Freshly rebuilt 350 burning oil and tappet noise.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by Gray Ghost

The brand of oil should not have made the difference to break the parts. I very much doubt the cam could have gone south in the last 40 miles of a 4040 life. But that said stranger things have happened. Had buddy who went through four cams that all went flat in his new motor.

I doubt that is your problem though...sounds to me like a collapsed lifter at this point.

I have to agree at this point. I have been doing more and more reading and talking with the builder. I think its unlikely that the cam is flat. I also think 40 miles might be an exaggeration. This is new york. I dont drive much as its been snowing and freezing. Although I did put 45 series Bridgestone Bizzac tires on the beast in Oklahoma. They stick like superglue.

The tapping noise also fluctuates a little. or at least did over the last few days. and at idle is not always there. I have a feeling that it might be the combination of the regular oil and the older w30 ND oil that has formed a kind of glue in the engine.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by 1tigers

The oil has to be going somewere.It has to be leaking or burning ,so there would have to be smoke or a puddle of oil if it is using at a rate of a qt. per 200 miles

It aint leakin out of the engine so I guess it is just being burnt and you cant see or smell it. I have had cars that use less oil than this one that pumped crap out the exhaust. However it is not being stolen by the oil gremlin at night. So its going somewhere.

[68GMC454]

ive always been told not to run penziol unless im goign to run only penziol.. been told by a few mechanics in the past that is will not mix with other oils.. not sure what they meant exactly bu ti fgred it just didnt mix with other brands of oil... glad to hear the builder is working with you the way he is... hope you get it fixed

[Sport/Truck]

Originally Posted by gavotter333

The initial break in process was done at the machine shop and I have all the documentation from the components that were used. There is a brochure from compcams detailing the zinc additive treatment that was used for the initial break in that was done on a dyno. I would assume that this was done with the up most care however you are all right components do fail.

I am throwing darts at a board but can a cam wear out in 40 miles after 4000 were already put on it. All of this happened after the new oil was used. and the timing was changed. Was running like crap before this and burning oil but not misfiring and making horrid noises when you try to accelerate.

zinc isn't just for the break in, it's necessary for the life of your engine.
That ND oil is garbage and should not be used IMO.
Same with Penzoil - It's paraffin based and will gunk up your motor.
s/t

[WorkinLonghorn]

making horrid noises when you try to accelerate.

I've got news;if the noise gets louder when you give it gas it's not just a valve-train problem. See my 1st post.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by WorkinLonghorn

I've got news;if the noise gets louder when you give it gas it's not just a valve-train problem. See my 1st post.

If its not just a valve train problem then what is it. Major mechanical failure is pretty broad. My definition of major mechanical failure is a piston out of the block or pretty much what happened to the original engine where 3 cylinders had the exhaust valves mushroom into the pistons and really cause some serious damage. Bent lifters punctured pistons bent rods and twisted rockers. This was also a product of over 100 miles an hour in a 3 speed with a Mexican built crate engine that I had done many may trouble free miles in. I had to get out of the way of a semi that decided to start changing lanes into me on a 2 lane freeway. He did not see me and I had to absolutely floor it. If i had slammed on the brakes I would not be typing this message and there would be a 35 year old classic truck buried on top of me.

There is no water in oil or oil in water it runs at the correct temperature , even in the freezing temperatures here at the moment. The oil pressure is totally normal and there are no horrible clouds of black smoke bellowing out of the exhaust. 7 days ago it was ready to race. Then the timing was put back and oil was changed to a different type to try and combat the oil burning issue and then the rest happened. I replaced the spark leads as it could have been that simple. It is not.

You need to remember it still starts and will drive. And it still has plenty of kick. I am just not prepared to drive it as it all gets horribly noisy if you push it. I have looked at the valves and it looks like a flat cam lobe(although that would have happened in under 40 miles) or a collapsed lifter.

It could be anything however I will not know until we see if the lifter will work again. If it will not then likely the cam and if not that by that time it will be in a million pieces and more than likely back where it was built.

