350 sounds like a diesel engine

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wbcook5

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I have a supposedly low mile Goodwrench Targetmaster 350 crate motor in my '83. It runs great, has fantastic oil pressure, but it sounds like a diesel engine. The noise is most noticeable at idle and doesn't appear until the engine has been running for a minute or so. I have tried using a pipe "stethoscope", but can't seem to pinpoint the location of the noise. I have unbolted the torque converter to rule it out and the noise remains. Timing was verified with a light. I hear the noise the best underneath the truck near the driver side rear of the engine close to the oil filter. Any ideas or suggestions?

I tried posting a video, but apparently I am not tech savvy enough to figure that out.
 
DoubleDingo

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Do what @Rickf said, then with fresh oil and filter, get the oil pumping and up to pressure for a few minutes and then adjust the valves with the two-roll method. Adjust the valves if there isn't any flakes in the oil when you drain it and cut open the filter. If there's flakes, you have different problems than valve train.
 
DoubleDingo

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Two roll valve adjustment....

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wbcook5

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I will do an oil change and post the results. In the meantime, here’s a link for a YouTube video I made showing the sound the engine is making.
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
 
bucket

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wbcook5 said:
I will do an oil change and post the results. In the meantime, here’s a link for a YouTube video I made showing the sound the engine is making.
xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media
Click to expand...

Wow, it really DOES sound like a diesel! What happens to the sound when you rev up the engine? Does it kinda go away or does it rattle a bunch more when you wing it a couple times?
 
wbcook5

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bucket said:
Wow, it really DOES sound like a diesel! What happens to the sound when you rev up the engine? Does it kinda go away or does it rattle a bunch more when you wing it a couple times?
Click to expand...
It doesn’t go away completely. I can still hear a sort of ticking off idle but it’s hard to hear it over the fan and exhaust.
 
bucket

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wbcook5 said:
It doesn’t go away completely. I can still hear a sort of ticking off idle but it’s hard to hear it over the fan and exhaust.
Click to expand...

Right, but what if you romp on the gas pedal a couple times? Like, let it really spin up a bit. Is there a horrible noise to go along with it? If not, that can be a good sign.
 
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I have had plenty of small blocks with exhaust leaks. Didn’t sound like that. Hell, have a couple now but ones big block…
Sounds like a really loud valvetrain.
 
DoubleDingo

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Grit dog said:
I have had plenty of small blocks with exhaust leaks. Didn’t sound like that. Hell, have a couple now but ones big block…
Sounds like a really loud valvetrain.
Click to expand...
Exhaust leaks come in different sizes, I hear an exhaust leak underneath. But, it's just a video, hard to tell.
 
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Get a stethascope at HF and pinpoint the location. If your truck has cats don't forget to check them.
 
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Between the fan and sounding like loud exhaust in a closed garage, not sure what noise you are talking about. The ticking noise???
 
squaredeal91

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Just rewatched the video a couple times. and it sounds like valvetrain either out of adjustment or your using way too thin of oil or low oil pressure. Have you changed oil yet? What weight did you use
 
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wbcook5 said:
I have a supposedly low mile Goodwrench Targetmaster 350 crate motor in my '83. It runs great, has fantastic oil pressure, but it sounds like a diesel engine. The noise is most noticeable at idle and doesn't appear until the engine has been running for a minute or so. I have tried using a pipe "stethoscope", but can't seem to pinpoint the location of the noise. I have unbolted the torque converter to rule it out and the noise remains. Timing was verified with a light. I hear the noise the best underneath the truck near the driver side rear of the engine close to the oil filter. Any ideas or suggestions?

I tried posting a video, but apparently I am not tech savvy enough to figure that out.
Click to expand...
When you say "Sounds like a diesel", do you mean that it sounds like excessive clearance in the connecting rods? Loose piston pins? If the noise is right near the oil filter, I would check my connecting rods, starting with the rear-most rod. You could have one that overly large inserts for a larger size crank pin ie, your crank pins were reground .010 undersize, but one rod has a .030 undersize bearing. That excessive clearance will be audible if it is large enough. Also will cause a large amount of oil to drain out, potentially depriving the rest of your engine of adequate lubrication.

J. B.
 
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