Tapping Noise from Engine - problem?!

[Anonymous]

By adjusting the rotor in the distributor, will that adjust the timing? Or would I need a professional to do this for me?

No, No, No! Moving the rotor inside the distributor will not adjust your timing.
You will need a timing light and a shop manual. The timing indicator is located next to the crank pulley (balancer) and can be seen from the distributor (driver's) side of the engine. It is adjusted by loosening the bolt at the base of the distributor and turning the distributor while watching the timing light against the indicator and numbers on the balancer (if that didn’t make sense to you read the manual). If you have a stock setup you should be running 6* behind top dead center (BTDC) for an automatic or 12* BTDC for a manual.
If fixing the exhaust donut fixed your pinging at acceleration you may not need to adjust your timing.

 

[Anonymous]

an exhaust leak will also cause some trouble... try that and see if it stops... find a really good hill around you and give it some gas going uphill, if you are getting any pinging...?

if not you are OK....


J.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes the noise has gone having repaired the gasket, but I would like to check the timing. And thanks, I thought that moving the rotor did seem a little too easy!

I will have to get a professional to do the timing, only problem is finding a decent garage in the UK that won't mess up a foreign car!


I have never heard what 'pinging' sounds like - is it quite audible? Is pinging fixed by adjusting the timing? Is it bad for the engine? What happens?

 

[addo]

Preignition is a problem if extreme or prolonged, as the engine is fighting itself to turn over. The explosion is happening already before the piston has stopped coming up - so it requires more effort to move upwards. Hence the sensation of losing power. Left unattended, it can eventually damage the pistons and rings, accelerate bearing wear and generally waste your money.

It can be audible in smaller, lighter engines. In a truck motor that weighs 800 pounds, you may not hear it. The sound is usually a bit like flicking your fingernail against a metal downpipe - kind of a hollow, "tink"-ing sound, or it can appear ouside the car as a tinny rattle when a vehicle accelerates under load (as in putting the foot down, or starting hard from rest).

If you have the original motor, carb (type) and distributor, a garage that adjusts the timing to give the "best fit" to the original advance specifications, then tweaks as necessary to avoid pinging, will be doing all right. A rule of thumb is that when you have been able to hear pinging, reduce the timing incrementally until it is no longer heard, then retard another two degrees. This is your margin of safety!

Adam.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your reply, Adam. Maybe I should get the timing checked, as I can hear something like a 'tinking', but whether its just the way things are - I don't know! Should I expect the garage to do know what to do and do good job, or bring some information with me for them to work to?

Everything is original in the car, but I have a Pertronix ignitor fitted. Does this make a difference?

I am enjoying owning a classic Mustang, as I am learning an awful lot more than I would if I had bought a new car.

On a different note, I am using Unleaded fuel (97 Octane) in my car, but I'm not aware that my car was converted? We get Lead Replacement Fuel (LRP) over here, and I wonder if I should be using it? I haven't noticed any problems with fuel, but read that this could cause pinking. What fuel are people using in their cars?? Any recommended additives, how often, etc?

I have another question: what parts need maintainence after general wear and use of an old 60's Ford car? (Things like valve clearance, timing, ball joints, etc, rather than oil and filters which I am aware of).[/b]

 

[addo]

As to reputable/reliable places, you might want to check out a mag like "Practical Classics" to see who's advertising. It's a very basic engine and undercarbed at that, so won't present a huge challenge. The Ignitor is not my favourite piece of kit, but that's personal opinion and it is more reliable than points.

Valvemaster is used by some people here, also FlashLube and a few other additives, but do make a habit of putting something in there, or it will start to self-digest a bit quickly. This will mainly manifest as poor performance and economy (not that it ever was a stunner out the box).

A general service manual like the Chiltons will outline intervals for inspection of stuff like ball joints, but a lot of this is a combination of mileage and road type, so it just needs to be checked. The most significant things to inspect are (well, besides all of the brakes) strut bushings, upper ball joints, centre steering link, tie rod ends, coil spring saddles, all four shocks, rear spring bushings (eye and shackle). Make sure no idiot has removed the lower tubular brace under the sump (it's important) and get a good wheel alignment running decent tyres of a diameter similar to original.

Cheers, Adam.