Fingers crossed.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by Sport/Truck

zinc isn't just for the break in, it's necessary for the life of your engine.
That ND oil is garbage and should not be used IMO.
Same with Penzoil - It's paraffin based and will gunk up your motor.
s/t

I know its rubbish but it is a lot better than no oil at all in a motor and this was the options when you are locked on a toll road through the middle of this country and there is nothing else on the shelf.

I totally agree with you. I think the engine has a severe gunk problem like mixing glue together. I am waiting to hear back and proceed.

[WorkinLonghorn]

You have to do a compression test. Also,how's the oil pressure?

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by WorkinLonghorn

You have to do a compression test. Also,how's the oil pressure?

I don't have any way of doing that. I will have to wait to see if I can drive it safely to my mechanics. Or get him to come here. Its 8 miles away and not on the easiest roads. I don't want to get into a situation where I have to blow the engine just to have it looked at. The oil pressure is the same as it was the day I picked it up. The original factory gauge is a little useless here I know and I am planning on getting some real gauges to monitor this puppy. It did go down a little when The w30 was put in. I would expect this as its a much thicker oil.

[sflanagan]

Originally Posted by gavotter333

Greetings,

Well Sean I am sure if you use your imagination you will know where I had the engine built. There are not to many shops like this in Bakersfield that specialize in race engines. I have been keeping the name out of this as its not at all relevant for the suggestions of the other forum members and If its a bad outcome its between my self and the shop. I truly believe that the guy that built this engine knows his stuff but wanted to throw it out there and get some other opinions about what it could be so I am more informed.

I have to say I have had a good experience in Bakersfield. Lived in SF and never had a reason to visit. When my motor blew up a fella from there stopped and helped me. I crawled the truck back to his place and he tried to fix the bent lifters and shot engine. Its people like that that make me love this country. The good ones still exist there just spaced out.

Thanks for the good reference to bako..lol. Some people just think it's the armpit of the state and stay away from it. It sounds like you got a taste of "the good ole boy" mentality. I try to do the same when I see stranded motorists. I've had my fair share of breakdowns with my truck and it's nice to get help!!

As for the builder I do have a pretty good idea who it is like you said. Especially since he' been helpin you throughout the troubles. I hope you can get to the bottom of your problem soon!! Keep us posted on what it was...

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by sflanagan

Thanks for the good reference to bako..lol. Some people just think it's the armpit of the state and stay away from it. It sounds like you got a taste of "the good ole boy" mentality. I try to do the same when I see stranded motorists. I've had my fair share of breakdowns with my truck and it's nice to get help!!

As for the builder I do have a pretty good idea who it is like you said. Especially since he' been helpin you throughout the troubles. I hope you can get to the bottom of your problem soon!! Keep us posted on what it was...

I will indeed let you know how I get on. MLK day today so time was wasted with no one at work. Hopefully tomorrow people will be able to peel there eyes off the TV ...

[71 super]

Is cam solid or hyd? It is possible that you have bent a push rod causing the rocker not to move- especially if the motor has turnd some rpm and needed readjustment. Crank the motor and listen to the noise using a piece of broom handle or water hose or a engine stethoscope. If you have a timing light and the hose etc. you can quickly isolate if it is in fact valve train or lower end. With light hooked up and working listen to noise with hose etc. if noise is 2x as fast as crank rotation it is valve train, if it is in time with the flash it is lower end problems. Valve train issues will create the rough running you have described and if one push rod is bent chances are other are as well, if they are not hardened they will break and can fall into the lower half causing other problems. As for the oil consumption, what type of rings did the guy use in the engine? If he used chrome moly, they can be a bi--h to seat sometimes, in the shop I used to work at in a past life a set was installed in a 390 ford engine that never did seat properly, ended up going to standard iron to get the oil consumption to stop. 5 grand seems like alot of money for and engine especially after seeing no roller rockers and what looks like regular proformer intake. What has been done to the engine to justify the cost- I realize port and polish stainless valves but goods heads run about $1200-1800 where did they spend the rest? Not trying to be mean or nosey but seems high for what I see in your pics,it would also help to know cam specs.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by 71 super

