That engine should have hydraulic lifters. During the "rebuild", I suppose that could have been changed, but not likely.
Sometimes the lifters need time to "pump up" in order for the sound to go away. If it is only one lifter, it is possible that there is a piece of dirt logged in it. I was able to clear up that problem in my '56 by adding a half quart of ATF to a fresh oil and filter change. The lifter became quiet after about 500 miles of normal driving. Then I changed the oil again this time with just motor oil. The lifter noise did not come back. Some folks have stated that they have had similar experience with Sea Foam Motor Oil Additive, and still others, Marvel Mystery Oil.
If this is the car that once belonged to Mr Titus, I seem to remember him mentioning this to me once before. He sent me a video with a sound track of the motor. At that time, I understood that the lifter was noisy all the time, cold and warm, fast and slow and it never went away. It is possible that there is something more serious wrong if this is the case. Since we really don't know, I would not recommend taking the car out on the freeway and driving the heck out if it unless you are able to make the noise stop at least part of the time first.
Paul W.
-----Original Message-----
From: Kenyon Wills <imperialist1960@xxxxxxxxx>
To: IML <mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sun, 19 Mar 2006 11:40:22 -0800 (PST)
Subject: IML: Lifter collapse - 1955
The 55 has done more sitting than driving lately (last
18 months). It was bought from a PO that claimed the
engine was rebuilt. Block is clean and painted
day-glo orange, so it has definitely been out of the
car at some point. Strangely, it appears that the
accessories were not replaced at time of engine
rebuild. Why one would want to skip redoing $400 of
acessories on a rebuild beats the heck out of me...
When I start it, I hear tremendous lifter noise.
Sounds like one and not all. Tap Tap Tap - not
tapety tapety tapety. The first few times that the
car came up to temp, the noise abated within a minute
or so of operation and a little revving. Now it does
not seem to be doing so, and a 3/4 mile trip around
the block on car (no plates on it) yeilded no
improvement.
I presume that the car has hydraulic lifters? I don't
know the 55 engine well at all.
What causes lifter noise in a presumably recently
rebuilt, but sitting forever engine? Should I just
drive the thing and get it on the freeway before
tearing apart?
Oil pressure indicator says that there's plenty of
pressure, and I'm wondering if the temp just needs to
come up? How to diagnose without removal of the
intake manifold?
Kenyon Wills
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