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Author Topic: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"  (Read 19692 times)

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HarryT

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Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« on: September 17, 2012, 05:54:11 pm »
On the scouting run for the RFTH it developed a strange noise pulling into the restaurant at Tellico Plains.  We could not tell what it was.  It went away and for the RFTH 17 rally it showed up again at the end of the run.  It was there all the way home and is still there now.  It is really bad now.  It sounds like someone is shaking a coffee can full of marbles under the intake manifold.  It is there at idle and gets louder when revved up. I have not been able to go any further because of the rain.  I can't feel anything with my hand on the valve covers.  The engine runs good, Engine temp. was and is normal, oil pressure around 45 at idle and 65 at 2000 but it is now idleing at around 1500, not its usual 800.  (Cow's Patoot, I don't think a PCV valve will help this one :-X)
Any and all suggestions would be appreciated;
Harry
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87  Black GT (The Little Black Car)
2009 Honda CR-V
X 2002  40' Allegro Bus X Traded
2008 Thor Four Winds Siesta 25SA
Retired Mechanic

Roger

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #1 on: September 17, 2012, 07:54:03 pm »
Take a piece of hose long enough to reach from the end of your hand to your ear. That will be long enough to stretch straight from the valve cover(s) to your ear. Start the car and let it idle. While holding one end to your ear, keeping the hose as straight as possible, move along the valve covers. This will help you better locate the source of the noise.

I suspect from what you wrote that one or more rocker arms may be worn through. I've had this happen with a similar sound. The valve keeper was mushroomed so the valve did not fall into the cylinder (luckily)!

After removing the valve cover then spark plug, I was able to use an air hose to pressurize the cylinder, remove the bad rocker arm, use a valve spring compressor to R & R the valve keeper and spring cap, replace the rocker arm, spark plug and re-adjust the rocker arm.

This method wasn't too hard. I hope it's a simple fix.
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HarryT

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2012, 02:56:41 am »
Roger;
I have a stethascope with a long aluminum rod on the end instead of the sound cup that doctors use just for this purpose but I could not find it today.  I just remembered it is in a drawer in the basement of my coach.  Tomorrow I will get it out and scope out the engine to determine where the noise is coming from.  I suspected collapsed lifters when I heard it, thinking the oil had thinned out due to heat and extreme stress and that it would quiet down when the engine and oil cooled this morning, but it didn't, so lifters, rocker arms or push rods may have decided to quit working after 25 years.  I will keep all informed as to what I find.
Thanks for your suggestions;
Harry
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87  Black GT (The Little Black Car)
2009 Honda CR-V
X 2002  40' Allegro Bus X Traded
2008 Thor Four Winds Siesta 25SA
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Fierofool

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2012, 10:28:07 am »
Harry, even though you're getting good readings on your oil pressure gauge, I never trust them.  They're notorious for being inaccurate.  If you have one, install a mechanical gauge in place of the sender to check what the true reading is as compared to the electric sender.  I do that periodically just to be sure my electric sending unit isn't failing. 
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HarryT

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2012, 12:51:40 am »
Hi All;
All the noise was coming from the water pump. :)  What a relief.  Put on a new pump and it sounds better than it has in months.  It must have been getting noisier for quite a while.
We are now ready for another run. ;D ;D
Harry
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2009 Honda CR-V
X 2002  40' Allegro Bus X Traded
2008 Thor Four Winds Siesta 25SA
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CowsPatoot

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #5 on: September 28, 2012, 02:34:09 am »
Glad to hear it was something so simple...not that a water pump is really that simple on these, but much more so than valve work.
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Roger

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #6 on: September 28, 2012, 07:49:19 am »
 ;D
I like good (better than expected) news!
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Fierofool

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #7 on: September 28, 2012, 08:21:27 am »
Quote from: HarryT on September 28, 2012, 12:51:40 am
We are now ready for another run. ;D ;D
Harry
8) 8)
Anybody up for a fall color tour sometime in October?  Maybe 3rd weekend? 
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There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

Donster

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2012, 08:59:46 am »
Quote from: Fierofool on September 28, 2012, 08:21:27 am
Anybody up for a fall color tour sometime in October?  Maybe 3rd weekend? 
Certainly! Have any idea what area would be good? How about up where Harry and Karin live? We could then pull in at their house for coffee and cake. :D
Just an idea........hehehe.

\D
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HarryT

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2012, 11:59:49 am »
It sounds like it might work if y'all don't mind driving 1/2 mile on a gravel road.  We don't drink coffee so that would have to be worked out.
Lets think on it;
Harry and Karin
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87  Black GT (The Little Black Car)
2009 Honda CR-V
X 2002  40' Allegro Bus X Traded
2008 Thor Four Winds Siesta 25SA
Retired Mechanic

Donster

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #10 on: September 28, 2012, 12:18:42 pm »
If you have a coffee maker we could bring the grinds ;D

\D
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Fierofool

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #11 on: September 28, 2012, 12:26:58 pm »
Just what I had in mind.  I was thinking about asking Harry and Karin to give us a guided tour of Northern South Carolina and Western North Carolina. 

How about making it an all day tour through some places we haven 't been before? 
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There are three kinds of men:

1.    The ones that learn by reading.
2.    The few who learn by observation.
3.    The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves.    Will Rogers

CowsPatoot

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #12 on: September 28, 2012, 11:41:38 pm »
I'm in....
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HarryT

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #13 on: September 28, 2012, 11:52:07 pm »
We can work a new Fiero route out with some nice scenic stops.  Like I said before, we don't drink coffee so we don't even have a coffee maker.  Someone will have to bring one.  You all know our schedule, so we were thinking about meeting somewhere for lunch like the Cornucopia in Cashiers and then taking a 3 or 4 hour run ending up at our place.  We can kick this around and see what comes up.
Harry and Karin
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87  Black GT (The Little Black Car)
2009 Honda CR-V
X 2002  40' Allegro Bus X Traded
2008 Thor Four Winds Siesta 25SA
Retired Mechanic

Donster

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Re: Engine Problem with "The Little Black Car"
« Reply #14 on: September 29, 2012, 12:28:41 am »
I like
\D
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