Is cam solid or hyd? It is possible that you have bent a push rod causing the rocker not to move- especially if the motor has turnd some rpm and needed readjustment. Crank the motor and listen to the noise using a piece of broom handle or water hose or a engine stethoscope. If you have a timing light and the hose etc. you can quickly isolate if it is in fact valve train or lower end. With light hooked up and working listen to noise with hose etc. if noise is 2x as fast as crank rotation it is valve train, if it is in time with the flash it is lower end problems. Valve train issues will create the rough running you have described and if one push rod is bent chances are other are as well, if they are not hardened they will break and can fall into the lower half causing other problems. As for the oil consumption, what type of rings did the guy use in the engine? If he used chrome moly, they can be a bi--h to seat sometimes, in the shop I used to work at in a past life a set was installed in a 390 ford engine that never did seat properly, ended up going to standard iron to get the oil consumption to stop. 5 grand seems like alot of money for and engine especially after seeing no roller rockers and what looks like regular proformer intake. What has been done to the engine to justify the cost- I realize port and polish stainless valves but goods heads run about $1200-1800 where did they spend the rest? Not trying to be mean or nosey but seems high for what I see in your pics,it would also help to know cam specs.

Thank you for the suggestions for this. These are things that I can do tomorrow and see what I find. Ill let you all know what I find.

The rods are hardened to my knowledge and of what I can decipher from the receipt they are cs-663p-10

SToCk roD & MaIN BEarINgS
Engine Pro's OE style rod and main bearings
are constructed using tri-metal alloys with a
solid steel backing for rigidity.
Application
Rod Bearing Set
Main Bearing Set Chevy Small Block.................................11-663P-8.
and the rings are e-251k30. This means nothing to me I can ask when I speak to him. The rings are Total seal and there is a comp cam springs and cam, Manley con rods. The rest I cant decipher from the receipt.

Now I hope I don't offend anyone here but as for the comments that 5k is to much for an engine, I guess that for some people this is true. I on the other hand I do not. This forum question was not about if it was great value its about seeing how to diagnose and fix a problem. I regret saying anything about money as for different people 2k might be a lot for an engine. This is not really anyone's issue at all and am not really interested in opinion here. Its like saying that $255 for a 45 series Bridgestone Bizzac snow tire is too expensive when junk from Walmart would do the job just fine.

I would not walk into your home and say that you spent too much money on your horrible furniture. You get the idea. Its not relevant here.

I don't mean to be rude but this was not made at home and there is a labor component to building an engine as others have also pointed out from previous posts. So if good heads run at 1200 to 1800 then there are a lot of other components to make an engine, Cam, Block, Pumps, Pistons Blah Blah. My original engine was not used .. I received a refund for it to be used as parts exchange. The shop was not backyard bobs and they don't order heads from amazon.com and stick it together. They machine and do all there work in house.

I would appreciate that this is not where this discussion goes as there is no merit for others in the future to read opinion about price and loose track of the point of this thread. To try and provide information that might be helpful not only to my self but to others in the future that may have a similar problem. Is this not why we look on here.

Thank you all for your participation and help. I hope this does not offend. I was not looking to see if you think i was ripped off I wanted to see what might have gone wrong. This way it can be fixed and I can continue to enjoy what seems to potentially be a very fun motor. Without dwindling over the cost.

Hope we get back on track.

Oh here is the specs for the cam also.

