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Sidevalve engine ticking / tapping
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 3:44 pm    Post subject: Sidevalve engine ticking / tapping Reply with quote

My sidevalve four is ticking / tapping quite audibly. Not alarmingly but loud enough to hear when driving. Seems to come from the top of the engine but try as hard as I might I simply cannot seem to locate its source. Head has been off recently and valve heads and piston heads were clean and undamaged. Can anyone suggest a trouble shoot guide for me please? Perhaps tappet gaps ?
Any suggestions would be helpful
Many thanks
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colwyn500



Joined: 21 Oct 2012
Posts: 1745
Location: Nairn, Scotland

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

There are bound to be more knowledgeable people than me about; but an earlier Austin 10 side-valve engine that I owned used to click and tick quite noticeably at high revs. I eventually decided that it was valves bouncing because of old and tired valve springs. I did nothing about it other than to slow down and nothing bad ever happened in my ownership.
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 7:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

You may well be completely correct. I changed the old cylinder head that had been skimmed quite a lot in the past and the head was marked with impressions of the valves. I may fit new valve springs.
Many thanks
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ukdave2002



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 4100
Location: South Cheshire

PostPosted: Sat Dec 01, 2012 8:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi 1935Hillman

An engine stethoscope may help..they are quite cheap but very useful for pinpointing noises.

Dave
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pigtin



Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1879
Location: Herne Bay

PostPosted: Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:55 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A few years ago I had a similar noise on my 10/4. One day it changed to a banging and I had to call out recovery. I took the head off and found the top rings must have worn their slots and a couple of them had started to break out of the top of the piston.
It was an old engine taken out of a car in the 60s and never refurbished. Up until the failure the engine had been excellent, not burning excessive oil and towing a folding caravan to the Cotswolds.

Another probem in a rebuilt engine of the same type. After it had been used a while, I had a tapping and plopping noise at high revs.
This was typical of valve bounce but the valve springs appeared ok. I changed it for another engine. It wasn't until much later when I needed to use it again I discovered the problem. The end valve springs were amost obscured by the crankcase casting and I had been unable to see that one coil at the bottom of a spring had broken.
_________________
Due to the onset of my mid eighties I'm no longer sprightly and rarely seen in my Austin special. I have written a book though. https://amzn.eu/d/7rwRRqL
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1935Hillman



Joined: 06 Apr 2010
Posts: 257
Location: Hampshire

PostPosted: Wed Jan 09, 2013 5:32 pm    Post subject: Ticking Reply with quote

Stethoscope received for Christmas and used that afternoon (I know but it was important) No discernible or particularly loud noises from any point of the engine so still not sure. Good result in one way though. New fanbelt on order so will resume investigations when that is fitted.
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