. Sounds exactly like what you have described. Car goes like a shower of shit and runs fine, just the ticking noise when it warms up. I'm going to check that there's not a bur on the top of the valve or under the rocker giving a false feeler guage read and failing that I'm going to run 20/70 oil. Another thing you may like to check on yours is that your valve spring isn't hitting the inside of the rocker cover, mine has some minor scar marks but that was just a dyno shop trying to rip me off by making me think there was something major wrong - some blokes are just fucking a/holes!

Josh · backyard mechanic Joined: 04 Oct 2001 Posts: 602

Well, Mine used to make a differnt kind of noise but that was the top ring in cylender number 3 was broken into about 20 bits. it had been like that since i have owned the car and got to the point that it wore a hole in the top of the piston and bits or ring were comming out the top and out the exhaust... But there is no reason for a ticking noise anymore!

RJM · tinkerer Joined: 10 Oct 2001 Posts: 109

Yeah I had the same problem with a mild crow cam on a worked 1600 head / g200 bottom end. I adjusted the clearances to
0.13 intake 0.23 exhaust and the problem disappeared.

Loz · backyard mechanic Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 943

set them to .010", exh and in. Its not really important that you get rid of the tapping noise as its not doing anything bad. Car will run normally it just gets a bit annoying. Its much better to have a bit of tappet noise than no noise at all.

TXcoupe · petrol head Joined: 05 Oct 2001 Posts: 1675

wat it could be is that the tappets are rounded and need to be flattened . when i had my head rebuilt the exhuastvalves all had a small indent them and when i replaced them they did't tick. But also i was told by leon at A1 HI perforamnce in myaree that the crow cams also make aticking noise due the aggressiveness of the proflie of the cam.