[71 super]

Use the timing light and determine the location of the source of the noise with the hose etc. From the cam specs posted there should be no problem with the pushrods unless there is a geometery issue- i.e pushrods are too long, bt with the info you have posted about the builder I am sure he would have checked the length and such when he degreed the cam. You said that the timing was @ 4 degrees when you went to the other shop in NY and that the engine had been run in at the bakersfield shop- correct? Have you spoken to the builder about the change in timing? Is the distributer a stock type or MSD billet etc? My thinking is if the motor was set up on dyno, the curve in the dist. and carb adjustments maybe off somewhat in and actual vehicle vs ideaql conditions and changes in atmosphere etc. All of these are tuning issues and do not answer your first question where is the noise coming from? Check with light to determine location and move from there. As for the components comment no it does not matter what you paid, however if like my self and the last big motor I built- 408 dynoed at 575 hp, things like pistons etc do make a difference- the first incarnation of the motor lasted exactly 6 days in which the end result was pieces of a cheaper piston migrating from #8 to #2 cylinder and a fire ball flashing at least 6 feet beyond the tailgate when this happened. I have been down this same road several times with "hot" motors so the type of components do bear relevance in how things act/react. The reason for the explosion migration was due to a "pro" who milled the tops of the pistons just a little too thin, and combined with a improperly setup distributer all hades broke loose literally and figuratively- turned a $8000 motor into a pile of scrap in 8 seconds or so. Sorry to step on your toes but been there done that. If you locate the source of the noise- valve train or lower end, you will need to run a comression test- tester is about $25 at any parts house follow the intructions on package- If a pushrod has bent, it could have been caused a misalignment at the valve stem as it bent, bending the valve and in turn leaving it in the combustion camber with the piston and the noise you have heard is piston to valve contact- not good. The compression test will indicate if the valve is open as you will not have compression on that cylinder and if that is the case you have bigger problems than initially thought- ie. cracked head in seat area, busted piston, and or busted block. If you are afraid to drive as I would be, the before mentioned tests are something that you can do in your driveway parking garage etc. in a couple of hours by yourself. Hope this helps get you going in right direction. Harold

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by 71 super

Use the timing light and determine the location of the source of the noise with the hose etc. From the cam specs posted there should be no problem with the pushrods unless there is a geometery issue- i.e pushrods are too long, bt with the info you have posted about the builder I am sure he would have checked the length and such when he degreed the cam. You said that the timing was @ 4 degrees when you went to the other shop in NY and that the engine had been run in at the bakersfield shop- correct? Have you spoken to the builder about the change in timing? Is the distributer a stock type or MSD billet etc? My thinking is if the motor was set up on dyno, the curve in the dist. and carb adjustments maybe off somewhat in and actual vehicle vs ideaql conditions and changes in atmosphere etc. All of these are tuning issues and do not answer your first question where is the noise coming from? Check with light to determine location and move from there. As for the components comment no it does not matter what you paid, however if like my self and the last big motor I built- 408 dynoed at 575 hp, things like pistons etc do make a difference- the first incarnation of the motor lasted exactly 6 days in which the end result was pieces of a cheaper piston migrating from #8 to #2 cylinder and a fire ball flashing at least 6 feet beyond the tailgate when this happened. I have been down this same road several times with "hot" motors so the type of components do bear relevance in how things act/react. The reason for the explosion migration was due to a "pro" who milled the tops of the pistons just a little too thin, and combined with a improperly setup distributer all hades broke loose literally and figuratively- turned a $8000 motor into a pile of scrap in 8 seconds or so. Sorry to step on your toes but been there done that. If you locate the source of the noise- valve train or lower end, you will need to run a comression test- tester is about $25 at any parts house follow the intructions on package- If a pushrod has bent, it could have been caused a misalignment at the valve stem as it bent, bending the valve and in turn leaving it in the combustion camber with the piston and the noise you have heard is piston to valve contact- not good. The compression test will indicate if the valve is open as you will not have compression on that cylinder and if that is the case you have bigger problems than initially thought- ie. cracked head in seat area, busted piston, and or busted block. If you are afraid to drive as I would be, the before mentioned tests are something that you can do in your driveway parking garage etc. in a couple of hours by yourself. Hope this helps get you going in right direction. Harold

Harold,

Thank you for this information. This is really useful and is something that I can do to see what is going on. Ill get a comp tester and timing light this afternoon and see what I can find. The distributor is MSD I think Its not stock and the carby is Edelbrock 1407. (Sorry correction here its a 1405, I did mention that it is too small for this engine but it has a electric choke and is essential for NY cold starting over performance) I agree that these might not all match perfectly and were items that were on the list to upgrade at some point.

