Hard to find noise -- clinking and clanking

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

There has been an oil leak on the front of the engine, I thought it was going to be a loose oil galley copper plug. Turns out to be the front main seal didn't get put in correctly. Geeze, there is never anyone to blame but myself. :banghead:

Picking up a new seal today from AutoZone, they have one on the shelf. $18.

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

WWDiesel wrote:

This is the engine oil flow path.

Thanks WWDiesel, for sharing this oil flow diagram on June 14, 2021. I edited it a bit for a better view of the Hydraulic Lash Adjusters lubrication path.

The lash adjusters are at the end of two oil circuits so the only way for debris to exit is through the lash adjusters with their tiny ports. In examining my lash adjusters (some people call them lifters, but they're not), I have found several of them clogged. Most of them had some "spring" in them such that I could push-down on the tops and the unit would compress a little. The ones marked with big red arrows would not compress. This would explain the clacking noise my engine has been making.

This is a lash adjuster in it's normal state with spring tension pushing the rocker arm upward.

This is the same lash adjuster with a couple pounds pressure pushing downward. The spring compresses. Some of the lash adjusters would not push down. Engine oil pressure pushes the lash adjuster upward to someplace between fully extended and fully compressed.

These adjusters have very small ports for oil to come in and out, about 1/32" each. So they collected bits of carbon that I "cleaned" when I overhauled my engine. Clearly I didn't clean the oil galleys enough.

Here is yet another example of 'no one else to blame but myself'. The lesson here is to have the block professionally boiled to avoid situations like this.

I do have a full set of brand new hydraulic lash adjusters that I'll be putting in. They are soaking in some light engine oil to assure they are already full of oil. This is feeling like it will be a good fix.

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Continuing the hydraulic lash adjuster story...

Made a small jig to hold the lash adjuster assembly while I pump it by hand. It's just a block of 1x2 wood coated in primer to stabilize the wood fibers.

Had planned to set the jig and adjuster in an oil bath and pump it to ensure oil came out the tiny lube hole. But, that did not happen. I pumped 50 times to no avail. The only time oil came out of the rocker arm hole was 'while I was placing it into the oil'. Otherwise, no amount of pumping would produce squirts of oil. Apparently this design uses engine oil pressure to push through the lash adjuster and onto the roller/cam lobe.

However, I did not expect to find the new adjuster assemblies to not-have the lubricating hole. This hole should squirt oil onto the roller to lube the cam lobe and the roller bearings.

So, I am perplexed, but I'm thinking I should use the new hydraulic part with the old rock arm. I'll have to clean the tiny hole with a single bristle from a wire brush.

Part of me is wondering if the cam journals are close enough to reliably splash oil onto the rocker arm rollers.

Repaired the cam alignment pin for the intake cam. Drilled a 3/32" hole down the center of the tap, then pounded a small stainless screw into place. It's jammed in good.

Any comments or jewels of additional knowledge?

I sent a message to VM Motori asking if these parts are usable in our engines. Waiting to hear back...

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

To install the head cover, I used some metric threaded rod to guide the head cover accurately overtop of the rocker arms. I didn't want to take any chances of dislodging any of them in the process. The length of the rods were too long and the cover would not fit overtop before running into the firewall. I made them as short as possible while still being long enough to twist out by hand once the head cover was settled all the way down.

Did get the head cover back on but the process was slow. The rods didn't allow the head cover to simply slip down. Had to use a rubber mallet to coax the cover down into place.

Two of the studs were just a little too short. Couldn't grab them with my fingers but I could get a needle nose plier on them.

Afterward I realized a better method is to only use the center bolt holes. The cover is thin through the center and I could have used much shorter threaded rods.

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Preparing to install the injectors. Have to make sure they are in the correct order, as per the Engine Control Module. Each injector has a serial number and each one is recorded on one of the stickers on the front of the engine. Below is a short record of the factory injectors and their locations.

This is a picture of the front cover as from the factory. I have since sanded it smooth and repainted it. Notice the one sticker with the red arrow pointing toward it.

This is a close-up of the sticker with all four of the 6-character alphanumeric injector serial numbers AI83AI-81HYFS-81Z26E-7RG85E from the factory. The first one is for cylinder #1, second set is for cylinder #2, etc.

These are the injector serial numbers lined up in the same order as on the sticker on the engine cover. AI83AI-81HYFS-CLAP ON-7RG85E Injector #3 was replaced, the rest are all original equipment from the factory.

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Got the front of the engine assembled and installed the timing belt.

