Mustang Tech

Maybe that's why they called then Hold On's.

hybrid wrote:A Mustang would never do that.

You have not met some of the Mustangs I have......

30 May 2018
Wow, this is feeling strangely familiar- an update on a Sunday.

Well, this week I set about changing the ticking lifter. I had a new inlet gasket and a couple of lifters on the condition I return the stuffed lifters back to the shop as they have not had one for a long while. They also suggested checking for a dodgy valve stem seal as, again, they rarely have stuffed lifters.

Before launching into the job, the shop advice was haunting me. One more check with the stethoscope listening/divining thing. I really wanted to hear a difference but could not even convince myself there was one in the valve train. Next step was the dizzy shaft but nothing. What could this ‘rounded’ (as opposed to a sharp) ticking be?

More listening and I think I had it but I needed better ears to confirm. Enter JBB.

‘Ears BB’ as he will be called in this updated, arrived with his lobes, of the ear sort.

“Stethoscope” he called as if I had turned into his engine bay nurse.

Stethoscope provided and there was darting, stopping and head shaking with a frown as he moved the probe around various attenuation points on the engine.

‘F&^%’ I think, head shaking and a frown can’t be good.

Stethoscope removed with the opinion,
“I can’t hear a difference, both side sounds the same.”

Well, that was good and bad news. If it is not the lifters then what?

I provided the LED light as Ears BB moved, hovered, stopped, shuffled and then darted around the engine bay.

“Seems to be coming from the back” (cylinder 7 area) he observed.

Yep, that was where I thought I heard it first before it started moving around the passenger side of the bay.

“What about a blown exhaust gasket” I offer

Ears BB then spots some soot on the head bolt under No 7 exhaust port. Yep, our ticking noise was actually a sharp chuffing from a blown exhaust gasket. Header removed and here is the proof:






It looks like the whole gasket was starting to separate.

Now, this should be a simple fix but… It turns out the PO had ported the heads to a dimension better suited to stormwater plumbing. In chev terms, these are pretty bloody big (47mm tall x 37mm wide)!

Lifters and gasket returned to the shop with the tale. They only had a gasket that was 40mm x 35mm. Off on a gasket hunt I go. I eventually found one that was slightly smaller but has the ‘lip’ around the inner rim.

New gasket installed with the assistance of permatex extreme temp sealant/gasket stuff (copper coloured). Left it for the advised period and then started it up. Ticking noise is gone!

Good result Jacko..

Great result for everyone's effort at the All Holden Day. Coupe of the Day!

I was actually about to start the car to drive home when I heard my name over the public address. Little Ian came and found me to let me know. You never expect such things but they are a good public acknowledgement of the effort many people put in.

Well done Jacko ......

Well done Jacko.
Not sure how much of an achievement it is though?

Best H*lden is kind of like having the best kind of AIDS isn't it?

well done, good result for all your effort

hybrid wrote:Well done Jacko.
Best H*lden is kind of like having the best kind of AIDS isn't it?

Can we settle on best kind of STD and call it even? AIDS assumes a certain mode of transmission that even a Holdon baulks at.

Jacko

Jeezus Jacko, I thought we'd seen the last of this Hold-on. Time for a new project methinks.. Nice score by the way. Please don't display it with your "Real" Trophies..

Congrats

well done Jacko

Great work Jacko. I would assume it is even harder to win a Holden trophy considering the quantity of opposition.

Hi Nassi
Not really as most of the entrants were late model commodores with Walkinshaw/HSV valve covers and a dyno sheet adorning the engine bay. Apparently you must get these when you purchase the car ;-)
Jacko

Well done Jacko, shows the effort and care you put in.