Will the Dramas ever end?

[wetprickles]

Dehne – will be looking for some parts soon I guess thanks, seems I have some more dramas to fix. Have to work out whats wrong first. Lowering can wait.

Dean – they can be a pain keeping up with the maintenance when they get this worn out, but I'll keep on trying to improve mine, still get a kick out of driving her.

Sheldon – great to catch up at the island, thanks for the photo. You were having a ball out there on the track while it lasted.

Awsome couple of weekends with all that fantastic machinery.

[wetprickles]

I have an engine noise that sounds like a sewing machine.
So on with the dramas!



Temperature and oil pressure are normal. This noise has been getting worse for years. Hoped changing heads over would eliminate this noise but now  it is getting harsher.
Originally thought it was just valve gaps, but inlets are .3, .4, .5, .5, .5 and .4 and exhausts are a comfortable .225mm. Still have ticking noise with Exhaust gaps set at Zero.
Exhaust manifold bolts that hold heat shield are not holding tension, are done up with loctite on new brass gaskets, not able to feel any leaks by hand, however they could be leaking but doubt they would make this noise.  
This is the bottom end that I had the bent valves episode with,  so could be rings, gudgeons, bearings, piston slap or any number of other things. Could also be valves as they weren't confirmed good by a machine shop. Definetly coming from drivers side of engine, and gets worse; louder as temps settle. Can the distributor drive/oil pump bits make noises like this?

[Al Campbell]

Leon,

Can't say the motor makes any particular noise (except nice V6 ones), but then my experience of ALFAs totals exactly one. If you were asking about the clogged valve, I was referring to the vacuum regulating valve hanging off the plenum, not  one of the inlet/outlet valves in the head.

AL.