• Welcome to The Truck Stop! We see you haven't REGISTERED yet.

    Your truck knowledge is missing!
    • Registration is FREE , all we need is your birthday and email. (We don't share ANY data with ANYONE)
    • We have tons of knowledge here for your diesel truck!
    • Post your own topics and reply to existing threads to help others out!
    • NO ADS! The site is fully functional and ad free!
    CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

    Problems registering? Click here to contact us!

    Already registered, but need a PASSWORD RESET? CLICK HERE TO RESET YOUR PASSWORD!

one lifter making noise

S

Steak&Eggs

Active Member
Messages
53
Reaction score
141
Location
Missouri
I rebuilt the injectors, put it all back together and drove it a few days. Noticed a small rocker arm cover leak. It ran fine - though it had poor mileage (10 mpg). Used to get 12.5 13 fully loaded. (its a flatbed and can haul 3.5 T) But lightly loaded it now seems to get 10. So I took the rocker cover off and re-glued it. When I started it up the first time it had a lifter rattle that it never had before!

The rest of the story - when it was all done except a nut on the strut between the turbo and the intake manifold I discovered that I did not have it. (at least could not be found.) I thought Krap - it might be in the engine. So I looked inside the head (with flex camera) on all 8 intake ports. But I found no nut. Stuck a magnet in also - no luck. This with the cover off the intake manifold and the manifold still on the engine.

I suspect something I did as it was fine before. I guess I will take the rocker arm cover off and look at it, but it seems to me if the nut was in there it would not make any noise.

Now to my question.
If I use a stick or hose and put it on each arm of the manifold where it contacts the head and stick the other end in my ear, will that give me a clue as to which cyl is the problem or is there a better way?

Thanks for any reply!
 
A screw driver held against the problem area then the handle against the ear is a good solution for a listening device too.
The hose will also work. Thats how I fine tune multiple carburetor engines.
 
That and disabling fuel to one cylinder at a time.

If you have ds4 and a scanner capable, you can kill them that way. Otherwise loosen the fuel line nut at the injector and that cylinder will drop out. By killing the cylinder it will SOMETIMES help id an individual lifter ticking.
 
Thanks for the tip(s)! A long screwdriver would have been easy - the stick I used was a little hard on the ear... But the passenger side was a LOT louder on the rocker arm cover. The driver side was Quiet compared to the passenger side. So I took it all apart again, when I got the rocker cover off I discovered *nothing* - no lost nut or any extra play in any of the rocker arms. I guess tomorrow I will put the injector lines back on and start it up and watch the rockers.... perhaps put a thumb on them one at a time just for grins. by the way it is a 95 GMC K3500 I got the dealer to include a service manual set when I purchased it new. (they are a little chared due to the original farmhouse going up in smoke - a total loss last year in march) I use it to haul firewood and gravel mostly now that I have returned to the family farm. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow!
 
Steak&Eggs said:
Thanks for the tip(s)! A long screwdriver would have been easy - the stick I used was a little hard on the ear... But the passenger side was a LOT louder on the rocker arm cover. The driver side was Quiet compared to the passenger side. So I took it all apart again, when I got the rocker cover off I discovered *nothing* - no lost nut or any extra play in any of the rocker arms. I guess tomorrow I will put the injector lines back on and start it up and watch the rockers.... perhaps put a thumb on them one at a time just for grins. by the way it is a 95 GMC K3500 I got the dealer to include a service manual set when I purchased it new. (they are a little chared due to the original farmhouse going up in smoke - a total loss last year in march) I use it to haul firewood and gravel mostly now that I have returned to the family farm. I'll let you know what I find out tomorrow!
Click to expand...
The long screwdrive placed on a rocker arm, right where it pivots, wont move much and You can possibly pick the sound of the individual lifter from there.
Possibly get it close anyhow.
 
Well I started it up and found the funnel I used did not work out as well as I planned... my lovely wife was watching so the paper towel I had over the lifters to contain any oil splatter would not get sucked into the intake. I had on a previous test after the injector re-do stuck the oil line into the turbo drain and it did not leak any oil. But this time the funnel filled up and coated my wife's arm and put dots all over her face, I might have to sleep outside with the chickens tonight... so I used a tie-wrap and put the connector directly in the drain, it still filled the drain and ran out but did not splatter. ?? I put a finger on the lifters and felt no difference on any one. Shut it off as quick as I could due to the oil flow. That part of the manual is pretty burnt but I could tell they remove the head to get to the lifters. It only has 125K miles or so on it - I generally only use it if there is work to do, I have really had no trouble but normal wear and tear. I guess its making up for that now. I will see if I can control the oil drain and start it up again and try the screwdriver on the rocker arm center. I Really hate to take it apart and then not find the trouble. I think my least favorite sport is replacing parts to see if the issue is fixed!
 
Steak&Eggs said:
Well I started it up and found the funnel I used did not work out as well as I planned... my lovely wife was watching so the paper towel I had over the lifters to contain any oil splatter would not get sucked into the intake. I had on a previous test after the injector re-do stuck the oil line into the turbo drain and it did not leak any oil. But this time the funnel filled up and coated my wife's arm and put dots all over her face, I might have to sleep outside with the chickens tonight... so I used a tie-wrap and put the connector directly in the drain, it still filled the drain and ran out but did not splatter. ?? I put a finger on the lifters and felt no difference on any one. Shut it off as quick as I could due to the oil flow. That part of the manual is pretty burnt but I could tell they remove the head to get to the lifters. It only has 125K miles or so on it - I generally only use it if there is work to do, I have really had no trouble but normal wear and tear. I guess its making up for that now. I will see if I can control the oil drain and start it up again and try the screwdriver on the rocker arm center. I Really hate to take it apart and then not find the trouble. I think my least favorite sport is replacing parts to see if the issue is fixed!
Click to expand...
I dont remember the AN size fitting for the oil feed to the turbo. Might be an 8 or maybe a 10. Could even be a 6.
Get the male AN fitting that fits the oil feed then plug or cap the other end. Thats how I have mine rigged when I want to start it and the turbo is removed.
 