I am under the distinct impression that everything used to build this engine is very high quality and it should be as strong as an ox. I am very much hoping that the valve has not hit a piston, I have been down that road before and its game over as you mentioned. Without doing major things like taking rocker arms off and so forth your suggestions will be really useful to try to diagnose the problem.

I was actually on the phone with the builder when at the mechanics here in NY and he is aware of the timing being at 4deg. It was adjusted back to 14 and it ran like a charm. Then slowly the ticking and so forth happened. I am still waiting to hear back from the builder and will let him make suggestions however I will follow what you have suggested as this will only help.

[stllookn]

If you can change a spark plug...you can do a compression check...it is that easy. I would highly suggest that you do this before you run the engine again. The equipment, as mentioned earlier, is very inexpensive and it can be done in your driveway in less than an hour. Instructions are included in the compression gauge kit. Come on here for guidance after you read the instructions. Good Luck!

[phipp13]

for the money you spent 5K is a lot of dough. i'd take the engine back and have it fixed, if that doesnt work out, legal action, I got a real good eng builder in TN i get all my parts from, 3.5k would get you a Brand NEW SBC 375-400 hp with a no B.S. warrenty!!!! pm me for a link if interested, very reputable engine builder. good luck Phipp13

[haysonj]

I have been watching this thread for awhile and you guys must know some really cheap engine builders. go to jegs and any 400 HP engine will cost you 4 or 5 grand Get into real high performance and they go up to 8 or 9 thousand. The fuel injection alone for my 383 cost $3,000. I paid another $3,000 to the machinist to alien bore,bore and hone fit all the pistons and balance the whole assembly. He also clearance the block for the 400 crankshaft. I would guess I have about 6 or 7 thousand to get 400HP with a lot of low in torque. $5,000 is not out of line but apparently something was done wrong or this engine would still be running strong. 4000 miles is way too early for a well built engine to quit.

[Skirkpat]

Originally Posted by gavotter333

Thank you for the suggestions for this. These are things that I can do tomorrow and see what I find. Ill let you all know what I find.

The rods are hardened to my knowledge and of what I can decipher from the receipt they are cs-663p-10

SToCk roD & MaIN BEarINgS
Engine Pro's OE style rod and main bearings
are constructed using tri-metal alloys with a
solid steel backing for rigidity.
Application
Rod Bearing Set
Main Bearing Set Chevy Small Block.................................11-663P-8.
and the rings are e-251k30. This means nothing to me I can ask when I speak to him. The rings are Total seal and there is a comp cam springs and cam, Manley con rods. The rest I cant decipher from the receipt.

Now I hope I don't offend anyone here but as for the comments that 5k is to much for an engine, I guess that for some people this is true. I on the other hand I do not. This forum question was not about if it was great value its about seeing how to diagnose and fix a problem. I regret saying anything about money as for different people 2k might be a lot for an engine. This is not really anyone's issue at all and am not really interested in opinion here. Its like saying that $255 for a 45 series Bridgestone Bizzac snow tire is too expensive when junk from Walmart would do the job just fine.

I would not walk into your home and say that you spent too much money on your horrible furniture. You get the idea. Its not relevant here.

I don't mean to be rude but this was not made at home and there is a labor component to building an engine as others have also pointed out from previous posts. So if good heads run at 1200 to 1800 then there are a lot of other components to make an engine, Cam, Block, Pumps, Pistons Blah Blah. My original engine was not used .. I received a refund for it to be used as parts exchange. The shop was not backyard bobs and they don't order heads from amazon.com and stick it together. They machine and do all there work in house.

I would appreciate that this is not where this discussion goes as there is no merit for others in the future to read opinion about price and loose track of the point of this thread. To try and provide information that might be helpful not only to my self but to others in the future that may have a similar problem. Is this not why we look on here.

