valve train noise... Your opinions please?

**porsche914ls6** · 06-10-2006, 07:44 PM

I have a freshly built 500 HP LS6 motor in my Porsche 914 and I recently changed the oil @ 2,000 miles and dumped in Mobil 1 synthetic. I seem to hear more valve train noise now (a clapping ticking noise). I know that it will make a slight ticking sound normally...but now it seems a bit excessive. Perhaps this engine doesn't like Mobil 1 and the results are a more pronounced clapping/ticking sound. What worries me is that it seems to come more from the passenger side than the driver's side. I've bounced it off the rev limiter (6,800) about two dozen times racing on the hwy with people and am beginning to wonder if I may have slightly bent one or two pushrods (they are HD aftermarket pushrods). I might, as an experiment, dump my Mobil 1 oil and pour regular 20W-50 oil back in to see if it quiets down. If I still hear excessive valve ticking...I will have to do some further investigating: look for a bent pushrod or a F'd up valve spring (valve springs are Patriot double springs). Your thoughts or comments are appreciated. I hope I didn't injure this thing...

Bill

**sunsetorangess** · 06-11-2006, 10:20 AM

More info on your setup might be more helpful for some. Im not the smartest guy in the world but bouncing off the rev limiter costed me a pushrod that looked like an l when i pulled out and that was doing it twice so thats allways an idea. Pull the valve cover off and see if everything is gapped correctly and not bent or broke.

Thats pretty thick oil isnt it?

**Street Lethal** · 06-11-2006, 12:59 PM

Originally Posted by porsche914ls6

I have a freshly built 500 HP LS6 motor in my Porsche 914 and I recently changed the oil @ 2,000 miles and dumped in Mobil 1 synthetic. I seem to hear more valve train noise now (a clapping ticking noise).

What worries me is that it seems to come more from the passenger side than the driver's side. I've bounced it off the rev limiter (6,800) about two dozen times racing on the hwy with people and am beginning to wonder if I may have slightly bent one or two pushrods (they are HD aftermarket pushrods). I might, as an experiment, dump my Mobil 1 oil and pour regular 20W-50 oil back in to see if it quiets down.

If I still hear excessive valve ticking...I will have to do some further investigating: look for a bent pushrod or a F'd up valve spring (valve springs are Patriot double springs).

Why do you have the rev limiter set so high? Are you running a cam similar to the T-Rex's specs? It honestly sounds like you bent a few pushrods on the passenger side. As mentioned, pull the valve cover, and take a peek... it's the only way to be sure. I doubt it's the Mobil 1 synthetic.

**porsche914ls6** · 06-12-2006, 07:15 PM

The engine in my car is mid mounted behind the driver and a custom fibreglass cover fits over the face of the engine on the firewall. It turned out that the idler pulley on the pass. side of the engine was scraping the inside of the engine cover...giving the impression of "valve train clapping/ticking" noises. I Just simply took the cover off and modified it to allow more clearance. I needed an easy one like that after blowing a trans up and other major problems in the recent past. It took a good part of the day to change/modify the cover...but I'd much rather do that than pulling heads to have new valves/ springs, etc replaced.

Thanks for your comments and opinions. By the way, is 20w-50 too thick? I know it needs to reach operating temp before you can pound on it...

Bill

**illcul8troffcr** · 06-13-2006, 02:50 AM

holy hell ... that big ass engine in that lil ass car ... thats gotta be a beast !!!

**porsche914ls6** · 06-13-2006, 05:59 AM

This is a pic of the engine and trans. Trans is a 930 turbo 4 spd w/ Limited slip and flipped ring & pinion. Real tall gears and suited fopr a V-8 nicely. 1st gear 56mph, 2nd 97mph, 3rd 142 mph, 4th over 190 mph.

**illcul8troffcr** · 06-13-2006, 12:11 PM

thats fuckin crazy .. haha that body style is hot you dont normally see them.. and plus with that engine .. pulling up beside someone i could only imagine the looks on their faces hearing it

**porsche914ls6** · 06-13-2006, 02:54 PM

Yes...this thing moves pretty well. I like to race motorcycles. They freak when they see a car pull on them...I like to F' up liter bikes and bigger. It's fun.

Bill

**ocshaman** · 06-17-2006, 01:40 AM

I think that 20-50 is a little much for that engine. Do a search here and ls1tech, and you will find heavy 30's or Mobil 40's being recommended.

**ninobrn99** · 06-19-2006, 04:51 AM

the 20w-50 is too thick! If you have hardened PR's, then you wouldnt have bent those..you would've bent or broke a valve. Id pull them to check and see if you have any excessive scratches or chips. Did you break the motor in with that oil? usually a 10w-30 of regular oill will do just fine for a break in. Ensure that the PR's length are correct and that they arent too short. That could be another reason. What are the cam specs? If your running lsk lobes, then yeah, your going to have a lot of valve train noise, especially with high lift. Hope that helps.

**Duke of Cruel** · 06-19-2006, 09:16 AM

The mobil 1 is a fine motor oil for that engine.

**ninobrn99** · 06-19-2006, 09:49 AM

**Roastem** · 06-19-2006, 09:53 AM

That is a nice car, and big points for originality and cool factor. The exhaust pipes are kinda funky looking, that would be my only gripe.

I had 10-40 and 20-50 Mobil synthetic in mine, and it would burn oil like a mutha with both, not bad enough to smoke noticeably though. I had to put a quart in it every month. I had to add some oil once, and realized I had gotten a quart of 10-30 mobil 1 synthetic mixed in with the 10-40 stuff, but I said f*ck it, it is gonna burn it off anyway. But to my surprise, I didn't have to add any oil to it for awhile after that, so the last change I put 10-30 in it, and it hasn't burned a drop.

Kinda weird that such a small change in viscosity would have such a big effect.

Ticking noise: I had an irritating tick coming from the engine, I could only hear it when I pulled up beside something that would reflect the noise, i.e. car at stoplight. I put the cam and springs on there, and it went away. Makes me think it was a rocker that was out of adjustment. Re-torque your rockers and see if that will fix it.

**JEB99TA** · 06-24-2006, 03:22 AM

My car's valvetrain was 'clattery' with a bit of noise after the new motor build. After about 3,000 miles on the motor, the noise has completely gone away. It seems that after I broke it in with dino oil and then began to use 0-40 Mobil1 ... well, the noise simply disappeared. I have H/C package ... cam is 224/228 .581/.588 114 LSA.

**Wesman** · 06-24-2006, 07:37 PM

Do not, under any circumstances, put 20W-50 oil in your LS1. It will ruin the engine, no doubt about it. Its designed to run 5W or 10W, not double or quadruple that weight. The tolerances are much to close to be running oil that thick.

Mobil 1 is excellent oil, the best you can buy for the money. In most engines, using a synthetic like Mobil 1 actually quiets down valve tick and valvetrain noise, due to better lubrication and coating of metal parts.

Not sure why yours has become louder, perhaps there is something physically wrong with your drivetrain

**ocshaman** · 06-25-2006, 12:23 AM

I would have to disagree with the best for the money, and with the comments about Mobil 1 quieting things down. M1 runs thinner per viscosity than most other oils, so I can understand why he would be running a little louder.

What does Holden spec for the LS1?