The local hardware store had a plug - flare on one end and no outlet. That made plugging the line easy. Bought an auto stethoscope, checked all the rocker arms at the push rod connection and they sound the same - Quiet, no tic or any noise. Injectors likewise - all sound the same. Yet standing outside the running engine, the clank is quite apparent at lifter speed. I am not sure how a lifter can be bad with no different audio from the others. If a lifter was the source of the clank I think it would have to show somewhere. I am befuddled for sure.! My laptop with the code reader is history due to the fire. I am not sure the '95 will turn off or on a cyl but I can get a cheepo reader and make certain there is no place to do a cyl test. I am taking some time off from this, - I have a lot of other things going on! I'll get back to it in a day or so...
 
Hmmm, I have not tried that - I guess that would eliminate all the front of the engine noise? I also have not killed the cyl one at a time by stopping fuel flow at the injector. I Really am at a loss after detecting no audio clank (or tap) with the stethoscope, but hear it loud and clear standing on either side or in front of the engine when running. Sounds like a lifter tap. Like a very loose lifter. I'm 73 and not a mechanic but I have always repaired my own equipment. Cars, Line trucks, Boats, Ditch Witch trenchers, Tractors, brush hogs, lawn mowers, basically anything that broke. My main line of work was electronic tech and IP service provider in Alaska. Here in MO I was in IT my last 10 or 15 working years. With all that I have never encountered a noise quite like this that I could not find. This one is kicking my butt! (so far).
 
Friend of mine who used to be on here, Orionthade, once chased a bad noise he thought was internal by rebuilding the motor only to discover the noise persisted. Further investigation...it was one injector not playing nice. So, me, I'd be looking at those injectors. With a new noise accompanied by poorer fuel mileage at the onset of the change...Use the screwdriver against each injector and see what you come up with. Can't hurt to check and rule it out.
 
Last edited:
Yup. Thats why several of us said kill fuel supply one injector at a time.

Just loosen the nut a bit and you’ll see tiny amount of fuel come out along with engine rpm change. Start at one end and go to the other. When ya find one cylinder acting different- remove that injector and swap it with one on opposite side of the engine.
Then do the same test again to see if it followed the injector or stayed put.

With these engines I would estimate 50% of the time any oddball, ticking, claking, etc noise is the injector. Which ought to say something seeing as how the injector is one part vs 10 other components that can cause it.

Most injector life is 150,000 miles at most. In the fleet we learned just replacing them with our rebuilt ones every 100,000 miles.

If it is an injector and ya can’t spend $, drain that one injector line, fill with dexron3. Start engine and idle for couple minutes. Repeat a lot- 15 times is good. On db2 engines it’s easy- just run pure atf as fuel and it will clear up a lot. Ds4 cannot handle it.

After that do the water mist into intake to de-carbon piston, head and injector face.
Sometimes the carbon build up can really mess with injector spray pattern or cause chattering.
 
I did put the 'scope on the passenger side injectors as that was the side sounding loud on the rocker arm cover. (they were all the same - pretty quiet) But I did not check the driver side. So when I get back on this I definitely will check that and kill each cyl one at a time! It is not much trouble to take apart the injector and clean it if needed. I had 120K miles on the old ones, after replacing the needle and seat in all injectors, it ran with no extra noise until I re-glued the rocker arm cover(due to small engine oil leak). It was quiet when I shut it off - after re-glue it was noisy. Thanks!
 
I checked the cyl by cracking the fuel line - when I got to the #4 cyl the engine quieted down even with the miss it was as quiet as it ever was! I would have it out by now but I can not seem to locate the injector socket. :-} Everything is normal, I thought I knew right where it was. Turns out that is for an oil sender. Well I now know more than I wanted to! Thanks for the tip, everyone has been a big help!
 
Finally - I got back on this job. The injector was loaded with carbon. I had to punch out the nozzle. The needle valve still moved freely?
The washer that is to keep the carbon out looked OK but..... So rather than clean it up I got a new one. I put it in and after filling with fuel it ran fine - no extra noise! Also no smoke out of the manifold, just a little white mist until the fuel got every place it is supposed to be!

Now all I need to do is take the injector lines off and clean the valve cover gasket and put it all back together. ;-) What fun.!

Again thanks for all your help. I would not have suspected an injector as the cause! I will not forget though...
 
Glad thats knocked out.

Valve cover -Some things to mention:
Most valve covers come off and never get resealed again until someone has learned the tricks around attempt number 7or 8. They just suck. Worse valve cover design ever.

Do a search and you’ll find threads where we share tips like hammering around the edges with a puddy knife for a chance to save it.
Many people don’t bother and just accept that leaky covers require a new cover be bought because the thin funky shaped design never gets straightened right.

There are a couple different aftermarket items made to attempt help sealing it- some people said helped, some said they didn’t. We all wish moroso would make aluminum covers for this engine- haha.
 
Use a heat gun or a bernzomatic torch and heat the upper side of the VC sealing flange. It dont have to burn paint to get it warm enough for the sealer to release.
Then I lifted real hard on the top side, tilting it outwards and it let loose and the lower side come free.
I dont remember if I used a prybar to get the top side to let loose.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top