Here are the details of assembling the timing components:
Camshafts. These engines are assembled while holding the cam shafts in place with the alignment pins. I do that too, but I also align the cam sprockets with the keyway on the shafts. Doing this causes the timing marks to point (almost) directly at each other. In fact, the sprockets have to be turned away from each other by 1/2 of a tooth. This causes the valley between the tooths to align with each other. I've been running this vehicle for 10 years (in October) and has not caused any performance nor mis-alignment issues. The last time I installed the camshaft sprockets, I put "gobs" of thread locker on the bolts and the surfaces of the sprockets-to-camshafts. This time I used less thread locker on the threads but still put some on the mating surfaces.

This are the details of aligning the high-pressure injection pump. The diagram in the book left out the exact details of the timing so I edited the picture to match my pump.

The details of the crankshaft timing are good so I didn't change the diagram any. I did, however, add the words "At 3 o'clock position" in the Witness Mark nomenclature. It should be noted that the crankshaft bolt has left-hand threads.

The diagram of the timing belt tensioner is clear in the book. The picture of it on my engine was not so clear. The diagram helps.

The two idler pulleys each have reverse threads, even though one pulley spins counter-clockwise and the other spins clockwise.

Dean.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Apr 25, 2026 10:09 pm

You did not mention the indexing and locking of the flywheel using the alignment pin. I still believe it is essential to install if you want accurate and a "perfect" timing alignment.
Just setting the crank pulley close to the 3 o'clock position and inserting an allen wrench in the hole to me is not precise alignment, has way to much wiggle room for possible error IMHO.
But to each his own if that what an owner likes, just not for me.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

WWDiesel wrote:

You did not mention the indexing and locking of the flywheel using the alignment pin. I still believe it is essential to install if you want accurate and a "perfect" timing alignment.
Just setting the crank pulley close to the 3 o'clock position and inserting an allen wrench in the hole to me is not precise alignment, has way to much wiggle room for possible error IMHO.
But to each his own if that what an owner likes, just not for me.

Thanks WWDiesel,

This time you have awakened me! I've been thinking that a half-tooth offset is no big deal -- but guess what -- 1/2 tooth is 3.75° !! That is quite a bit!

Now I have to get up the gumption to dig back in there and do it the exact proper way. Thanks for the grounding.

Dean.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sun Apr 26, 2026 2:58 pm

The hole in the engine block is threaded to accept the alignment locking pin which has matching threads for it as well.
The factory designed it this way for a reason; to ensure precise alignment when timing the cams to crankshaft.

Modified drawing.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Thanks for the info WWDiesel,

Something happened along the way when I put this engine / transmission together back in 2018. Today, I have bolt threads sticking out of the alignment pin hole. Also, I do recall that I wasn't sure about how to align the flex plate, so I just put it on. Even if I did manage to get that bolt out, there is no certainty that the flex plate hole will be in the right place.

The engine / transmission have been working fine, I just cannot use the 90° crankshaft alignment pin. So, I will have to position the crankshaft as good as possible with the crankshaft flange threaded holes and witness mark. This will get me closer than the method I've been using. As it sits now, the exhaust camshaft is 3.75° advanced and the intake is 3.75° retarded. That is enough of a mis-alignment to warrant getting back in there to correct it. If I miss by 1° then I'll still be better off.

Thanks for the wake-up call.

[Edit] As I recall, the flex plate does have a locating dowel pin. That should ensure the 90° alignment hole should be in the right place. ...for what it's worth...

Dean.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Apr 27, 2026 12:34 pm

Dean, That is very strange indeed! That threaded hole in the rear of the engine block is NOT used for anything else other than timing alignment.
Why you would have put a bolt in it I have no idea. Was the bolt screwed in from the flywheel back side of the engine or was it screwed in from the front side of the engine.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Today I dug back into the beast again. Fortunately I only had the front cover and the fan mount installed. Those came off easy.

Since I don't have access to the crankshaft 90° locating hole, I have to devise an alternate method of accurately finding the 90° angle of the crankshaft. My methodology was to turn the intake camshaft to it's exact 90° position, install the locating pin and loosen the drive sprocket. Then turn the crankshaft back to it's exact 90° position and re-tighten the first camshaft sprocket bolt. In the end it worked out fine, but it opened my eyes to utter humiliation. Then repeat the process for the exhaust camshaft.

Here are some pictures showing the progression...

First I carefully turned the engine so the intake cam was aligned at it's exact 90° position. Luckily I had drilled holes in the sprocket to align it with the keyway in the camshaft. (If I did not have the holes, then I would have had to take the sprocket off.) Then I put the intake cam alignment pin in place and loosened the bolt on the sprocket and wiggled the sprocket loose from the camshaft.

With the camshaft at exact 90°, I used some 8mm studs and threaded them into the crankshaft flange. These are the same studs I used to locate the head cover overtop the head and prevent dislodging the rocker arms. I used a 24" half-inch drive socket extension as a straight edge that made me stop in my tracks! Suddenly I realized that an insignificant 1/2-tooth misalignment on the cam translated to twice the angle on the crankshaft. WOW!

