68fury

Hello there everyone, I have a question I hope someone out there will have an answer to.

I just replaced the timing cover and chain on my 68 fury, I also replaced the lower pulley that fits onto the harmonic balancer and ever since then (it's only been a day actually) I've been hearing a rattling/grinding that sounds like an old alarm clock (the ones with the bells ontop). I'm wondering what that could be and really how much of an issue it is.

My dad thinks I should let it wear itself out, he is pretty sure it's a small aluminum disk and fits onto the harmonic balancer, and that it'll wear itself out without hurting anything.

I'm really not sure, and I'm honestly a little nervous about it, do timing chains have a period of wearing in where they make sounds like that?

Coronet 500

First thing is to go out and get a mechanics stethoscope but don't drive the Fury. Run the engine (what engine?) and touch different areas and listen.

#1 The timing chain should not "run in" it should be smooth and silent.

#2 The disk (oil slinger) should be sandwiched between balancer and crank and not move.

#3 The camshaft bolt should be loctited and torque to spec.

It could be the fuel pump eccentric not keyed, lined up or loose, the big block has a pushrod that could be worn.

Many guesses can be made but the noise you describe is wrong and won't get better, only wearing breaking parts.

Check to see if the balancer runs true and does not hit the timing mark. Run it with the belts off for a short time, could be not engine internals.

68fury

It's the 318, I have run it with the belts off and the sound continued. So that sort of rules that out.

It just started after it was put back together I didn't personally put the camshaft parts on, do you think maybe it just needs to be tightened? Or would the car not even run if it was even slightly loose?

Thank you for your input by the way, I really appreciate it.

Coronet 500

It would run then get noisy then break.

68fury

Okay thanks, I'll check into all of that, I was hoping to avoid pulling it apart again. The timing case gasket can be a pain in the *** to put on.

oh well, better than having to buy a new engine. Although I might actually need to do that. I'm beginning to suspect the block is cracked

68fury

Anyone know of any good sites for 318 or 340 crate engines? just curious

RacerHog

http://www.mrlperformance.com/

DDodger

It's not going to wear itself in, LOL

First thing to do is pull off all belts and run engine long enough (30 seconds is all it should take) and listen around. For a "stethoscope" even a scrap length of hose, held to your ear, works well

This could be as simple as the pulley rubbing the trans cooler lines, and they won't last long that way!!

68fury

Thanks for all your help you guys, especially you coronet. Your information about the oil plate got me thinking that maybe it wasn't being properly sandwiched. I remember putting in a felt gasket that wasn't originally in the car. So we are pretty sure that if we take that gasket off it will tighten that extra couple millimeters it needs for the oil plate to be snug.

does that sounds plausible?

Rooty

Maybe you used too long of a bolt on the crank pulley and it's touching the timing cover ever so slightly or the slinger is backwards. Just a suggestion as this happened to a friend of mine. His eventually wore in - right through the timing cover.

68fury

We thought that maybe the slinger was backwards but it seemed to really only go one way, although that will be our next action if taking out the felt gasket doesn't fix it. (We don't think the gasket is supposed to go with my specific engine. Because when we took it apart there was no gasket there. )

As for the crank bolt I'm not sure, I didn't replace the old one.

Coronet 500

This felt gasket is called a dust shield and goes behind the harmonic balancer in the cup outside of the timing cover to keep road dirt away from the oil seal. If you put it on the crank then cover then balancer making inside it will disintegrate and clog oil pick up screen.

68fury

I'm not really sure I follow coronet,
you're saying the felt gasket will disintegrate if it goes on the crank?

Coronet 500

Is it on the inside or outside of the timing cover? Inside, then it must come out!

68fury

Oh that's crystal clear, I do believe it's outside, if it were inside would it cause that kind of sound?

And why was it that it didn't have that felt gasket when we took it apart? There wasn't even anything left to indicate there had ever been anything in there

DDodger

i would not think the felt would make noise. If you removed the belts, it's time to start taking stuff apart. FIRST thing to do is find out if the balancer is SEATED because this also "seats" the slinger cup and the crank sprocket.

68fury

Im currently taking the balancer off, the timing case cover is still on as I want to rule out everything I can before digging any deeper

68fury

Question, which way should the oil slinger be facing, toward the timing chain gear or away? We've pretty much nailed it down that it's loose and causing the noise.

Right now we have the slinger facing away and we are wondering if that is right. It appears it isn't sandwiched right

Coronet 500

Yes lip out, if balancer was not tight crank gear would be loose with chain riding on edge of teeth=noise.


Not all had the dust shield, some had a cup with or without. They usually become dry and brittle then crumble, so it may or may not have had one. Not a big deal to have it on.

68fury

Interesting, let's say mine didn't have/need a dust shield, and I put one on it, could that cause all of the parts on that crank to not fit snugly?

Also what sort of noise would the chain riding on the teeth make? I imagine a nasty grinding sound right?

RacerHog

https://www.google.com/search?q=Mopa...90%3B640%3B480

Coronet 500

The felt would easily crush a none issue really.

What value did you torque the bolt to?

68fury

I actually don't know, we put it in with a breaker bar, could that be an issue?

68fury

Yeah that's the way it's facing, I had a small heart attack when I saw one of the engines had the slinger on the other bolt Hah

Coronet 500

Should be 135 ft/lbs, which is a pretty good tug.

RacerHog

I think you need to get inside it and make sure the lower sprocket is seated correctly...

68fury

It will probably come to that, we are going to try re-seating the balancer and try torquing it correctly as coronet suggested first to avoiding wasting a couple of gallons of coolant

that would require an air impact hammer right? Could that be the problem? It wasn't torqued on just right?

Coronet 500

Torque wrench is needed, possibly borrow or rent from local auto supply company.

I would not use an impact gun, no way to tell for sure what you have tightened it to, that's why we have torque wrenches.

68fury

alright I'll take your advice coronet, thanks.

68fury

Btw I didn't say anything before but this is perfect, I wish they went into a little more detail on the pricing of their various tiers of engines. I'm on a college student's budget