Knocking in my 462

[buddy67lincoln]

I have a 66 with a knocking noise from the passenger side. Its under the valve cover. The guy says it never did that till recently. He never really started the car regularly for 2 years so who knows when it could have happened. The oil is 32 years old so I thought maybe the lifter is sticking??? The motor was rebuilt, from what he was told, 3,000 miles ago 32 years ago! Not sure why but it was. The car was only 10 years old before it was stored and has been sitting since. Any suggestions on what it could be? I will pull the cover tonight and look for a bent rod or something. Thanks

[Theo]

Hey buddy,
If the noise is somewhat high pitched, then the knocking most likely comes from a lifter. it's pretty common that at least one lifter is on strike after sitting too long w/o being fired up for years.
Usually and if it was you that fired up the engine after all these years, you should have heard a whole bunch of lifters knocking like a mad orchestra. That's very common and normal because the lifters bleed off under the valve spring pressure. The lifters are allways bleeding to some minimal extend. If a car is used frequently, then the lifters won't have enough time to bleed off completely. If you wake up your baby from a winter sleep or after a long period of years, then you will hear them knocking.
It takes a few minutes and sometimes a little more time until the lifters fill up with oil again. If there's dirt in the oil then some single ore more lifters are contaminated and therefore can't pump up.
Not a big drama. Lifters are relatively cheap.
If it was you who fired up the engine after it has been sitting since the 70ies and it's just one lifter that knocks, then I assure you that the engine must have been fired by somebody else recently.
Again, firing up the engine after all these years, would have let the whole orchestra knocking your ears off.

[buddy67lincoln]

Hey buddy,
If the noise is somewhat high pitched, then the knocking most likely comes from a lifter. it's pretty common that at least one lifter is on strike after sitting too long w/o being fired up for years.
Usually and if it was you that fired up the engine after all these years, you should have heard a whole bunch of lifters knocking like a mad orchestra. That's very common and normal because the lifters bleed off under the valve spring pressure. The lifters are allways bleeding to some minimal extend. If a car is used frequently, then the lifters won't have enough time to bleed off completely. If you wake up your baby from a winter sleep or after a long period of years, then you will hear them knocking.
It takes a few minutes and sometimes a little more time until the lifters fill up with oil again. If there's dirt in the oil then some single ore more lifters are contaminated and therefore can't pump up.
Not a big drama. Lifters are relatively cheap.
If it was you who fired up the engine after it has been sitting since the 70ies and it's just one lifter that knocks, then I assure you that the engine must have been fired by somebody else recently.
Again, firing up the engine after all these years, would have let the whole orchestra knocking your ears off.

Thanks a lot! Good to hear. The car was run periodically but not too much in the last 2 years. I am not sure about when it was in the barn for 30 years but the guy said it was quiet as a mouse. It was cold too only 32 degrees or so. I will run it some more, change the oil a time or 5 and see how she does. Thanks a lot.

[Theo]

Changing oil is probably an option. Maybe some cleaning flush before you change the oil. Don't give it too much time to pump up. If it hasn't pumped up after you have changed oil and driving it for a day, then the lifters are simpy refusing to pump up.
Lifter knocking can also happen if there is not enough oil in the pan and at low oil pressure. You should check for that too.
Good luck

[buddy67lincoln]

Changing oil is probably an option. Maybe some cleaning flush before you change the oil. Don't give it too much time to pump up. If it hasn't pumped up after you have changed oil and driving it for a day, then the lifters are simpy refusing to pump up.
Lifter knocking can also happen if there is not enough oil in the pan and at low oil pressure. You should check for that too.
Good luck

The only thing I cannot do is actually drive it..at least legally! I do not have anywhere to drive it around and not even sure if the transmission is good or not. The oil is full, a little gray/black but its full. Not sludgy looking and it has a Fram oil filter so it must have been changed before the 70's? I am not sure how long they have been around. I will run it again and see if it fills up, change the oil and try again. Not sure how can I pick out the culprit lifter if the rocker covers are on? Thanks for the help Theo.

[59lincolnrag]

John,
I have rescued a few cars in my time......Changing the oil is a great idea ...But be careful...I have experienced motor oil actually gelling up in the crankcase. I purchased a car that was sitting for some time. Changed the oil....and it appeared that not a lot of oil came out ?? After the oil change I noticed the oil pressure fluctuating?? when I checked the dip stick it looked 2 quarts over full?? ....What the ......? Sure enough ..... I droped the pan and to my amazement ....Black Jello!!

Sounds like Theo may be right..... lifter .....maybe a push rod?

After you change the oil and fix the noise ...run the car at a fast Idle for a while ....get the fluids flowing....
Anthony

[Theo]

I would check the oil pressure gauge or the control light in the car's dashboard. It's good to know if the pressure is there or not. Make sure the bulb is O.K. or replace it instead trusting it. If you fiddle w. the engine w/o knowing if the pressure is good, than you might run into trouble.
An other thing to keep in mind is acid accumulation in the engine. Oil that has been sticking in the motor for years gets acidic and can harm the bearings.
Out of my stomach I personally would pull out the entire engine plus trans for a close up look and rebuild. It saves the time you're spending with the guesswork and possible multiple cost intensive trial and errors. Your project is going to take a few years anyway as you mentiones. Rebuilding the engine can be lots of fun and best and most important of all: You can post us a picture story

[66Lincoupe]

Hey, John... Just my .02, too.

My coupe sounded like a coffee can full of ball bearings when I started it (I was the first to touch it in 25 years - and this was after priming the oil pump,) I still have one lifter that comes and goes, but this engine is destined to be an anchor.

I have resurrected many idle cars and a trick I use to loosen sticky valvetrain bits is to substitute a quart of Dexron for one quart of oil in a change. The lighter viscosity and super high detergent help get things moving. I don't drive the car much if at all and never at high speeds while the trans fluid is in. I had a real bad sludge problem in the coupe (I found after I pulled the pan to replace the rear main) and the rocker shafts would barely oil even after running for close to a half hour. I did a 5 quart change with just Dexron and just let her idle. it took about 10 minutes to get going but now oil flows well to the top end. I changed the oil to straight 40 weight just because of what I saw at the crank, but it was enough to get it here.

Still wish I could have grabbed that coupe, John! I'm nearly 4K into my car and still can't drive it! I do have a new tranny, gas tank, cooling system, brakes and tires though and no rust... That may be a biggie.

[Theo]

They say that synthetic oil does help keep the engine clean too.