Fast Tapping from my engine... didn't want to hijack

[PhoenixZorn]

I also have a tapping sound coming from somewhere in my engine... I was told it could be a sticky lifter, and was told that it could be serviced under normal conditions to stop sticking... it accellerates with throttle. Oil pressure used to be around 50 at hot idle, and around 65-75 under throttle... now under hot idle, it's running around 25-30, and around 50 under throttle... oil level is good, has been "knocking" since the engine was installed. I asked the engine shop about it, and he said it can be serviced and is common on SBC engines... what do you guys think?

 

[wraenking]

pull off your valve covers and feel the lifters for one that is extremely loose. shoudl be able to spot right away

 

[PhoenixZorn]

How do I fix it if it's loose?

 

[k20]

Sure its not just an exhaust leak? Instead of a knock, or tap sound, they make more of a hiss-hiss sound. Instead of tap tap tap, its hiss hiss hiss, and if its really severe(like the day my collector came loose and 2 of 3 bolts fell out) your truck will sound like an old Uhaul.

Also, the change in oil pressure, has it been awhile since you changed the oil, or did you change to a thin weight for the winter? Since its getting warmer, a thinner winter oil will cause a lower pressure, or if its been awhile, the oil could be thinning out a little.

 

[PhoenixZorn]

Well... the engine is less than a month old... when the shop pressure tested it, it ran 80psi under vacuum and full throttle, I use 10w40 oil, and it's been less than 1000 miles since my last oil change. The shop had it at 80psi at 14* of timing, and when I got it back from them, it was at 50 at hot idle with 16* of timing... I know that 16* is too much for my engine, but I haven't had time to take it in to change it.

As for the tick tick tick, or hiss hiss hiss... it's definitely a tick... I can hear it most in side the truck, and not so much when standing over the engine.

Might as well add the fact that the motor bogs down when I let the clutch out (it should, but not this much) and the whole rig shakes a bit when let the clutch out until I let it grab all the way and give it some gas. It never did that before the motor swap... so I'm slightly confused about that. I wish I could describe it better...

 

[k20]

What grade of gas are you running, and what compression is on the motor? Since you have that advanced timing, if you are running 87 and a semi-high compression, you could be getting some pinging. Does the tick get really severe if you put a load on it, get on it?

As for the boggin and shaking, when you put the new motor in, did you put on a new flywheel and new clutch, same flywheel same clutch, swap one or the other, etc etc?

 

[PhoenixZorn]

Had the flywheel turned and put in a new Sachs aftermarket replacement clutch... Supposedly it has 30% more holding power than stock, similar to Ram and Centerforce One clutches... I dunno though...

I am running on pump gas, 87 octane, but I don't know the compression ratio of the engine... I'm still not able to reliably get in touch with the engine builder... I'm more and more sick with myself every day that passes when I realize I should have had it built locally... Wouldn't a ping only be at WOT though? This sounds more like a very constant click-click-click... and I also have no detonation problems, which I thought went hand in hand with a ping... This engine has not backfired even once since I drove it away from the shop, and the only time it did while it was in the shop, we were trying to time it and it was 180* out, and it backfired through the carb...