Maiden Voyage of my 61T - Oh No!!!!

[simplyconnected]

...he actually only removed the driver's side rocker cover! He reported that there was 'no visible evidence of metal contact with pushrods or head'...

Mark, all he had to do was roll the pushrods 'in-place'. If one is bent and making the kind of noise you are getting, it's going to be REALLY bent. While he had the cover off, he could have watched the rocker arms go up and down.

Open your senses and use sound troubleshooting techniques. I can't believe someone actually removed the oil pan without checking the valve train first. - Dave

[Guest]

Well, some progress at last. The retired mechanic I told you about came over today to look at the car. He's an old school mechanic with a lot of experience with Fords - a nice bloke too. He's got 14 of them including 2 1934 coupes and a couple of T-Birds. He was very methodical and we started from top down. Here is what he found so far:

The car has been running too rich as the choke was out of adjustment. He fixed that.
The carburetor is running on only 2 barrels. The secondary barrels have been disconnected. I'm going to order a kit and have it rebuilt.
Number 8 spark plug was burned out hence the miss. The plug was older and different from the others.
Each of the rocker covers was removed and the valve train checked with the motor running. Everything checked out fine. Initially he suspected the noise was a sticking valve.
The compressions vary between 135 and 150 psi - although the motor had mostly cooled by the time we got to testing compression.
He then tried to pull the distributor and it was jammed tight. There was no way anyone could have tuned the motor the way it was. He eventually got it out and found that the distributor shaft was far too tight. He said this is not uncommon with bronze bushes. He suspects that this shaft is loading up on idle and may be the cause of the noise, possibly in the timing chain. The distributor was a newer model (1970?) and did not have an oil hole. He has taken it away to rebuild it.

Amazing what a Thunderbird Whisperer can achieve in a couple of hours. I feel much more confident that we will get to the bottom of this.

Stay tuned.

[Guest]

Well, we installed the rebuilt distributor today. The shaft was not just tight, the housing was also out of round. Unfortunately, it made no difference to the noise. Back to square one. The mechanic also disconnected the power steering pump, loosened the fuel pump and checked the started motor but these were not the culprits.

Next step is that the sump will come off again to check the timing chain from beneath. After this will may need to delve further in by removing the water pump and timing chain cover. In the interim the carburetor is being rebuilt.

To be honest, this car has been a major disappointment and an ongoing headache.

[scumdog]

To be honest, this car has been a major disappointment and an ongoing headache.

I've been down that road too - but that feeling is overcome when you get the problem sorted, trust me!.

[Guest]

Thanks mate. I'm sure you're right. Just depends on how long the road is....

[KULTULZ]

It sounds like you are in good hands now. Hopefully, he will zero in on the problem soon.

[Guest]

So, is no news good news or simply no news? We have come to a dead end with the motor. The mechanic has checked everything he thought the noise could possibly but everything checks out OK. The last thing we did was pull the inspection plate off the bellhousing. After excluding everything else he suspects the noise may be due to a loose baffle in the torque converter. So, the next step is to find someone who knows about the old cruisomatics.

On the positive side, going over the motor step by step did bring up a few issues which have now been addressed. The carby was rebuilt and it is now operating on all 4 barrels. The distributor has been rebuilt and the auto choke repaired. Also, a leaking gasket was found to the the cause of the rough idling. The car is running better than ever except for that bloody noise!

Mark

[jopizz]

Mark,

Glad you got your motor issues straightened out. As far as the torque converter goes there's no mystery to it. If that's what's making the noise you have two options. Either live with it or replace it. Any competent mechanic should be able to replace it. It doesn't take a transmission expert. However if you are going to drop the trans you might as well replace the seal, bushing and front pump O-ring unless you know for a fact that it has been done. It will save you headaches in the future.

John

[Guest]

Another update guys. The torque converter turned out to be fine so it's back to square one. The next thing we are going to check is the timing chain. The saga continues....

Mark

[jopizz]

Mark,

It's amazing to me that this far along your mechanic still can't tell whether the noise is coming from the front or back of the engine.

John

[Guest]

Hi John

Not just the current mechanic. It has been seen by 8 mechanics and an auto transmission specialist now. Every one says the noise is coming from a different place. I must admit that it is very frustrating. When you are under the car it sounds like the noise is coming from the top end. When you are above it the noise appears to be coming from the bottom. But you are right, it is very obvious and yet hard to track down.

The very first bloke to look at it, a retired mechanic with a lot of experience said he thought it could be the timing chain. He wasn't up to working on the car however. Since then I have been told that it MAY BE a sticking lifter, sticking valve, bent pushrod, main bearing, gudgeon pin, fuel pump, torque converter, tight distributor shaft and so on. I trust the mechanic who is working on the car as he has a lot of experience with old Fords (he owns 14 of them from 1932 onwards). He has checked all of these things or eliminated them as a possible cause.

Should I just drive the car until it what ever is causing the noise breaks/comes off/disintegrates? I don't want my motor to self-destruct and cause even more damage but at least I will know.

Mark

[jopizz]

Mark,

I can understand your frustration. I would be hesitant to drive any car that's making a loud knocking noise. It certainly indicates a problem that could cause major damage if not taken care of.

John

[scumdog]

Another update guys. The torque converter turned out to be fine so it's back to square one. The next thing we are going to check is the timing chain. The saga continues....

Mark

And the flax-plate was checked for cracks while you had things apart?

[bird 60]

Nah, It can't be a leaking manifold gasket, can it.

Chris...From OZ.

[Guest]

I asked about the flex plate and the transmission bloke said the sound would be tinnier. He didn't remove the transmission as he did not believe this was the problem. The manifolds are not leaking.