Thank you all for your participation and help. I hope this does not offend. I was not looking to see if you think i was ripped off I wanted to see what might have gone wrong. This way it can be fixed and I can continue to enjoy what seems to potentially be a very fun motor. Without dwindling over the cost.

Hope we get back on track.

Oh here is the specs for the cam also.

There sure are alot of opinions on here, this is a great site for alot of things, but most of these guys are shade tree mechanics at best (I know there are some experts too)....If you paid 5 grand for an engine and install you paid the going rate, I know because I have been inside of an automotive machine shop...not this year ,but this week and have built many engines personally, the last one was 7K and that did not include a core or any/very little markup on parts and no labor!

As far as what is wrong, it is probably an issue with the valve train, new parts take a while to "season" and lifters are notorious for bleeding down or failing. cams do go flat, studs can pull loose from the heads, there are alot of things that can go wrong...It sounds like you are a smart guy who can get someone to figure it out... as mentioned in the previous posts look for metal shavings in your oil, after a build assuming everyting is sized right there is very little tollerance and if you see metal shavings in the oil or oil filter ( cut it open and look at the filter media), you do have problems...possibly major problems, if not then you may need to pull the valve covers to see if the lifters/ rockers are all adjusted correctly and funtioning.

New engines use oil, any body tells you different needs to check their facts, you seem to be using alot, but it takes a while to seat ring, guides etc.
taking out the engne is a VERY LAST RESORT...figure out what is wrong first.
and it is probably worth the $80-100 to get a tow to a good mechanic.

Sorry if I stepped on toes, but from what I read, you guys are going a little overboard, You should sue is not real good advice, the best engine builders make mistakes, try to work it out with them but ultimately it would be hard to get any judge to even look at this situation seriously, if it made it across country the builder did at least a fair job...a bad engine would not have made it to N.Y.

Just my opinion

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by phipp13

for the money you spent 5K is a lot of dough. i'd take the engine back and have it fixed, if that doesnt work out, legal action, I got a real good eng builder in TN i get all my parts from, 3.5k would get you a Brand NEW SBC 375-400 hp with a no B.S. warrenty!!!! pm me for a link if interested, very reputable engine builder. good luck Phipp13

As mentioned before the shop that did this motor is very good also and came highly recommended by 2 people. This is also why I have and will keep his name and the name of the business out of this. I spoke to him today and either the whole truck is going to be shipped to Bakersfield or the engine will be removed from the truck here and shipped on a crate back repaired and then reinstalled here.

I was never questioning the work that was done or the integrity of the machinist that built the engine. Nor the cost of the engine that was built. I just wanted some extra advice from others so I knew what I was up against.

[theyammieguy]

Originally Posted by gavotter333

As mentioned before the shop that did this motor is very good also and came highly recommended by 2 people. This is also why I have and will keep his name and the name of the business out of this. I spoke to him today and either the whole truck is going to be shipped to Bakersfield or the engine will be removed from the truck here and shipped on a crate back repaired and then reinstalled here.

I was never questioning the work that was done or the integrity of the machinist that built the engine. Nor the cost of the engine that was built. I just wanted some extra advice from others so I knew what I was up against.

Been following the thread to find out what is wrong with your engine.

Sounds like you got a reputable guy to build it and something went wrong.

Never know, torque wrench might be out of calibration, etc. etc. Things happen, even to the pros.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by haysonj

I have been watching this thread for awhile and you guys must know some really cheap engine builders. go to jegs and any 400 HP engine will cost you 4 or 5 grand Get into real high performance and they go up to 8 or 9 thousand. The fuel injection alone for my 383 cost $3,000. I paid another $3,000 to the machinist to alien bore,bore and hone fit all the pistons and balance the whole assembly. He also clearance the block for the 400 crankshaft. I would guess I have about 6 or 7 thousand to get 400HP with a lot of low in torque. $5,000 is not out of line but apparently something was done wrong or this engine would still be running strong. 4000 miles is way too early for a well built engine to quit.

