Engine noise spitfire 1500

[rozentas]

Thanks for the feedback. I have ordered an electric oil pressure gauge, a new oil pressure sensor and t piece to fit to the engine block. Then I will test to see if the oil pump works.  Then take it to a local garage with experience of working on this engine. 

 

[johny]

If there's oil pressure I would still check for air pressure from each spark plug hole. After all knowledge is power and then with the garage get them to go in steps so costs are kept under control. You can always let us know their findings for a second opinion😮

[Colin Lindsay]

19 hours ago, Pete Lewis said:

unless youre lucky  that sounds a bit terminal  but not big endish.

i wonder if the oil pump drive has failed ????

Pete

 

I'm of the same mind; I wonder if the noise is the drive turning, but not actually pumping due to fracture? Dizzy out, and have a look at the the oil pump shaft under the drive gear.

[johny]

Hopefully all will soon be revealed.....

[rlubikey]

Steve, as Pete suggests, first test the oil pump using the electric drill trick. As the pressure switch function is unknown, just take off the oil pressure switch and see if oil comes out. If you have a bit of tube the right size you can direct the oil into a suitable container.

Then, I would suggest taking the rocker cover off & spark plugs out and checking the pistons and valve gear operation as you turn the engine over by hand. Squint down the spark plug hole; are the pistons going up and down or have you thrown a con rod? Are the valves moving in their sequence or is a valve stuck, push rods bent, or broken cam shaft. Hopefully you have a suitable spanner and as you turn the engine by hand you can feel for anything nasty happening inside.

The point is that these tests can be done without running the engine and making any problem worse.

Cheers, Richard

[Pete Lewis]

good thoughts  a jumped pushrod  can be pretty noisy 

but non of this answers the boiling coolant and loss of engine oil level ....none bode well for a simple solution 

Pete

[johny]

especially as the car was driven 10 miles like this☹️

[Pete Lewis]

Let us know what you find , and we can go from there ,

youre not a million miles away  from me  so give  us some clues and a visit for support is not difficult to organise 

Pete

 

[Herald948]

My biggest fear at this point is that any further attempts to run the engine might well result in an unplanned "inspection hole" in the side of the block. 🙁

[johny]

I know what you mean and I suppose its possible although it would be bloomin unlucky plus I reckon any workshop is going to want to hear the noise anyway......

[rozentas]

Thanks for the feedback all, will let you know when I have made some progress

[rozentas]

In removing the dizzy can I just remove the 2 bolts holding the base pedestal base leaving the distributor still clamped to it or should I remove the dizzy from the pedestal first by releasing the clamp plate. Also if I remove the pedestal will I have to replace the gaskets?

[Pete Lewis]

Its probably best to remove the dizzy first but  leaving dizzy inplace keeps your current timing   

so  yes just the two bolts on the pedestal is ok

The gaskets will generally detach ok , this gasket face is shimed with gaskets to set the drive gear endfloat so less changes here 

Make refit easier.

Mark the gear tooth  alignment with the cam with tippex or crayon or what ever so  you replace in the  same place 

Or timing will be miles out .

 

[rozentas]

Have removed Dizzy and drive, can turn oil pump in earthier direction easily no resistance, same either way.  Do nor have gauge yet so cannot do a pressure test with drill.  Should the oil pump turn either way?

[johny]

yes the oil pump can turn both ways but obviously can only pump oil around the engine when turning the correct way.

[NonMember]

The oil pump is symmetrical and will turn equally easily either way. Turning it the wrong way merely pumps out of the oil ways and back into the sump.

To check whether it works at all doesn't need a pressure gauge. Make up a drive dog from a 5/16" bolt (I forget whether it needs a slot or a ridge, the six cylinder is the opposite of the four) and use a reversible drill running anti-clockwise. If the pump is working you will see oil spilling into the dizzy drive hole. If the shaft is broken you won't.

[rozentas]

Have spun the pump anti clockwise and oil comes up into the dizzy drive hole

[johny]

Thats looking good! So probably the pressure switch wasnt working but oil was actually getting round the engine (as long as there was sufficient level of course)....

[rozentas]

So I took off the rocker cover removed the spark plugs but could not turn the engine by hand.

Excuse me for using incorrect terminology but this is what I found,

There was a screw on the rocker which had come out and was laying on the top,  it’s the only screw on the rocker bar. God knows why it had not gone down through one of the holes. I put the screw back in place.

I stated the engine since the oil pump is working, with the cover off and looked down where the push rods go below the screw.  Of the 8 rods the 5 nearest the front move up and down through the tappets which do not move. The three at the back move through the tappets which move up and down and bash up against the cylinder head.

Does that make sense?

[rozentas]

Here is a video of the moving parts under the rod

[NonMember]

I'm not sure I understand what you mean, and the video only shows the back half of the engine where your description suggests the front half is behaving differently? What I can see in the video looks normal at first glance.

[johny]

certainly all the pushrods and tappets should be operating the same. I believe the screw, if thats it in the vid, just locates the bar the rockers rock on in the correct position.

[rozentas]

Sorry got my front and back mixed up. To try and be clearer, under the screw in the video which is towards the back of the rocker not the font the rod goes through some silver looking round things which are moving up and down.  The front five rods go through the silver round things which do not move at all

[johny]

so the front five pushrods are not moving and the rockers dont rock? The silver round looking things are down inside the holes where the pushrods go arent they? These sound like the cam followers which are in contact with the cam and convert the rotation of the cam into the up and down movement of the pushrods. Can we not see these other rods in another vid?

[rozentas]

Yes the front five rods move the same as the front three everything is the same except the cam followers on the back three rods move up and down and the front five stay static. Will try another video