The cam sprockets have 48 teeth which calculates to 7.5° from one tooth to the next. The 7.5° rotation on the cam translates to 15° rotation on the crankshaft. Even though this is an interference engine, I'm lucky that the tolerances are loose enough that there was no damage due to my mistake. I should have taken a picture of myself hanging my head in shame.

Then I turned the engine to exactly exact 90° using my long extension as a pointer and accepting the bolt hole at the top of the engine as being a precise exact 90° location. Even if it's not an exact location, at least it is WAY CLOSER than my previous alignments.

So, I repeated the process for the exhaust camshaft and it all seems to have worked out fine. The sprockets look the same but the camshafts behind them are now aligned properly.

I want to thank you again, WWDiesel, for speaking up when needed. If there are any other shade tree mechanics like me out there, maybe they can learn from my mistakes.

Dean.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Tue Apr 28, 2026 3:03 pm

WOW! All that seemed to be quite complicated to me.

Quote:

My thoughts on how to best accomplish perfect cam timing if you cannot insert a flywheel locking/alignment pin.
This procedure would establish TDC (top dead center) for #1 piston and then using a degree wheel and long neck dial indicator would then allow you to establish a perfect 90 degrees ATDC crankshaft position for cam timing (after top dead center)

1. With the cam belt on and tensioned and both cam pins REMOVED, cam sprocket bolts tight.
2. Rotate engine until crankshaft timing notch is pointing straight up to 12:00 position, Piston 1&4 at TDC.
3. Remove fuel injector for #1 cylinder if it is not already out.
4. Insert long neck dial indicator with bridge through injector hole until it contacts the top of the #1 piston, then preload dial indicator some and then set the dial to zero (0) and tighten set screw for dial indicator.
5. Watching dial indicator, rotate engine using crankshaft bolt back and forth slightly until piston is a TDC using movement on dial indicator to establish TDC (Dial indicator peak reading)
6. After TDC is established; install degree wheel on the crankshaft sprocket and set it with the ZERO (0) pointing perfectly straight up to 12:00.
7. Now slowly rotate engine and stopping at 90 degrees after TDC. 90-degree mark on degree wheel pointing straight up to 12:00 position. Zero mark on degree wheel setting/pointing to 3:00
8. Remove tension from timing belt tensioner and remove timing belt.
9. Lock camshaft gears using locking tool or other device and loosen both bolts on camshaft timing gear sprockets. Loosen enough to allow cam sprockets to be able to spin on camshafts.
10. Insert timing pins into the camshafts. May have to rotate cams slightly to get the pins to go in.
11. Now with cam sprockets loose and cam timing pins installed in cams, install timing belt.
12. Tension timing belt to proper tension while being careful NOT to allow crankshaft to move. It must remain at 90-degree ATC. Zero mark on degree wheel setting/pointing to 3:00
13. Tighten cam belt tensioner.
14. Lock cam sprockets so they cannot move using locking tool or other device and torque cam sprocket bolts to 80 ft. lbs. Remove cam sprocket locking tool/device.
15. Remove cam timing pins.
16. Rotate engine over by hand several full revolutions and stopping the rotation when you get the ZERO (0) mark setting/pointing to the 3:00 position.
17. Now reinsert the cam timing pins, they should be in perfect alignment and allow easy insertion.
18. If they don’t, they you will have to go back through the entire process again as listed above. :shock:

19. If the cam alignment pins go in easily; it is done, job well done. You are finished with setting the cam timing perfectly! :BANANA:

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Thanks WWDiesel,

I'm certain your method is 100% accurate and it all made sense. ...and it is the 'right as rain' method. I do have the long-neck dial gauge but don't have the degree plate for the crankshaft.

Now that I've see that the engine runs good even with the cam shafts offset by as much as 15° on the crankshaft, I feel better about my shade tree method that will achieve a +/-1° to 2° accuracy. In the end, I'll find out how it runs when it's all back together.

While turning the engine by hand, I did notice more compression and a larger report when the exhaust valve(s) opened.

As always WWDiesel,, thanks for your expert advice and input.

Dean.

CaptainDean · **Joined:** Thu Oct 05, 2017 2:22 am **Posts:** 733

Regarding the 90° crankshaft alignment threaded hole being filled with bolt threads on my engine, I stopped at the machine shop where my extra engine is sitting on a stand. Took a picture of the 90° alignment hole just for reference. After seeing it, and the engine-transmission adapter plate, I now remember why I put a bolt in it. ...it was a hole with threads behind it that looked like a place to anchor the adapter place a little better. Too bad I didn't recognize it as the 90° crankshaft alignment hole.

Dean.

Hard to find noise -- clinking and clanking

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