Thank you. As I have tried to mention but it seems people are not reading. I don't think 5k is a lot for an engine and all this wasted discussion that there mate can do it for 3k is useless and counter productive. As far as I am concerned a 2 or 3k engine would more than likely be junk. There that should get someones back up.

I don't do anything the cheap way in life and certainly not with this truck. You pay for skilled people in any facet of life and for the best people you pay more. I know this as people pay me a hell of money to do my job because I know exactly what I am doing.

As I have mentioned so many times the price I paid for this motor is not relevant. I infact have an engine that is more reminiscent of 7K. I was not charged full price for a lot of parts and as there was little time some of the best components around were used. The sort of things I believe go into NASCAR engines.

If you only want to comment on this or how I should get into legal action then please keep your comments from this thread. There is no lack of communication with the shop nor is he dodging bullets in any way. I have called him at 3am and woken him up and it was not an issue.

Thankyou again to all of the people on here that are offering sensible information. I am not a trained mechanic with 30 years under my belt.

If you think 5k for a motor is a lot I spent nearly 1k restoring the whole heating system, would you like a breakdown of this too so it can be discussed. This truck is not a junkyard heap made from years of different trucks. It was owned by one man for 32 years who looked after it and it was garaged all its life. I am its 3rd owner. It has never been clocked and has never had an accident. It is in amazing and very original condition and is being restored to its fullest by me as a project.

[leddzepp]

I agree, anything can go wrong even with a pro building it. The fact that he is working with you, and talking to you daily speaks volumes about the kind of dude he is. It may take some time, but it sounds like it will be resolved. 5k is not bad at all for a performance motor with installation.

I had a similar problem with a used vehicle I purchased a while back. It looked like it had been sitting a while, and I noticed a tapping noise, figuring it was a sticky lifter. Not all the time, but it came and went and was annoying. I changed over to synthetic oil, and within a few days of driving, the noise went away and has not returned since. Just my .02, good luck with getting it fixed.

[Security guy]

Hey gavotter 333, It says alot about you to not bring the guys name in here with all this. Alot of guys would be cussing the shop up and down and bad mouthing the shop for a crappy engine. It seems like you have a lot of respect and trust for the engine builder. I'm watching also to see what went wrong with your engine. Keep us updated. You seem like a great guy just by reading your posts. Good luck with the engine.

[gavotter333]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

There sure are alot of opinions on here, this is a great site for alot of things, but most of these guys are shade tree mechanics at best (I know there are some experts too)....If you paid 5 grand for an engine and install you paid the going rate, I know because I have been inside of an automotive machine shop...not this year ,but this week and have built many engines personally, the last one was 7K and that did not include a core or any/very little markup on parts and no labor!

As far as what is wrong, it is probably an issue with the valve train, new parts take a while to "season" and lifters are notorious for bleeding down or failing. cams do go flat, studs can pull loose from the heads, there are alot of things that can go wrong...It sounds like you are a smart guy who can get someone to figure it out... as mentioned in the previous posts look for metal shavings in your oil, after a build assuming everyting is sized right there is very little tollerance and if you see metal shavings in the oil or oil filter ( cut it open and look at the filter media), you do have problems...possibly major problems, if not then you may need to pull the valve covers to see if the lifters/ rockers are all adjusted correctly and funtioning.

New engines use oil, any body tells you different needs to check their facts, you seem to be using alot, but it takes a while to seat ring, guides etc.
taking out the engne is a VERY LAST RESORT...figure out what is wrong first.
and it is probably worth the $80-100 to get a tow to a good mechanic.

Sorry if I stepped on toes, but from what I read, you guys are going a little overboard, You should sue is not real good advice, the best engine builders make mistakes, try to work it out with them but ultimately it would be hard to get any judge to even look at this situation seriously, if it made it across country the builder did at least a fair job...a bad engine would not have made it to N.Y.

Just my opinion

You got it right on the nose there. I want to make sure its cactus before I get someone to waste there money and time shipping an engine or whole truck to the other side of the country. I don't want to waste his money and would most certainly get another motor from this shop. As I have said he builds the stuff of dreams.

Thankyou for treading.