Im back with a couple more questions

[FAT TONY]

Alright so lately ive been to busy enjoying riding around in the 64 ever since i put the new clutch in, but now once again im having some issues, first issue is the knocking that sounded bad now sounds worst, i haven't gotten to re adjusting the valves but i know for a fact that is one of the issues , you can here two types of noises one is a knocking sound coming from the lower end of the engine and the other is a rapid ticking from the top end, more than likely the valve adjustment..... im not to sure of the lower end noise though, could it be that i need a crank kit or something?

second issue, my transmission makes a grinding sound when going into third, i adjusted the rod as much as i could and got rid of the grinding when going into first and second but third still grinds, it still engages after the grinding noise but i really don't like the sound of it and wonder if it causes any harm to the transmission gears,...... there is also another sound that you can hear im not sure how to explain it but ill try to upload a video over the weekend, some one told me it is just something lose that is rattling around but im not to sure of that


iv got the turbo 350 transmission, but i need the torque converter, and the cross member to support it, i also got a hold of the two 350 engines i was talking about, one needs rebuild, the other one although not pretty still runs, hopefully i can get a bit of money together and get all the things needed to install the transmission and engine,


this is the engine that needs a crank kit i think its an early 70's model from a nova, ran at high rpms left no oil at the lower end and started knocking i will take the pulley and water pump of this one and put it on the running engine



this is my running engine from a 84 pickup 4 bolt main, needs some degreacing but runs, hopefully ill fire it up in the next week or two just want to open it up and see the insides first, also want to replace all the gaskets as well, but all and all its pretty decent



and this is a big block sitting at the shop, its going to go into a 72 pickup

[cgreen]

If you have adjusted the linkage, and double checked that you are positively engaging 3rd gear, then it sounds like the sychro is bad. Try double clutching during shifting. That might buy you a little time. AS for the clunking, do you have a oil pressure gauge or just a warning light? Sounds as though the crank is sloppy, or a rod knocking.

[FAT TONY]

could be the synchro, and im not to sure on how well i am at double clutching but i can give it a try, but does the grinding hurt the gears?...... i have the lights, ive got the after market gauge but never got a chance to install it

[cgreen]

IT will eventually wear down the teeth on the gears. As for the gauge, i ask because i wonder what the pressure is. When the bearings start to fail on the crank, you can get some indication by the loss of pressure.

[FAT TONY]

well i have the hardware to install the gauge so i might try and install it tomorrow, around what should be the normal pressure for a l6 230?

[cgreen]

now that I would have to defer to someone else. I have not worked on an inline in probably 15 years. I will see if I can find the answer for you. I am sure I have a Chilton's manual around here somewhere.

[FAT TONY]

thanks for the responses, also where could i find a decent shop manual for these trucks?, the ones ive come across do not have much information, would you happen to have a link to a good book with reliable information?

[cgreen]

The shop manual i always used was very old when i found it 20 years ago. i have not looked at any of the newer manuals. I will say the one i have is a Chilton manual from the early 70s. it was pretty good. maybe they reprint it or even use the same info now.

[63burban4x4]

Tony, double clutching takes a little practice, but it's a good thing to know how to do....it'll get you home when your clutch linkage falls off! lol!
Us old truck drivers learned it first thing...the old big trucks didn't have synchros (I learned to drive on a '58 Mack with a 5 speed main & a 4 speed auxillary....double clutching was absolutely mandatory!)
Just depress the clutch and shift into neutral, let the clutch out breifly, while kicking up the RPM slightly.....then depress the clutch and shift into your next gear. It works shifting up or down. You are just trying to match the engine speed to the transmission speed. When they are right, it'll drop right in to gear. As an added bonus, it'll impress the heck out of your passengers! Takes a while to learn, but once you've got it down, you could break off the clutch pedal, and still drive around just fine.....I've done it, believe me! Done right, you won't need to depress the clutch pedal at all...just kick into neutral, raise the RPM< and drop into your next gear. It can become second nature aftera while, I still find myself "double clutching" when I drive a standard.
Of course, fixing the trans is better, but you could go a long time with a bad synchro, with a good technique......it'll save you from grinding away the gears in the tranny!

[FAT TONY]

i shall have to look for one,



and question about the double clutching, how would you know when the rpms of the engine match the transmission?, would i need to get a tachometer? ,

[63burban4x4]

that's a good question, and all I can say is you'll know it when you get it....you'll be amazed when it drops right into gear! It will take a little trial and error, but eventually you'll feel it. If you did have a tach, once you figured out the shift points, you could probably use it to find them every time, that's basicly how u drive a non-synchro big truck trans, but you don't REALLY need one.
But believe me, it will come to you. Just don't grind too hard when trying to drop into gear.....feather the RPM's,slightly up, slightly down, and lightly try to go into gear till you feel it want to go in. DON'T FORCE IT, wait for the right time. You will just feel a point where it doesn't grind...means everything in the trans is running at matched speeds. If you can figure out how to do this, you could drive this thing for ages with a bad synchro....my old 55 chevy stick six had a bad second gear synchro all through high school....never stopped me from driving it, and never tore up the tranny either. Of course, u could rebuild it or change it out....I'm just sayin', you could double clutch it a long time without harming it. Give it a try, you might be surprised how easy it is once you get it.

['63GENIII]

Hey Tony did you get the oil press. gauge connected yet? Seems every time I've lost a lower end, there's been some weird readings on the oil pressure... usually lower than you'd think it should be. The knocking is usually the tell tale sign that you're taking a trip to the machine shop though. Keep us posted.

[FAT TONY]

well today i tried the double clutching method on the way to work, which i didn't get to do very often seeing as there's a stop sign on almost every street but the times i did try i think it only grinded once and yes the double clutching did stop the grinding into third, also how hard would it be to replace the synchro?

and not yet last couple days the shop has been busy so ive had to been working on alot of other cars but tomorrow is sunday so im pretty sure i can hook it up(if i can find the instruction manual), but other than that it should be on

[cgreen]

Been thinking about your oil pressure question and an old timer i spoke with kinda agreed with my thoughts. An older 230 would probably give you around 20 psi. Lower than that might be an indicator. Usually around 12 psi is when the idiot light comes on. When you get the gauge hooked up, if the readings are unstable, than that is also a good sign of bad lower end. Are you finding any metal shavings or even a glittery look to your oil on the dipstick?

[FAT TONY]

not a glittery look on the dipstick but i do remember when i removed the oil pan to replace the rear main seal , the crankshaft had a glittery look to it, not sure if it was that though

[cgreen]

Asking about the glittery stuff because it would show that metal( bearings usually) shavings suspended in the oil. It would be very noticable if it was a problem. Still trying to figure out the knocking sounds.

[FAT TONY]

does the crank shaft color look normal? at first i was worried it has shavings but couldn't come to a conclusion, also past couple days it has rained so still no oil gauge

[cgreen]

looks ok from the pic. if it had shavings you would know. it is perceptable.

[FAT TONY]

alright well i got the oil gauge hooked up, and i found out that when i turn on the truck and the psi is 33 psi, when driving down the road it moves back and fourth from about 25-36 psi and after a while of driving then getting home the psi went down to around 20 psi